By now, you’ve received emails, seen the hashtag, or heard at least one of your friends say “Giving Tuesday”. And, if not, consider this your introduction.

#GivingTuesday falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in an effort to create a national day of giving at the beginning of the holiday season. It’s pretty simple. If you already give, try to give a little something extra. If you don’t already give, see if you can find an organization that really speaks to your heart and start there. We have a pretty great list of amazing organizations right on our website.

There are practical reasons to donate:

1. Research shows that those who donate more than 10% of their incomes have lower rates of depression (The Paradox of Generosity).
2. Researchers found that altruism can spread by three degrees, meaning your generosity could inspire others to behave generously, as well, influencing upwards of 100 people with one gift (Cooperative Behavior Cascades in Human Social Networks).
3. People who give back to their communities have been shown to have lower blood pressure, increased self-esteem, less depression, lower stress levels, and increased happiness.

In 2010, when nearly 6,000 of your neighbors came together to dream of a future San Antonio, one of the very clear visions showed a more connected, engaged community. Here’s the challenge: in 2014, only 1 out of every 6 people in Bexar County was giving philanthropically. While this number is gathered from tax returns and may not include smaller donations by individuals who don’t itemize or report their charitable giving, this is still lower than other cities across the United States, and it actually shows a steady decrease year over year. Frankly, we can do better.

But let’s take it one step further. The Chronicle of Philanthropy paints a very specific picture of Bexar County: those making less are actually giving more. As those in higher income brackets have reduced their charitable giving, those in lower income brackets have increased the dollars they’re donating. Yes. You read that right.

So…why not use #GivingTuesday as an easy way to plug in?

And SA2020 is participating in a rather fun way.

We partnered with PechaKucha San Antonio for a fun-filled night of thoughtful and inspiring chitchats. In a nutshell, PechaKucha hosts speakers who share their passions in a unique format: each presenter gets exactly 20 slides, which automatically advance every 20 seconds. To commemorate the occasion, we have pulled together eight super engaged community members who are working to drive action in our community. You can read more about it and see who’s speaking here.

Usually, tickets cost $5, but because it’s #GivingTuesday, we’re asking you to give what you can (see what we did there?) with proceeds benefiting SA2020. You can purchase tickets here and join us for a fun-filled evening. #GivingTuesday and an evening of entertainment in one. Boom.