Celebrating Giving Tuesday - Decade Impact joins 1% for the Planet!
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday come to an end, it’s time for our favourite day of the gifting week! #GivingTuesday was created with one simple idea: a day dedicated to doing good. Over the past years, it has transcended into a global movement that inspires millions of people to partake in countless acts of generosity. This year, individuals and communities have been harder than ever, making it more important than ever (for those who are in a position to do so) to give back.
Giving Tuesday was created in a response to the two biggest shopping days of the year. After several days of rampant consumerism, founding organizations 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation sought to mobilize the drive to give back. Since its launch, #GivingTuesday has progressed from a simple social media hashtag to an independent organization that made roughly $10 million in donations within its first year. While giving is a lifelong commitment, Giving Tuesday marks the “opening day of the giving season” and is a solid reminder to all of us to look out for our community and search for ways to give back.
This year, Decade Impact is cementing its commitment to giving back by joining 1% for the Planet. As a business member, we provide direct support to approved nonprofit partners and amplify the power of purpose-driven business. We are so excited to be joining a growing network of 3,400+ business members and together build a new environmental legacy!
The 1% for the Planet model is rooted in direct giving, where we commit to giving 1% of our total revenue based on our fiscal year. We choose organizations to support and make direct donations; 1% for the Planet verifies this giving on an annual basis. This year, we have decided to make donations to two nonprofit partners, Raven Trust and Stand Earth. These activist organizations are helping people take action now as they understand the urgency of our world on fire.
Raven Trust embodies a mission to provide access to justice for Indigenous nations and raises legal defense funds in Canada to defend their rights and the integrity of their lands and cultures. Their First Nation partners have helped to halt mines, stop pipelines, and have created better laws to bring environmental justice. With 14,199 donors, 862 monthly supporters, and $5.7 million raised, we are proud to be a part of their change-making.
Stand Earth is an advocacy organization that brings people together to demand that corporations and governments put people and the environment first. So far they’ve stopped 21 dirty oil pipelines and train projects, they’ve protected 65 million acres of forests from logging, and have shifted $3 billion in corporate purchasing to more responsible sources. Both organizations are focused on creating progressive policies and are helping to push the industry into doing the right thing. At Decade, we try to push companies to develop progressive policies and work beyond compliance. We wanted to give back in an intentional way and we believe supporting Raven Trust and Stand Earth supports our overall mission.
Now we want to turn the question over to you. How are you giving back this season? What Giving Tuesday activities are brand-aligned for you? As you decide on what philanthropic actions you want to take, we encourage you to think about why you are giving back to these organizations and if their mission resonates with your values. An example that we like to use is a beach cleanup - while this might be a highly impactful and brand-aligned activity for plastic reduction companies or other organizations, many organizations will pick a volunteer activity like this to do based on the sole reason that it’s the first to come to mind even though it might not necessarily be brand-aligned. We encourage you to give in an intentional way that helps support your overall mission. By aligning your giving with your actual impact business model this voices your social stance and will attract like-minded people to your organization.
There is no manual or guidebook when it comes to giving back. Making the most of this day requires thoughtfulness about the impact of our contributions and discovering which communities you want to make a difference in.
We wanted to end with these words shared by certified B Corp founder of Selfless.ly Josh Driver,
“The decisions companies make during this time will not be forgotten. Stakeholders will remember how brands responded—or didn’t respond—to this time. Employees may choose to work for a more socially responsible company, and customers may even pay a premium to support a company that has shown social support and help during this pandemic.”
Giving Tuesday extends beyond financial donations, participating in this movement can be as simple as helping your neighbor or being an advocate for a cause that you care about. We hope you join us on this day to celebrate generosity and experience the delight of change-making!