Giving Tuesday: Gratitude and Giving for the World We Want to See
What a year 2022 has been for all of us! We continue to chart new “post pandemic, though kind of still wary of the pandemic” territory. We are each navigating how to be together again, and what that means for work, for travel and beyond. All of this “new normal” is set against a backdrop of continual mass shootings in the U.S. and an ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, climate disruption and rising prices on everyday household items. As we continue to adjust to this hybrid life, all of a sudden, the holidays are upon us again.
As is tradition at Nia, we take Friday off and rather than participate in #BlackFriday we encourage everyone to #GetOutside. Instead of buying into our nation’s consumerist culture, and buying more things, we continue our gratitude practice, spending time in nature and preparing for #GivingTuesday. For those who are out shopping, we encourage being mindful of where dollars are flowing. Purchasing from women and BIPOC owned shops makes a big difference in our efforts to decrease inequality. Just as we get the economy we invest into, our consumer decisions shape much of our economic outcomes.
We at Nia are working to build a more inclusive economy. During this week of gratitude, we are proud to raise our investor voice for change, and are honored to partner with nonprofit organizations also working toward this end.
Today we are excited to announce the Nia 2022 Giving Tuesday selections, and invite our community to join us in this day of generosity. Now in its 10th year, Giving Tuesday has become a nationwide day of giving. First launched in 2012 as a counter-action to #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday, today in 2022 we at Nia look forward to this day as a meaningful way to take action and flow dollars to purpose-driven causes. Giving Tuesday reminds us of the importance of considering others, and provides a platform to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to address critical issues.
Each year at Nia, we highlight several nonprofit organizations whose work aligns with Nia’s vision of directing money with intention and purpose. In previous years we have donated to Bay Area groups working to transform the financial system, as well as grassroots organizations empowering women at the bottom of the pyramid. From fostering corporate responsibility to harnessing the power of business for good, we seek to partner with high integrity, paradigm changing nonprofits taking on the challenges of a broken economic system. (See our past write ups of many of these change-making organizations.) We hope you are also inspired by these women and BIPOC-led organizations, and will include them in your giving plans as well.
APEN (Asian Pacific Environmental Network)
Co-led by Christine Cordero and Vivian Yi Huang, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network is working to build power in Asian Immigrant and refugee Communities. The inspiring staff at APEN believe all people have a right to a clean and healthy environment in which their communities can live, work, learn, play and thrive. Towards this vision, APEN is building an organized movement, bringing together a collective voice to develop an alternative agenda for environmental, social and economic justice. They strive to make fundamental changes to economic and social institutions prioritizing public good over profits and promote the right of every person to a decent, safe, affordable quality of life. At Nia we love their work to involve each community member, encouraging participating in decisions affecting their lives, holding this vision of environmental justice through empowerment for all people.
We first learned of this change making organization from one of our favorite clients who often grants to women of color led non profits. The 100 Horses Women’s Society teaches life skills to enrich the lives of girls and young women and the lives of future generations to come. This Native Women led organization is unique in that it encourages girls and young women to support each other by empowering them with their ancestral and cultural knowledge of womanhood. They aim to create a network of women that support each other through mentorship to upcoming generations of mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. We at Nia are proud to support this intergenerational work.
Center for Race, Poverty, and Environment (CPRE) is a national environmental justice organization providing legal, organizing, and technical assistance to grassroots groups in low-income communities and communities of color. Co-founded by Luke Cole and currently led by Caroline Farrell, the mission at CPRE is to achieve environmental justice and healthy, sustainable communities through collective action and the law. CRPE believes social change comes from the ground up. Low income communities and communities of color most impacted by pollution need to define the problems and craft the solutions for their communities. The approach at CPRE is to combine community organizing, legal representation, policy advocacy, and coalition building to create power and systemic change.
We The Change was founded in 2018 by women-identifying CEOs of B Corporations, and is a community spanning a broad spectrum of gender identities, of leaders in business. The organization was founded in the acknowledgement of intersectionality and the reality that the business world needs to change systems and structures that marginalize certain identities.Recognizing the unique and powerful role that B Corp women CEOs play in creating a more just society, WeTheChange is committed to creating a new economy that is radically inclusive and richly regenerative in service to all.
IGNITE, first launched in Oakland, California, is building a nationwide movement of young women who are ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders. Ignite is strategically nurturing the largest, most diverse movement of young women who are ready and eager to own their political power. Ignite envisions a future where all young women and women-identifying persons have the opportunity to leverage their unique experiences and values to flex their political power and shape policies that benefit our communities. They not only mobilize young voters, this powerful organization shows girls and young women the path to political leadership. Nia is here for that! We are proud to partner with Ignite and are thrilled to see our Giving Tuesday grant being used to catalyze matches throughout December.
We wish you all a joyful and generous holiday season! Let us know your thoughts on our Tuesday picks.
