The importance of Donation Day

In a great move to celebrate and encourage generosity, Day 2021 will be celebrated on November 30th in around 80 countries. It is an invitation to celebrate the action of doing good and to spread the culture of giving around the world.

Radical generosity represents a concept in which the suffering of others is seen as intolerable, identifying with the problem through empathy. It also encourages everyone to help, in any way possible, to do their part to ensure systemic changes are made. The motto 'donating changes worlds' highlights the transformative power of the gesture. If it's not possible to embrace the entire planet, you can support small changes, whether in someone's life, in communities or in support of a cause.

The transformation gains a lot of strength when donation becomes a habit within society. Of course, there is no specific date for donating, but this subject, by 'winning' a special day of celebration, becomes more talked about and tends to generate greater engagement. Donating Day could follow a similar path to LGBTQIA+ Pride, celebrated internationally on June 28th. The movement, which marks the fight for the rights of this community, has grown a lot over the years and the events are not restricted to that day. Campaigns, parades and important debates are promoted throughout the month of June and also at other times of the year.

The idea of ​​setting aside a date to encourage donations became a reality in the United States in 2012, called Giving Tuesday. The celebration usually takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In Brazil, the event, called Dia de Doar, was held for the first time in 2013 and, the following year, became part of the global network.

Today, the nonprofit's top supporter of Giving Tuesday is the foundation of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates. The two, along with mega-investor Warren Buffett, also promote the Giving Pledge, a pact in which billionaires commit to donating the majority of their wealth to causes.

Unlike the United States, Brazil does not have a specific for Giving Day. Instead, there is a large mobilization, led by ABCR (Brazilian Association of Fundraisers) and which has a partnership with Instituto MOL to communicate the campaign. The activities, celebrations and events are carried out by the NGOs, institutions, projects, communities and companies themselves. Everyone celebrates in their own way, within the same movement — just as happens in June festivals and Carnival, for example.

Last year, the results of Day of Giving in Brazil indicated that R$2 million were raised online, with the average amount donated being R$75. And this occurred in a difficult context in which the Covid-19 pandemic and The severe economic crisis had a negative impact on the practice of donations by individuals compared to 2015 (as shown in the Brazil Donation Survey, by the IDIS Institute for the Development of Social Investment).

To help those interested in participating in this year's campaign, a special website is up: diadedoar.org.br . There, there are informative texts, art models and various materials that can be downloaded to assist in the development and dissemination of activities. Anyone can join this chain of good.

Read also: Donating is increasingly easier, it just needs to be more common