Charlotte Arnø Storebakken: Be a part of the world’s most generous movement

With GivingTuesday set for 29 November, Charlotte Arnø Storebakken, manager of the Institute for Fundraising with Fundraising Norway, talks about its uptake in Norway and encourages more countries and nonprofits to take part.

I strongly believe in GivingTuesday as a global generosity movement. I believe that when likeminded individuals from all over the world come together to inspire and share what generosity looks like in their part of the globe, magic happens.

GivingTuesday came to Norway in 2017 and has since developed – slowly, but always with innovation in mind. Norwegian NGOs, companies and individuals have caught on to the idea and transformed it to suit their own matters of the heart, their own challenges to solve, and their ideas for how to make this world a more just and generous one.

Those who have already joined the movement are eager to develop their project and always keen to have more people on board. They are also eager to share best practices, tools, and contacts to help YOU join the movement. This is an open community, where the common saying ‘sharing is caring’ is for real. A film or quote or activity copied means more acts of generosity carried out to the benefit of more people and animals and different local needs. In this way each one of us is acting on a local level, yet through our worldwide network having a global impact.

In Norway, we have many GivingTuesday advocates among charities and NGOs, in several companies and also among individuals, all of which believe in the idea and help to spread the word. These are some examples:

• GivingTuesday is a natural part of the annual campaign wheel of several charities. NMS/Norwegian Mission Society use GivingTuesday to reach their young followers and has, since its beginning in Norway, collaborated with top Norwegian influencers. The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue Norway use GivingTuesday as a First Aid Day.
• Engineers Without Borders Norway collaborated with their corporate sponsors on a Missing Maps Project in Congo on GivingTuesday.
• The telemarketing company Dialog Norge has initiated a corporate challenge on LinkedIn to engage companies for GivingTuesday. Some of our partners share their acts of generosity on GivingTuesday and challenge their contacts and networks to do the same. Acts of generosity can be to give their time, their competence or money.

This year we are planning a Gaming for Good event. GivingTuesday Norway will be an umbrella for us to experiment in this fairly new fundraising channel in Norway. Together we learn!

Participating in Giving Tuesday is very rewarding but it can also be challenging. Many GivingTuesday initiatives are fulfilled by grassroots leaders with sparse resources. They are dependent on volunteering and also some funding.

Because GivingTuesday is quite different from any other project. Its model is not a top-down leadership one, but a process of empowering your connections to take action where they are. These ‘concentric circles’ lead you towards a way of working where you must not be afraid to lose control. You need to be available to strive to understand the initiatives, and encourage your network.

I suggest you reach out to your network and gather together those who embrace the idea. And remember – if you have a question or need a chat, the network of GivingTuesday is at hand and easy to reach.

Resources are available through the international website and you can also check the Giving Tuesday map to see if there is a movement in your region.

So, what do you say?

Would you like to join a team that constantly work together for a more just and generous world? How can you not say yes to that?

Get in touch – I’m waiting for your call. Or you can reach out to your own national GivingTuesday team.

About Charlotte Arnø Storebakken

Charlotte Arnø Storebakken is manager of the Institute for Fundraising with Fundraising Norway. Fundraising Norway deals in policy, advocacy and knowledge on behalf of the fundraising sector in Norway. Its goal is to make sure Norwegian NGOs have a high standing in the eyes of the public, and that the regulatory framework for fundraising in the country is not impeding on the ability to raise funds. Charlotte is also a big fan of the GivingTuesday idea, and the contact of Giving Tuesday in Norway.

Main picture: by GivingTuesday on Pexels