Companies All-In on #GivingTuesday During Uncertain Year

With the economic strain of the pandemic causing people to give less and in different ways, events like GivingTuesday are even more important than ever. While point of sale donations may be seeing a decline, the virtual nature of GivingTuesday means individuals can donate from their laptops or in their homes, which is especially important as COVID cases rise. Today we explore three companies that contributed to areas of greatest need and extended efforts past just this Tuesday.

• With the holidays this year like no other, Nordstrom is giving back in a variety of ways. It is helping coordinate private virtual Santa visits where 100 percent of ticket proceeds benefit Operation Warm and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. For GivingTuesday specifically, Nordstrom made it easy for consumers to help their communities by having a point of sale $10 Sponsor a Moment tag, that, when purchased, goes directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
• As part of its GivingTuesday efforts, Hydro Flask is building on its Gift of Go holiday campaign. This year it organized giveaways on its social platforms where a follower’s comment to enter for a prize also counted as a $1 donation to the Latino Outdoors organization – a nonprofit that links Latino communities to parks and public lands.
• This GivingTuesday H&M teamed up with Emmy, Tony & Grammy Award Winning Artist, Billy Porter, to support The Trevor Project – a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to youth in the LGBTQ+ community. To kick things off, H&M donated $250,000 to the organization, and Billy Porter is serving as a spokesperson to encourage others to donate to the cause as well. Stefan Vos, President of H&M North America, stated how H&M is “proud that this partnership will help [The Trevor Project] continue their life saving work.”

While this GivingTuesday is also projected to be record breaking, the trend of companies giving is no longer a nice-to-have but a must. In fact, sixty percent of Gen Z believes it is no longer acceptable for companies just to make money – they must positively impact society as well. While these efforts recognize one day of giving, brands should consider how to integrate philanthropy and social impact into their brand ethos, for long term solutions to the pressing issues of the day.