Looking at Giving Tuesday through the Covid lens
By Sue McCabe, Chief Executive, Philanthropy New Zealand | Tōpūtanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa.
Giving Tuesday can be viewed through a new lens this year due to what Aotearoa New Zealand has been through due to Covid-19.
Giving Tuesday, on November 30, is a global celebration of generosity in all its forms – acts of kindness, advocating, volunteering, donating, and sharing. It encourages people to undertake an act of generosity on Giving Tuesday.
This year there’s been so much giving in our communities, as we’ve been coping with the social and economic impacts of the pandemic and preparing for its steady creep across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Alongside the heartwarming and high profile stories of giving, there’s been desperate giving happening in homes, streets, churches, marae and community centres around our country.
People have also been going above and beyond in their jobs where they’re part of the Covid effort. Working at Philanthropy NZ | Tōpūtanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa, I’ve seen the significant efforts of philanthropy and grantmakers to get money where it needs to go, often providing support in addition to the funding to help community groups.
The leanly resourced not for profit sector has been meeting increased demand for its services as more people need support.
Pasifika and Māori communities have shown us how emergency responses should be done. Sadly, their advice on how things needed to be done for their communities wasn’t sufficiently listened to and supported from the get-go.
Volunteers continue to keep things moving as they always have (our country would stop without them), and everyday Kiwis have been helping those around them – because that’s what we do.
Being based in the Wellington CBD, I know public servants who have been working long hours and weekends as part of the massive Government effort.
In particular regions, like Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau, much giving, and much hardship has occurred behind locked down doors. Some households are better set up for a lockdown than others. Covid has highlighted the unacceptable inequity in our society, and an underbelly of nasty stuff like racism.
However, this Giving Tuesday, let’s acknowledge the giving that’s been happening every day in our communities since Covid arrived early in 2020.
If you are one of the small minority of people that isn’t giving in some way – be it support, time or money to someone else – then hop to it.
On Giving Tuesday let’s all pause to acknowledge our efforts and those around them - whether its through their jobs, in their communities, with their neighbours, within their families.
