Following Thanksgiving, we have two days centered on spending: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For most people, this is around the time the holiday season begins. But Giving Tuesday, the day following Cyber Monday, seeks to re-center us from kicking off the holiday season spending on ourselves to spending on others.

On Tuesday, December 1, people from all around the world will come together for a global campaign—one that brings volunteerism and philanthropy front and center during the holiday season. You don’t have to be a world leader or a billionaire to give back. Giving Tuesday is about ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things.

Gift of Life will be celebrating 25 years of saving lives in 2016. We want to kick off our 25th year with finding more matches for blood cancer patients in need. To do that, we need your help. On Giving Tuesday, we will be raising money to cover the cost of laboratory fees associated with tissue typing cheek swab kits. Please follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the day. You might also tune in for an exclusive, up-close look at a donor’s experience with blood stem cell donation that will be happening on Giving Tuesday!

Please give generously, as a percentage of your donation will be matched by Network for Good, an online fundraising platform for charities and non-profit organizations. You may make a one-time donation or set up a recurring gift here.

To participate via social media, post an #UNselfie (a photo or short video of yourself giving back) and mention why you’re giving. Remember to tag @GiftofLife and use the hashtag #GivingTuesday. 

Gift of Life hopes that we can depend on your continued support on this year’s Giving Tuesday. We have January 1 for New Year’s resolutions; let’s make a Giving resolution on December 1!