Giving Tuesday touted as opportunity to give, not get

Finding the best deals on gifts from major retailers today, shopping local Saturday and saving online Monday are now well-established national trends during the week surrounding Thanksgiving, but another day is becoming more common for charitable gifts.

Several local charities are holding fundraising drives Tuesday as part of Giving Tuesday, which according to its founders, the United Nations Foundation and a New York-based not-for-profit organization 92nd Street Y, is "a global day dedicated to giving back."

The Giving Tuesday campaign encourages contributing to charities, community service and other acts of generosity. Participants are also asked to take photos of their acts of kindness to post on social media sites with the hashtag "#unselfie" to promote the campaign. The founders estimate that more than 10,000 organizations throughout the world are now participating in the campaign.

The United Way of Southeast Missouri is a local participant, and is asking people to make donations online or through texts Tuesday to help support local youth activities. Area chapters of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, along with the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Girardeau, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri and 4-H stand to benefit from the donations, as do the United Way-run programs Read to Succeed, Success by 6, THRIVE 40 Developmental Assets Initiative and LIFE Club.

The United Way will have each dollar donated in the drive up to $2,500 matched by SoutheastHEALTH, according to a news release from executive director Nancy Jernigan. Several other local businesses also have pledged to support the campaign. More information is available at unitedwayofsemo.org.

Since the period leading up to the holidays is an especially popular time for giving, Cape Girardeau's new Better Business Bureau office is encouraging individuals to check out the validity of charities before making a contribution. The Better Business Bureau offers basic tips on making contributions safely, and accredits charities that meet the bureau's evaluation standards.

Regional director Joey Keys' tips for people who want to give Tuesday and any other time of the year include becoming familiar with organizations and their missions, and making sure donations sent online are only going to secure websites.

"You want to make sure of the charity's exact name, because there are charities that can fall into the same category and have very similar names," Keys said. "You want to make sure you are giving to the exact one you want to give to."

Keys also advised individuals check out how organizations plan to use or share the information they submit when making a contribution.

Keys said several local charities have already applied for evaluation by the organization, which opened an office to serve the region earlier this month. As charities receive accreditation by the Better Business Bureau, they will be added to a list of responsible organizations. The list is available online at BBB.org. The organization additionally provides reviews of national charities on its website.

The Missouri attorney general's office also can be a resource to find information about charitable organizations -- the office posts financial information submitted by organizations on its website. The information is not, however, audited by the office.

eragan@semissourian.com

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