We hope Black Friday + Cyber Monday didn’t drain your wallet because today is #GivingTuesday — aka the globally-celebrated day for giving back to your community through gifts + monetary donations.
Last year, Giving Tuesday brought in $274 million in online gifts to nonprofits, up 50% from 2016. Charitable giving is on the rise – but where to start? You might already have an organization in mind, but if you’re not sure where to start, you can search for the list of participating local nonprofits on Giving Tuesday’s website.
Chattanooga has its own local Giving Tuesday platform called #CHAgives. The website features more than 200 participating nonprofits. In 2017, Chattanooga was one of the top 15 most generous cities in America, raising more than $500,000 in just 24 hours.
This year, organizers hope to raise $750,000. The best part? It’s super easy to give. Just click here and pick a category where you’d like to donate — food charities, arts & culture, education, veterans, etc. — and the website will take you to the perfect charity.
Oh, and there’s a party too. Join others from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miller Plaza today to get in the spirit of giving + learn about volunteer opportunities.
Tell us why you’re giving today by responding to this email or tagging #NOOGAtoday on Instagram.
The good thing about giving is that it’s never been easier.
DYK if you use AmazonSmile instead of Amazon.com when making purchases today the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the item price to the organization you choose (if you don’t have a charity in mind, search “Chattanooga, TN” to see a list of participating orgs).
Pro-Tip: PayPal will match all donations up to $7 million for nonprofit organizations beginning at 8 a.m. today. Donations made closer to 8 a.m. are more likely to be matched. Last year, the $7-million mark was reached by 8:30 a.m. Check out the specifics here.
Throughout the year, volunteers are always needed. The United Way has made it easy to find opportunities to give your time instead of monetary donations. For example, you can volunteer at the Chattanooga Zoo, help out with the Northside Neighborhood House’s annual Santa’s Workshop + work on a variety of special projects.
Here are 12 Chattanooga nonprofits that could use your dollars:
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera
The mission of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera is to inspire, engage, and enrich the greater Chattanooga community through music and music education.
Jazzanooga
Jazzanooga is a multifaceted cultural institution that strives to revitalize and sustain the local and regional art and music communities of the Chattanooga area through linked intervention initiatives: preservation, education and performance.
HART Gallery
Hart Gallery’s extended mission is to supply art materials and mentoring classes to other not-for-profit community organizations who can, in turn, provide a space for their clients to participate in art classes, expanding HART’s impact well beyond the walls of the gallery.
The Enterprise Center
The Enterprise Center is an organization with a local board of directors whose public-serving mission is to establish Chattanooga as a hub of innovation and improve people’s lives by leveraging the city’s digital technology to create, demonstrate, test and apply solutions for the 21st century.
Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy
The Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy is a single gender learning community for girls in grades 6-12. offers girls an accelerated and integrated remediation approach that is intended to move them to proficient and advanced levels within core academic subjects.
Kids on the Block
Kids on the Block is an award-winning educational organization which uses the skillful practice of Bunraku puppetry to educate children about social concerns and differences, giving them the skills they need to stay safe and healthy.
Chattanooga Area Food Bank
The food bank brings nourishing food to the people of the region who have the need, and courage, to seek help. Working hand in hand with retailers, manufacturers, farmers, buying alliances and individual donors, their mission is to end hunger for every person in our region, today. And tomorrow, do it again.
Glass House Collective
GHC’s work recognizes and celebrates the distinctiveness of Glass Street’s people, place and culture with the goal to inspire, support and ignite the spark that will bring about positive community change.
Cornerstones INC
Cornerstones has been around for 25 years protecting the historic architecture that makes Chattanooga unique and provides us all with a sense of place.
Chattanooga Community Kitchen
The mission of CCK is to meet the most basic needs of hungry, homeless and vulnerable people in our community while offering a clear path to self-sufficiency.
Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga
Family Promise is dedicated to reducing shelter stays, increasing the number of homeless families that transition to stability, employment or income supports if disabled, housing, supportive and follow-up services and self-sufficiency.
Humane Educational Society
The mission at HES is to provide a safe haven for homeless, injured, abused and neglected animals in our community and advocate on their behalf.
#CHAgives launched in 2015 as a tradition of generosity in Chattanooga on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The day is a localized extension of the global Giving Tuesday movement, which encourages citizens, companies, families and students across the world to donate funds or volunteer at the charity of their choice.
