During #GivingTuesday, more than 50,000 euros were collected
The fifth anniversary of #GivingTuesday in Slovakia turned out better than expected. The holiday of good deeds and generosity has shown that, despite the circumstances, the desire to help is growing in our country. According to our data, on the 30th of November, we raised over 50,400 euros for charity projects, which is 6% more than last year.
“Even though it may seem our society is divided, #GivingTuesday has proven that cohesion and a willingness to help prevail in Slovakia. People were able to get together last year when a pandemic arrived, and it turns out that if necessary, they are willing to give a helping hand even after long and difficult months of the crisis,” says Michal Kišša, Executive Director of the Pontis Foundation.
Most funds were raised through the Darujme.sk, LudiaLudom.sk and Donio.sk websites. Through them, people donated more than 46,000 euros out of a total of over 50,400 euros. The remaining amount consists of registered corporate donations and donations sent by individuals to helping organisations directly. Besides, much of the online donation was credited during the week, so the resulting amount of support for charities involved in #GivingTuesday will be much higher.
The creativity made the donors emotional
A total of 122 non-profits, which help improve Slovakia every day, participated in the event. “More than half of the registered organisations asked not only for financial support, but also for volunteers, expert advice or material assistance,” explains M. Kišša.
For example, the Family Centre called on people to prepare Christmas packages with hygiene and cleaning products for their clients. Even such common things may be scarce for many of them to buy. “On the morning of #GivingTuesday, we found three shoe boxes wrapped in gold, silver and bronze paper at the entrance. There were gifts for a child, a lonely senior and a family. Symbolically, we help all these types of clients throughout the year,” Alžbeta Šporerová, the director of the centre, describes the start of the day. “We were very surprised by the generosity of our donors. For example, an e-shop sent us a shipment of 20 gifts, which we selected ourselves. Some schools called in with a collection of gifts they had organised. People shopped online for us and bought mainly drugstore goods, drugs, and also food,” she adds.
The list of participating non-profits is still available on the Givingtuesday.sk website. “Donations are still on the rise, even though our campaign finished. I appreciate that the website remains active and people can still contribute,” says Ivana Kováčiková from the organisation entitled Human Progress, which is dedicated to improving animal welfare.
The companies also gave a helping hand to the medical staff
The companies were not left out either. A total of 33 companies have joined the initiative this year. Many responded to the current situation.
“On the occasion of #GivingTuesday, we decided to once again support health professionals throughout Slovakia, to whom we donated fruit, vitamins and beverages. This is a follow-up to our help from the previous period after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when we helped up to 60 medical facilities all across Slovakia every week,” says Katarína Pšenáková, Communications Manager at Tesco Slovakia.
Towns and villages have organised collections for people in need
Many municipalities also joined #GivingTuesday. Overall, people did good deeds in 50 towns and villages from Michalovce to Bratislava. The most popular activity of municipal and city authorities was the collection of clothing, food and hygiene supplies. However, many municipalities had to deal with last-minute complications.
“The collection was to last until the 5th of December, but due to the announcement of the lockdown, we had to end it prematurely. Although it lasted only 12 days, we collected several tens of kilograms of winter clothes that will serve people without homes,” says Anna Tamajková from the Trnava City Office.
Medially-known persons also helped to spread the idea of #GivingTuesday. The campaign was supported by actors and actresses such as Táňa Pauhofová, Kristína Tormová and Juraj Šoko Tabaček, moderators Milan Junior Zimnýkoval, Sajfa, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Adriana Špronglová, influencers such as Raw Raw, Choje, Vedátor, Michal Sabo, but also athletes Ján Volko and Anna Karolína Schmiedlová.
