What is Giving Tuesday? How the annual day encourages generosity

The annual charity event takes place every Tuesday after American Thanksgiving

Giving Tuesday is a day that encourages people to give to charity and communities close to their heart. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

After discounted shopping days Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there’s another annual day that may be less well known, but is certainly more altruistic.

Called Giving Tuesday, the annual event is held the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving, and encourages people to give to charity and communities close to their heart.

Started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York and the United Nations Foundation, the idea behind it is for people to do good through generosity after several days of rampant consumption. The first Giving Tuesday was thought to have raised about $10 million.

Over the years, the idea has grown into a movement, culminating in it becoming an independent non-profit organisation in 2019.

“GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe,” says its website.

Although it started in the US, Giving Tuesday takes place worldwide in 80 countries, including the UK, China, Ghana, Nepal and Lebanon.

It has also been backed by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Emerson Collective, Fidelity Charitable, the Ford Motor Company and PayPal, to name a few groups that have given support.

However, the concept doesn’t only apply to big companies, but also individuals to do their parts in helping others.

How to take part in Giving Tuesday

For those who want to participate, there are a number of ways to do so. The movement encourages any type of generosity, even if it’s something as simple as showing kindness to a neighbour or volunteering to a worthy cause close to your heart.

There’s also supporting local communities through clothing or toy donations or even monetary donations through a registered UAE charity. Even spreading awareness and getting word out about the campaign counts.

“While many call on philanthropists, policymakers and grantmakers to repair broken systems, GivingTuesday recognises that we each can drive an enormous amount of positive change by rooting our everyday actions, decisions and behavior in radical generosity,” says the website.

“The concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. Radical generosity invites people in to give what they can to create systemic change,” says the website.

Five ways to take part in Giving Tuesday in the UAE

If you want to take part in the UAE, here are five ideas to help get you started.

Emirates Red Crescent

The volunteer humanitarian organisation makes it very easy to help donate to the less fortunate on their website. In addition to monetary donations, you can also sponsor an orphan or sign up to be a volunteer through their portal.

The Emirates Airline Foundation

Do you have unused Skywards Miles that you don't plan on using? You can donate them to the Emirates Airline Foundation and they will be used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Animal rescue groups

A volunteer goes on a walk with one of the dogs. All photos: Ruel Pableo / The National

The Stray Dog Centre UAQ houses more than 870 dogs with many up for adoption.

The Stray Dogs Centre UAQ opened in 2014 after the ruler of Umm Al Quwain gifted land to New Zealander Amirah William.

The centre houses dogs in kennels together based on their temperament.

A dog with her litter rescued at the Stray Dog Centre.

Many of the dogs rescued have been previously abandoned or abused. Ruel Pableo for The National

The Stray Dogs Centre UAQ.

Marz Roberts bottle feeds a four-week-old stray puppy at the Stray Dog Centre.

Dog food can cost thousands of dirhams per month depending on how many dogs they have.

The site uses diesel to fuel their generators which cost around Dh1,100 a week.

Activities at the centre are free but donations are always welcomed.

Volunteers come to walk the dogs at the Stray Dog Centre.

Te Tapua Roberts from the centre walks the dogs at the Stray Dog Centre.

Volunteers come by to walk the dogs at the Stray Dog Center in Umm Al Quwain.

In the past, the centre was also granted more land to expand.

The centre hopes that one day they can be more self-sufficient.

Leashes for dogs when they go for walks.

The centre has the support of Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, the Ruler of Umm Al Quwain.

There are hopes that Umm Al Quwain can become the first completely street dog-free emirate.

Give old supplies to local animal charities such as Stray Dogs Centre, K9 Friends Dubai or Animals and Us. Rescue groups are always in need of cat and dog food and supplies (litter trays and travel crates for example), but even something as simple as extra towels, linens or bedsheets are also helpful as they can be repurposed. You can also volunteer your time as a dog walker or foster an animal in need.

Volunteering

If you’re looking for a way to volunteer, visit volunteers.ae – a portal that helps connect people with volunteer opportunities. This include virtual and in-person events all around the UAE. Events are listed by date, time and how many volunteers are needed.

Thrift Distribution and Books Trading

ZH Riyaz opened Thrift Distribution and Books, Abu Dhabi's only secondhand bookshop in 2008. Chris Whiteoak / The National

There are now 50,000 books in the store. Complete sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica sit alongside travel guides, children’s books, collections of poetry and novels by John Cheever, Martin Amis and Jeffrey Eugenides. All tastes are catered for. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Trade was sluggish at first, and Riyaz only had one member of staff to help him run the shop. Nevertheless, the number of books he owned continued to increase month on month, in part because Riyaz could never help himself from buying more and more books from online marketplace Dubizzle, but also because contributions began to pour in from expats who were leaving the UAE. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Riyaz’s collection is now so large – he has more than 150,000 books – that last year he was able to open a second Thrift Distribution and Books Trading in Dubai. He also plans to open a cafe with a free library at the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

It is a remarkable success story, particularly so in an era when many predicted that the rise of websites such as Amazon, as well as the popularity of e-books, would put traditional booksellers out of business. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Customers come from all over the world – India, the Philippines, England, Eastern Europe and the United States – drawn together by the opportunity to browse in peace, a few precious minutes away from the hubbub of Abu Dhabi’s busy streets. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The glass windows are smudged, the yellow “Pull” sticker on the door is peeling away, and the neon sign somehow looks a little short of breath. Chris Whiteoak / The National

And the most popular authors? You guessed it: Danielle Steel, Sidney Sheldon and Dan Brown. Harder to shift are the text books and computer manuals. Chris Whiteoak / The National

You can donate (and even exchange) your old books to the secondhand book store in Abu Dhabi. Located on Hamdan Street, Thrift Distribution and Books Trading accepts most books for donation but asks that fiction/non-fiction books be exchanged, while school/academic books only be exchanged for the same.