The holiday season is a time for friends and family, for reflecting on the past year and -- perhaps most importantly -- for giving back.
From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, this time of year tends to shine a spotlight on material objects. But one day has been set aside to honor charitable activities: Giving Tuesday.
Giving Tuesday launched in 2012 as a global day to focus on, well, giving back. Through the hashtag #GivingTuesday, hundreds of thousands of people are sharing the ways they are giving back this holiday season and spreading the word of charity.
Some thought leaders have have shared their thoughts on Giving Tuesday and philanthropy on their LinkedIn Influencer accounts. Below, you can find snippets from eight of those influencers, including Bill Gates, Richard Branson and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Bill Gates
Cofounder and chairman, Microsoft
When health improves, poor countries can spend more on schools, roads, and other investments that drive growth, which makes them less dependent on aid. Vaccines deliver all this for, in some cases, just pennies per shot. That’s why I say that if you want to save and improve lives around the world, vaccines are one of the best investments you can make.
Read Gates' full piece here.
Richard Branson
Founder, Virgin Group
The best way of making a lasting impact for people and planet is to understand the root causes of a given problem and to figure out how your donation can make the greatest difference.
Read Branson's full piece here.
Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General, United Nations
There is another very important way that everyone can give to the Ebola response that doesn’t involve donating money, nor does it mean volunteering time. What it requires is fighting the stigma associated with Ebola and the fear that the disease creates.
Read Ban's full piece here.
Arianna Huffington
President, The Huffington Post Media Group
I dream of a day when families look at their weekend plans and say, 'What are we going to do this weekend— are we going to shop, see a movie, volunteer?' A day when volunteering is just a natural thing— not something exceptional or something that makes us feel particularly noble. Just something that we do.
Read Huffington's full piece here.
Pete Cashmore
Founder and CEO, Mashable
By spending time disconnecting from work, and by working with people we may not cross paths with in our daily lives, I believe our employees have developed greater empathy for the community and a refreshed approach to their own work.
Read Cashmore's full piece here.
Charles Best
Founder and CEO, DonorsChoose.org
Whether you’re saying "thank you" to friends, family members, customers, or a hiring manager who interviewed you for a job, the case in favor of gratitude is both altruistic and pragmatic.
Read Best's full piece here.
Jean Chatzky
Financial Editor, NBC's Today
Research (my own and others) has shown that giving results in a boost to happiness, a reduction in stress, and an overall feeling of well-being.
Read Chatzky's full piece here.
Matthew Bishop
Globalization Editor, The Economist
In the first two years, giving online during the day itself, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has risen by 270%. This was not achieved simply by pulling money forward that would have been given anyway, as some sceptics feared would be the case.
Read Bishop's full piece here.