We are all well acquainted with “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.” This year, charitable organizations joined together in a call to action for “Giving Tuesday.” (It’s a mystery that it took this long to mark seasonal giving with its own day and moniker.) The idea is that while we’re shopping and in festive, holiday moods we should rally to support our favorite non-profits. Traditionally, giving and volunteering are high at this time of year. Thanksgiving is the most volunteer-filled day of the year with some places booking volunteers up to a year in advance! Some people give in honor of the holidays they celebrate while others are hoping to do some good while improving their tax situation with tax-deductible giving before year-end.

At GPB – as with many other businesses – employees are given the opportunity to donate to charities and non-profits, including GPB. These types of opportunities are great for staff morale; it makes us feel good to know we’re helping our community. This summer we participated in the United Way Day of Action by making sandwiches for a homeless shelter in town. Not only were we doing good work for a great cause, but it turned out to be a fun, team-building exercise across departments and took only our lunch breaks to get it done! Currently, we’re in the midst of a coat and canned food drive, as well as a Secret Santa gift drive for under privileged children.

We also hold fundraisers. My favorite is the book sale. Donated books are put on display in the board room and staff are invited to pop down and pick up great books, many from Georgia authors, for $1 each. I got some Christmas shopping done and picked a few treats for my self… and wound up needing a bag to carry it all. This year, the book sale also included a baked goods sale. GPB staff, including some of our executives, took to their home kitchens and made delicious treats. I snagged some magical lemon-coconut mini cakes to share with coworkers.

Check out the view of the book sale in the GPB board room below. (Tip: this is an interactive image. Try clicking and dragging to move around the room and zoom in and out.)

How did you participate in the inaugural “Giving Tuesday?”