8 Ways Coworking Spaces Can Give Back On ‘Giving Tuesday’

Published on November 27, 2018 - By Jo Meunier (née Disney)

• Giving Tuesday is “a global day of giving” on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
• It coincides with the time of year when people are busy getting ready for the holiday ‘giving’ season.
• People and organizations are encouraged to take part by volunteering or supporting a local charity or community.

With the holiday season officially upon us, it’s traditionally a happy time of goodwill and giving. However, the commercial frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined with the pressure of finding the perfect gift can overshadow an otherwise cheerful time of year.

That’s why Giving Tuesday sprang up in 2012.

It’s an initiative that coincides with Thanksgiving to encourage people to remember others in need. It also serves to alleviate the inescapable barrage of advertising and cut-price deals that accompany this time of year.

Giving Tuesday was created by the team at the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y — a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around the values of service and giving back.

Its aim is simple: “#GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.”

For coworking spaces and flexible workspaces with a community focus, giving back comes naturally. One way we are seeing this in action is from the All Good Work Foundation, which connects social impact organizations with donated seats in shared workspaces.

According to co-founder Nate Heasley, giving back through All Good Work is a two-way street.

“Operators benefit from the program as much as their Residents. By inviting social impact organizations into their space, they bring new ideas in to their community and expand the kind of people visiting their space like donors, board members, and local government officials.

“The opportunity to show how a coworking space is connected to a community is an important way to distinguish a space in this increasingly crowded market.”

8 Ways to Give Back on Giving Tuesday

From fundraising to volunteering, coworking spaces are doing incredible things every day of the year. Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to raise awareness of your campaigns, or discover new ways in which your community can get together and give back.

It’s also a fantastic way to raise money for important causes. In 2017, Giving Tuesday raised over $300 million online in a single day — a 69% increase from the year before.

If you want to help a charity or a cause this Giving Tuesday, try one of these ideas:

• Join #GivingTuesday: #GivingTuesday has a huge social media following. In fact, last year it generated 21.7 billion social media impressions and over 1 million mentions. Get social and start sharing information about the causes you care about.

• Donate workspace: On Giving Tuesday, why not pledge space to All Good Work? Whether you choose to give one seat in your coworking space or a whole office, it’s not about how much you donate — it’s about making the pledge. Sign up today

• Raise money: Don’t wait to donate. Do it on Giving Tuesday! Get workspace members involved by inviting donations for cake sales, a raffle, guessing games, or simply set up a box for spare change and tell the world about it on your social media channels.

• Volunteer your time: It’s already a financial squeeze at this time of year. So why not offer your time instead? Volunteer at a local charity, take items to a food bank, or help an organization digitally, such as designing flyers or boosting their social media presence. Giving up just a little time each month will make the world of difference.

• Reverse advent calendar: This giving idea turns the festive advent calendar on its head. Rather than taking something out of the calendar during the first 25 days of December, the idea is to put something into it, and then take the contents to a local food bank. Set up a box in your coworking space and ask members to add an item throughout the month of December, such as canned goods, warm clothing, sanitary products or gifts.

• Buy All Good Coffee: When you buy coffee for your coworking space from allgoodcoffee.org, every penny of profit goes into the All Good Work Foundation. That means you’re not only providing delicious coffee that’s ethically sourced, but you’re also contributing to the growth of social impact organizations by helping them gain access to a local, supportive coworking community. It’s a win-win.

• From one Tuesday to monthly Tuesdays: This awesome idea from Whole Whale turns a one-off fundraiser into a regular occurrence: “Pivot one #GivingTuesday donation to regular #FirstTuesday giving. Offer an option for donors to repeat their donations on the first Tuesday of every month.”
• Acts of Kindness calendar: Set aside a few moments each day in December to carry out little acts of kindness. GivingTuesday.org has made it easy by setting up this 2018 template calendar. Here’s our favorite one for coworking spaces: Start a lunch break conversation around how your space can make a bigger social impact by partnering with others (hint: All Good Work is a great place to start!)

How are you marking Giving Tuesday in 2018? Share your fundraising or volunteering efforts with us at twitter.com/allwork_space and use the hashtag #GivingTuesday