Thanksgiving has picked up a few informal holidays following in its wake — Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. This year, an anonymous donor will match donations to United Way for up to $5,000 on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
“United Way of Lewis County joined the Giving Tuesday movement to inspire people to take action to help United Way lift 30 percent of families out of poverty by 2030,” said Executive Director Debbie Campbell in a press release. “Giving Tuesday will leverage social media to create a national movement dedicated to giving, just as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been positioned to be synonymous with holiday shopping. … If you haven’t made your donation to United Way of Lewis County yet, this is the day to do it.”
Giving Tuesday is essentially a response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday — two days that offer consumers some of the best deals of the year. In the past five years, #GivingTuesday has brought in more than $26,000 for United Way of Lewis County.
“This is our sixth year in a row,” Campbell said. “I think they (potential donors) have heard about it, certainly from United Way and so many of the nonprofit organizations that are participating. It’s a great thing — it’s a global movement. I think we’ve brought some attention to it of being a dedicated time to give back. I would also like to think it inspires charitable giving during the holiday season.”
The donor who will match donations up to $5,000 asked United Way to remain anonymous. Campbell speculated that this is because they wanted to place more emphasis on the donations. However, she noted that this isn’t someone who has previously donated a match to #GivingTuesday for United Way.
“Hopefully this gives everybody a chance to come together and give back to the community,” Campbell said. “We do talk about Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Those are events, but they’re events for our own shopping pleasure.”
Campbell noted that social media has been a great tool for nonprofits, because they can reach a lot of people for free. Campbell expects that people will donate at least $5,000 this year.
“We have an amazing community, a very generous community and one that is really understanding and wanting to participate in lifting our local families out of poverty,” Campbell said.
The amount United Way has raised on Giving Tuesday has increased every year, since the campaign started. “I think we get in that mode of caring for others,” Campbell said. “Maybe there is a softer side to people during the holidays and I’m very sure that our community is very aware of those who are living in poverty, or certainly those who are working the two jobs and trying to get out of a bad situation.”
To donate to United Way of Lewis County on Tuesday, go to www.lewiscountyuw.com/giving-tuesday. People may also drop off their donation in person at the United Way of Lewis County office in downtown Chehalis (located at 450 NW Pacific Avenue) or make a pledge over the phone by calling (360) 748-8100.