With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s only four days until the “holiday” that every nonprofit leader (who I know, anyway) dreads: “Giving Tuesday.”
It has only been 13 years since one Henry Timms of the 92nd Street Y in New York City created a marketing gimmick meant to spark a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.” Whatever that means.
While Giving Tuesday is basically supposed to increase the number and amount of donations for nonprofits of all kinds by acting as sort of a planetary reminder that everyone should do so at least once a year, in practice—and this is absolutely the case for nonprofit news organizations like the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism—it results in every nonprofit trying to hit up everyone possible in a single 24-hour period. Creating a fundraising free-for-all that is always dominated by the largest and best-funded nonprofits … like the 92nd Street Y. Leaving small nonprofits like BINJ eating their budgetary dust.
Be that as it may, the predicament thus created is one of those “it is what it is” situations for such as we. Meaning my colleagues and I will definitely put aside our reservations and put out a special Giving Tuesday letter as part of our annual Nov. and Dec. fundraiser. And, as remains the case annually between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, every donation up to $1,000 that we receive up to a total of $15,000 during this period is matched dollar for dollar by the Institute for Nonprofit News’ NewsMatch program.
So, we’d really appreciate it if you can support BINJ’s journalism in the public interest on Giving Tuesday—and any day between now and year’s end. Just click here to donate. Thanks for your consideration.
This editorial was produced for BINJ.News, the independent weekly magazine of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service.
