What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global movement to unleash the power of radical generosity. In 2012, the 92nd Street Y in New York City launched Giving Tuesday as a simple idea: a day to encourage people to do good. The day is held on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The group saw the opportunity for a day to intentionally set aside our shopping carts and our consumer needs and instead focus on kindness, people, and collaboration.
The event continues, now led by the Giving Tuesday organization, and has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world to give, volunteer, collaborate with their communities, and celebrate generosity.
Giving Tuesday is based on the principle that individuals have the power to make a difference. Everyone has something to contribute toward building a better world, and our good acts collectively add up to a large impact. The beauty of this day is that you can participate in whatever ways resonate with you. You can bake a comfort casserole for a neighbor who needs a helping hand, gather your network to start planning that community garden you’ve always dreamed about, clean up litter along your favorite riverbank with a close friend, or volunteer at a local organization.
How to protect wildlife on Giving Tuesday
Wherever your passions lie, Giving Tuesday gives us all a chance to take action for the causes that are most meaningful in our hearts. Here are actions you can take this Giving Tuesday for the benefit of the invertebrates in your community:
Donate to your favorite organizations
Plan out the organizations that you want to support on Giving Tuesday and share how you’re giving on social media with the hashtag #GivingTuesday to inspire others.
We hope you’ll consider supporting Xerces! If you can’t donate yourself, cultivate generosity among your community by hosting a peer-to-peer fundraiser for Xerces. Have any questions? Contact our membership team; we are happy to support you along the way.
Become an advocate for invertebrates
Use your voice for the power of good. Share the importance of invertebrates and biodiversity with your network. Many folks don’t know how diverse invertebrates are, how much they are struggling, and why we need to protect them. The more people that stand with us, the bigger our impact will be. You can find accessible educational videos on the Xerces YouTube channel if you need help sprucing up your talking points.
Make a plan to avoid pesticides
Pesticide use is one of the major reasons invertebrates are struggling. Make a plan today outlining how you will avoid using insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides in your garden to reduce threats to vulnerable insects and the animals that depend on them for food. Also, read our guide to Buying Bee-safe Plants so that next time you head to your local nursery to purchase plants, you will be informed with the knowledge you need to understand pesticide risks.
Restore habitat for pollinators and other invertebrates
Invertebrates depend on many different types of habitat across landscapes, from microhabitats to giant hedgerows. Create habitat for these small creatures wherever you can. Build a container garden on your balcony, plant a pollinator garden next to your vegetable patch, or leave a pile of leaf litter in your yard undisturbed. If you have big ambitions, mobilize your community to plant a shared garden in a beloved space.
Xerces has free pollinator-friendly plant lists for almost every region in the U.S. available for you to download. Our plant lists focus on native, climate-resilient plants and include flowering plants that provide pollinators with nectar and pollen. We also highlight host plants for caterpillars of butterflies and moths, and plants that provide nesting materials for above-ground nesting bees.
No matter how you choose to participate today, THANK YOU for your efforts! If you’d like more ideas, please reach out to us at engagement@xerces.org.
