Starting with Thanksgiving in November, many people often find themselves spending significant amounts of money during the holiday season. The Washington Post estimated that each household spends roughly $165 on their Thanksgiving dinner, which is a third of the estimated monthly grocery budget. The spending does not stop there though.  People spend an estimated $330 between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In just a week, some are spending almost $500 on food and presents. These numbers do not come as a surprise, but despite all the shopping that takes place over that weekend, people still find the money to donate on Giving Tuesday.

       

Giving Tuesday was established in October 2012 by technology company Mashable. Since then several other big names, such as Microsoft, have also joined in. Worldwide, the first Giving Tuesday brought in 10.1 million dollars. Mashable established this event on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kickoff the start of charity donations and end-of-year giving. Holding the charity event online makes it easier for people to donate money, which increases the likelihood that they will take the time to give. This year, over 180 million dollars was raised worldwide in just 24 hours.

       

Many schools join in on Giving Tuesday, and open their websites for charitable contributions to various programs, campuses and initiatives. Penn State introduced their Giving Tuesday website on November 27 at 18:55, a number which also represents the year Behrend was established. In just over 24 hours, Penn State raised $964,612 from 4,354 gifts, which could have come from people or organizations, according to Penn State News. Starting in 2008, Penn State graduates were given the opportunity to have a $10 donation matched with the university pledging an additional $100 for each graduate donation.

“Many Penn State students, faculty and programs will have critical resources thanks to the generosity we saw on #GivingTuesday 2017,” Jenny Daigle Benoit, Penn State’s executive director for annual giving, said according to Penn State News. “The tremendous support raised this year demonstrates the commitment Penn Staters have to each other and to our University. For me, this is what it means to be Penn State proud.”

       

Upon donation, those who chose to give were presented with the option of which program their money would benefit. The Nittany Lion Club in Intercollegiate Athletics raised the most money, bringing in $575,219 from 803 gifts, reported Penn State News. The second highest campaign was the Textbook and Educational Resources Fund, which is in place to assist students in purchasing textbooks, and raised $28,060 from 137 gifts.  The Penn State Future Fund, established as an emergency fund for Penn State campuses and students, also raised $22,660 from 184 supporters.

       

Giving Tuesday was established to promote thoughtful giving during the holiday season. Many seem to get caught up with the presents and the spending and forget what the holidays are truly about. This online event gives people the chance to give back, and Penn State was able to raise almost a million dollars through the event. Gifts from private donors have been essential for Penn State’s success, and giving Tuesday is just one part of that.