Today isn't just any Tuesday.
Each year on Nov. 30, people from around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving. Giving Tuesday aims to be the unofficial start of the giving season, which many people already associate with the holidays.
The United Way of Central Missouri uses Giving Tuesday as an opportunity to thank everyone who donated to its campaign, which ended earlier this month. This year's donations exceeded the goal by more than $100,000 for a total of $2.3 million raised.
"Since Giving Tuesday falls just after the United Way of Central Missouri annual campaign has ended, rather than asking our community to provide additional financial assistance, we use this opportunity to thank our community for their incredible financial support and remind them how important their volunteerism is to the United Way and our agency partners," United Way of Central Missouri president Ann Bax said.
Many organizations use Giving Tuesday as an opportunity to ask for donations.
"I know many of our agency partners will ask for community support through Giving Tuesday, many through social media," Bax said.
Each year, Missouri River Regional Library uses donations to improve its services. Last year, supporters - including Central Bank, which matched funds - raised more than $12,000 for virtual services, new online resources and locker systems, according to a news release from the library.
This year, Missouri River Regional Library hopes to raise $15,000 to address critical building issues, expand public spaces and "create the kind of vibrant and innovative library one would expect in the Capital City of Missouri," according to the news release. Mid America Bank is contributing with a $500 match.
These improvements are important because a good library is the foundation to every community, said Natalie Newville, the library's marketing and community engagement manager, in the news release.
"As we talk about the need for building improvements, it's important to point out that the need is for more than just a building," she said. "An updated building allows us to provide services to our community that benefit everyone: technology to train our workforce, meeting spaces to foster community engagement, resources to educate and entertain, and expanded outreach services to reach everyone in Cole and Osage County, whether they can come to a building or not."
To donate to Missouri River Regional Library, bring a check to the library today or visit mrrl.org/get-involved/donate.
To donate to the United Way of Central Missouri and its partner agencies, visit unitedwaycemo.org.