"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give," Winston Churchill
As we head towards Christmas, we will often think about giving Christmas presents, but the act of giving, especially at Christmas, has become overly commercialised, with days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday almost becoming holidays in their own right and overshadowing Christmas itself.
The purpose of giving has been lost in the cut prices and the online bargains.
On Tuesday, 2nd December, we have an opportunity to celebrate giving on Giving Tuesday with the intention of increasing our participation in giving.
The need to give has probably never been greater, because of the pressures and the challenges that individuals and families are facing. But also, due to the mental health crisis impacting the UK, the psychosocial benefits of giving need to be experienced.
In other words, you give because people need help, but you also give to help yourself!
We need to remember that when you give, it reduces your stress, increases self-esteem and develops your sense of purpose.
Beyond your own personal wellbeing, it improves your social connections and relationships with others, and also inspires and allows others to give.
Regardless of our own situation, we all have something to give, and there are numerous charities and causes to which we can contribute. In England and Wales alone, there are over 160,000 registered charities representing a wide cross-section of issues and needs, so there are many charities we can support and partner with.
This Giving Tuesday, look at the different charities that you know and feel passionate about, then consider how you can ‘Give Your Way’ by:
- Volunteering your time;
- Contributing some money;
- Campaigning for something;
- Fundraising for a need;
- Donating goods; or
- Buying something from a charity shop.
Why not inspire others by posting about Giving Tuesday, using the hashtags #MyGivingStory?
As acet UK, we believe in giving; we continually give to different international partners around the world, but also as a charity, we only exist because of the generous giving of individuals, trusts and companies.
We especially ask you to take some time to think about what you can give to the wonderful work of acet UK and support us during the upcoming Big Give Christmas challenge, which is taking place between the 2nd and 9th December.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK's largest collaborative fundraising campaign. It utilises match funding, which means any donation received during this period is doubled with match funding provided by acet UK pledgers and Big Give’s Champion partners.
So please consider giving to acet UK during the period 2nd to 9th December. You can find out more information about giving to acet UK through the Big Give by clicking the button on the right.
“It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back,” Denzel Washington
