Like Uncle Bill’s $200 tip, do some unexpected good for others this holiday season

During the holiday season there is always a focus on charitable giving or philanthropy. Recently you might have been asked by your local non-profits or organizations to give generously on Giving Tuesday. This is charitable giving. Philanthropy is something different.

Although Giving Tuesday sometimes seems like a commercial effort, it was the brainchild of NYC 92^nd Street Y and it’s Belfer Center for Innovation. It’s original purpose was to counter the consumerism and promotion of Black Friday and CyberMonday. Giving Tuesday hoped to inspire generosity and motivate people to do something good, for someone other than themselves. Originally it was launched in partnership with the UN Foundation, but Giving Tuesday is now a standalone non-profit. the worldwide reach, a staff of forty and a board of prominent business and philanthropic leaders.

This year, Giving Tuesday raised $3.6 billion up from $3.1 billion in 2023. Up 16%. 36.1 million Americans participated. That’s an increase of 7%. The number of volunteers increased as well by 4% to 9.2 million.

All of this is good news according to the Philanthropy Roundtable who tracks charitable giving. In recent years there has been a decline in individual giving and volunteerism. A Webinar the day before Giving Tuesday sponsored by three national organizations including the Giving Institute, identified several reasons for the decrease. Some of those reasons are social disconnection in recent years, lack of trust in organizations, economic uncertainty, and generational shifts in interests and attitudes.

I come from a family of givers who delighted in unexpected, surprise giving, especially around the holidays. My Uncle Bill Daniels was known as a drive by giver. Sometimes on Christmas Eve when we would go out for Breakfast at a local restaurant in Hobbs or Albuquerque and he would leave a big tip. One time when he left $200, the server chased him down and said, “I think you made a mistake.” ….and he said, “No, sweetie, Merry Christmas!” Stunned, she tearfully thanked him. It made it possible for her to buy her daughter a Christmas gift. Those kinds of experiences were an inspiration to me and my kids to continue the tradition.

Bill later became a philanthropist. Grateful for his success in life as an entrepreneur in Cable TV he left behind a $1 billion-dollar philanthropic fund in 2020. It has impacted hundreds of kids lives by providing scholarships, feeding the homeless, aiding people with disabilities, and helping to inspire entrepreneurs across New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Near the end of his life, he told me what he loved most about having a little extra money was his ability to be that drive-by giver. Leaving  a large tip for a server,  delivering an envelope of cash to a someone whose story of distress appeared in a local paper or buying someone an unexpected gift they dreamed about but couldn’t afford was a joy.  He loved seeing the twinkle in their eyes.

Not everyone can do a $200 tip or leave that envelope of cash for someone in distress. But everyone can do something. On Giving Tuesday 36.1 million generous Americans gave to the organizations they love. Charitable organizations who are working to feed the hungry, to help kids, to support local news organizations, to fight for social justice. Each gift matters and hopefully will be put to good purpose.

I opened with a reminder that charitable giving and philanthropy are different. I hope to write more about Philanthropy in the future. In the meantime, make yourself and someone else feel good, be generous, be a drive by giver, do something unexpected in the spirit of the season and America.

May the joys of the season and drive by giving be yours New Mexico.