InterRogerTory:
Dear Roger,
It is only Monday, but my email inbox already has 327 messages with the subject line “#GivingTuesday.” Make it stop!
Love,
Overwhelmed
Response:
Dear Overwhelmed,
If you really want to make it stop, you can unsubscribe from each organization’s mailing list. Federal law, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, requires each “commercial electronic mail” to include a way to opt out of receiving future emails.
But please don’t! Yes, Giving Tuesday is a bit obnoxious, being tied as it is to anachronisms like “Cyber Monday.” (Seriously, Black Friday deals are all available online. Plus, there are “Black Friday” events on Wednesdays in June so it’s not like there’s anything special about Black Friday anyway! If it’s a day ending in “y,” there is a sale somewhere.) If I were in charge of the world, I would make Thanksgiving itself be the big day for giving. No, no I wouldn’t. I have to hope that not every family spends their entire Thanksgiving sitting together in the living room doing their own things on their phones.
But Giving Tuesday is important for lots of nonprofit organizations. Let me share why:
- Some donors want to give a big matching donation so it helps that there is the infrastructure in place to make a single day push for donations.
- Since it’s a single day separate from overall giving, it’s a great time for organizations that want to raise funds for a special purpose.
- Some organizations prioritize non-financial giving on Giving Tuesday. For example, JusticeAccess wants supporters to give ideas and information if they aren’t in a position to give money this Giving Tuesday. In fact, one of the ideas that people can give are topics for future InterRogerTories!
Overwhelmed, thank you for giving me the opportunity to get on my soapbox about Giving Tuesday, but if you’re still annoyed by all the emails, read up on the CAN-SPAM Act, review the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendations for reducing email spam, and submit complaints to the Federal Trade Commission if any organization sending you emails doesn’t comply with its requirements.