NIRSA Foundation joins the national #GivingTuesday movement to encourage spending with a purpose

By Nazifa Islam

The NIRSA Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give charitably.

This pioneer effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, businesses, families, and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season.

#GivingTuesday was founded by the 92nd Street Y and thought leaders in philanthropy, social media, and grassroots organizing.

Coinciding with Thanksgiving and the informal kickoff to holiday shopping, #GivingTuesday takes place on December 2—the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—and uses the power of social media to create a collaborative national movement dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become synonymous with holiday shopping. #GivingTuesday strives to inspire people to improve their local communities, give back to the charities and causes they support in better and smarter ways, and help create a better world.

“Giving Tuesday reminds us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism.”

“Giving Tuesday is a counter narrative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday because it reminds us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism,” says Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation, one of the founding partners that helped the 92nd Street Y get the #GivingTuesday concept on its feet back in 2012. “The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends, and neighbors is the commitment to work together to help build a better world.”

“The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends, and neighbors is the commitment to work together to help build a better world.”

This year, the NIRSA Foundation—along with more than 13,000 and counting corporate and nonprofit organizations—has decided to join this exciting movement! The Foundation has long been dedicated to supporting the future of collegiate recreation, and it is eager to use #GivingTuesday to create a platform for champions of the NIRSA Foundation to discuss why #campusrec is relevant and should be valued.

“Recreation is the campus community, and it enhances the educational experience,” says NIRSA Foundation Board Member Deb Johnson. “Our programs and facilities help to keep students in school, and aids in their academic success and personal wellness. Ideally, their collegiate experiences lead to lifelong wellness.” Fellow Board Member Chris Muller points out that NIRSA members “give selflessly every day, and [participating in #Giving Tuesday] is a way to ‘pay it forward’” since donations to the NIRSA Foundation “help support the future of collegiate recreation through funding for deserving students and professionals as well as for research in the field.”

I support #campusrec b/c I want it to be a vibrant part of my kids’ future! @NIRSAFoundation #givingtuesday #unselfie pic.twitter.com/KPBBwN4boM

— Pam Watts (@pamnirsa) November 19, 2014

On Tuesday, December 2, plan to send @NIRSAFoundation your #unselfie, showing why, through your charitable gift to the NIRSA Foundation, you support #campusrec.

Those interested in joining the NIRSA Foundation’s #GivingTuesday initiative should take to Twitter on December 2 to share their support of the Foundation and their love for #campusrec! Donate to a worthy cause and tweet your completed variation on the following:

“I support #campusrec because […] @NIRSAFoundation #GivingTuesday.”

The NIRSA Foundation strives to enhance the effectiveness of collegiate recreation by providing NIRSA members with meaningful opportunities for scholarship, research, and professional development. Your participation in the Foundation’s #GivingTuesday movement will make a real difference to the collegiate recreation field. So get ready to take to the Twittersphere on December 2 to express why #campusrec matters to you!