“Giving Tuesday”: a spotlight on generosity

Les comportements généreux et les actes altruistes augmenteraient notre indice de bonheur. Generous behaviour and altruistic acts are thought to increase our happiness index. And yes! Helping others is good for your morale and your health. One study even goes so far as to claim that spending on others generates more happiness than spending on ourselves!

This is all the more interesting in the run-up to the biggest annual shopping event of the year (aka “Crazy Friday”)… but also the biggest appeal for generosity: “Giving Tuesday“

I spend, therefore I save; the sales trap

Unless you live in a cave, everyone has heard of the famous “Black Friday”. More deeply rooted among our neighbours to the south, it is gaining ground in Canada every year. The commercial concept uses the excitement of the approaching festive season and the desire to spoil ourselves to titillate our fear of missing out on a bargain, driving us to buy under pressure. With newsletters and glitter, any means is good to get us to ‘take advantage’ of impressive discounts, and make us happy to spend!

It can also be a strategic time to get the things you need at a lower cost, as long as you don’t fall for the bargains that suddenly disguise our desires as basic needs (here’s an interesting article to sharpen your judgement: Survivre au Black Friday sans perdre la raison).

Meanwhile, in response to this invitation to (over)consume, Giving Tuesday has the wind in its sails.

What’s Tuesday I give?

Conceived in 2012 and officially launched in Canada in 2013 by CanadaHelps, Giving Tuesday is a worldwide movement that works in a way that’s as simple as it is evocative! It’s all about giving, in whatever way you can, to create a wave of charity and generosity at a time of year that’s generally very consumer-oriented.

Whether it’s making a donation, helping a neighbour with their groceries or offering your expertise to an organisation in need of resources, the initiative acts as an invitation to kindness, within your means.

The givingtuesday.ca platform offers tips, brings together organisations, acts as a bridge to donation campaigns and helps those who wish to do so to set up the movement in their community, mainly in the form of collections.

But make no mistake: the idea is not to buy a conscience after a weekend of discount shopping. In fact, there’s no mention of Fridays on the GivingTuesday website… The only visible reference is the name, Mardi je donne, which uses the same play on words, leading us to suppose that it may be a direct response.

So the idea isn’t to call for a boycott of Black Friday; in fact, one doesn’t preclude the other. The aim is to shine a spotlight on the importance of kindness, altruistic gestures and the benefits they bring, both individually and collectively. In a nutshell, we want to “encourage people to do good for a day”… to inspire them to continue doing so all year round, and to help “build a world where generosity is part of everyday life”. Inspiring, isn’t it ?

From words to deeds : concrete actions

When we think of giving, we often think of money. But there are many other ways to give.

Take a moment to identify the causes and values that are important to you, then assess the resources available to you: time? money? physical strength? expertise?

Then find out what’s needed to find the best way to help, ideally close to home ; local donations have a direct impact here in our communities. Here are a few examples:

• Start an official Giving Tuesday movement in your community (go to the website to register as a leader: Giving Tuesday).
• Join a cause or organisation that’s close to your heart by volunteering: take part in activities, take part in donation drives, offer your professional services pro bono, become a spokesperson, etc.
• Make a non-monetary donation : many organisations collect donations of food, clothing, hygiene products, etc.
• Be an ambassador : if you’re already involved, invite the people around you to get involved too: make them want to!

A simple gesture, a direct impact

‘How do I know I’m really making an impact ?’

Look for an organisation that works transparently and acts directly in the heart of your community. At La Transformerie, we can’t speak for others, but here’s a concrete example of the impact your donations, whether monetary, food or voluntary, can have.

Voluntary impact : 

Our figures tell us day after day that every hour of voluntary work makes a difference and is an irreplaceable pillar of our success. Armed with elbow grease and good humour, the volunteers working at La Transformerie have been actively helping to keep our Rescapés project afloat for over 5 years! And the best thing about it all is that they seem to enjoy the experience – they told us so! 😉

Monetary impact: every dollar counts 

“Where does the money go?”

Here are some figures to illustrate the impact you can have by making a donation to La Transformerie:

25$ = 30 kg of food saved and 20 kg of food redistributed

50$ = save 60 kg of food and redistribute 40 kg of goods

100$ = save 120 kg of food and redistribute 80 kg of foodstuffs

500$ = save 600 kg of food and redistribute 400 kg of foodstuffs

All these amounts enable us to cover part of our basic costs and to collect and process unsold food every week, redistribute it to food aid and raise awareness of the need to combat food waste ever more effectively.

I give, therefore I win

Just as we often say that buying is voting, giving is a win-win situation. The gesture doesn’t need to be calculated, quantified or recorded in a register or on social networks to be part of the mobilisation; the ultimate goal is to create a better world.

Generosity has no face and no label. It can be expressed in a thousand and one ways, and its effects are all the more visible when it takes place on a daily basis in our immediate environment.

So do yourself a favour : it’s good for your health!

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Oh and… While we’re here, we’re not going to twist anyone’s arm, but if you feel like helping us in our mission to raise awareness of the fight against waste, check out our annual campaign, , S’engager avec cœur pour un monde sans gaspillage !

If you’d like to get involved in our mission in other ways, we’re always happy to see new faces come and share their time with us ! To volunteer, click here!