Celebrate Giving Tuesday

There are roughly 1.5 million active nonprofit organizations in the United States. They all range in size, but most are small, doing great work in your local community. These organizations need your support and your dollars to effect change.

As a full-time nonprofit consultant, supporting quality organizations is near and dear to me, and Giving Tuesday is a special day in the nonprofit world. Instead of writing a full newsletter today, I want to encourage you to support an organization making a difference.

If you already support an organization, consider giving a bit more today. Many organizations offer donation matching on Giving Tuesday, which can multiply your gift. If you've never donated to a nonprofit, consider making a first-time donation today. Trust me, donations of any size make a difference to organizations.

Not sure where to give your donation? Do a quick search for nonprofits in (enter your city's name), and you'll likely find a few making a difference right in your community. Want a quick suggestion? Here are two local organizations I'm supporting today:

• A Gift For Teaching: This awesome organization enables local teachers to get much-needed school supplies so their students can learn. They have a "store" for teachers to "shop" for their classroom, which is really cool.
• Give Kids the World: GKTW provides all-inclusive Orlando vacations to children with life-threatening conditions. The entire campus is a beautiful, fully accessible resort designed for children. While I wish the organization weren't necessary, I'm very glad it exists.

Have a nonprofit you support? Post about it on your social networks. Text your friends or family and invite them to support the organization. Give the nonprofit a gift of some free marketing. After all, this is the season of giving.

Dan Pallotta has a good explanation if you're curious about why someone should give to a nonprofit organization. He makes an excellent case for why we must change our societal conditioning about giving to organizations. I encourage you to watch Dan's TED Talk today. Have thoughts? Hit reply and let's chat.