Ahhh, have you recovered yet from your meal over the Thanksgiving holiday? Whatever the day means to you, it’s such a wonderful reminder to find more gratitude in your life. Now the holiday season transitions into a flurry of activity for many. Non-profit organizations share that flurry of activity. They begin their push to release their end of year reports where their accomplishments, financials, future goals all come into sharper focus.
Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement held the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, falls on December 3rd this year. It has become an important revenue stream for many non-profit organizations which helps keep their donors, audiences and board members informed about successes, near misses and sometimes even opportunities for re-assessment. It’s not just about fund-raising. It’s also about the public and private sector sharing gratitude with those people who work tirelessly sometimes (and sleeplessly at other times) to keep the work going that makes our communities stronger, kinder and in some cases tidier.
One of my current non-profit favorites is Turnip Green Creative Reuse. They have definitely tidied things up in Nashville. Not only did they just move to a space twice their original size but they’ve also diverted 140,000 pounds from the landfill by "Fostering creativity and sustainability through reuse.”
Over the last year, we teamed up to overhaul their web site so that it is more user friendly, easier to navigate and better serves the larger community. We also just finished their progress report and WOW! Their impact has become more and more far-reaching each year. With more students, more volunteers, more teachers, and more space, they are helping keep the load on our landfills lighter and the spirit of our community stronger with collaboration and creativity.
If you are looking for a non-profit to “help others through the gift of your time, donations, goods or your voice,” consider the impact this one can provide and become part of their team effort by volunteering; or simply donate materials or finances to further their cause. This is the perfect season to discover more warm-hardheartedness by serving the needs of others. Giving Tuesday provides one of the many ways to generate this discovery.
It takes a village and this non-profit makes our little Nashville village much greener. I simply love what they do!
