Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to give back to your community. Held after holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday encourages Canadians to open their hearts and donate to causes they care about. This year, Giving Tuesday is held on December 3, 2019 and charities across Canada are encouraging you to give back.

CanFASD is a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity in Canada. We do research, host fun events, develop resources, and advocate for change in order to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Canada and improve the lives of individuals with FASD.

Donations are really important to not-for-profit organizations like us. We are able to do the work that we do because we receive government funding and support. But this funding is often not enough to cover all the expenses associated with running our operation, and these funds are often designated for specific projects that we have on the go.

The donations that we get from our amazing community members go towards initiatives and projects such as:

• The CanFASD Art Competition;
• Developing resources, like our Succession Planning document;
• Our Family Advisory Committee, who guide and influence the research we do;
• Attending and hosting workshops and conferences, like the upcoming Adolescents and Adults with FASD conference, to share the research and work we do with other people who can help promote change; and
• Providing resources to local FASD support groups.

Donations to our organization help us to expand the work that we do to improve services, policies, programming, and resources to address FASD in Canada. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing community members who have donated their time, money, and energy to our cause. We’d especially like to profile Nicole. She started a small business selling t-shirts to raise awareness of FASD. Back in September, in honour of FASD Awareness Month, she donated a portion of her proceeds to our organization.

It is thanks to incredible people like all of you that we are able to do the work that we do to support people with FASD. If you’d like to participate in Giving Tuesday, here are some ways that you can support our organization:

1. Donate what you can

If you are able to provide financial support, please consider donating to our cause or your local FASD organizations.

2. Share the news

Download our Giving Tuesday social media graphics, share them to your social media accounts, and tag @CanFASD on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

3. Share your love for CanFASD

Support our organization by telling people about CanFASD and the work that we do. Encourage them to donate too!

4. Get involved

Get involved with FASD in your community. Reach out to local organizations to volunteer your time and support.

5. Practice acceptance

Learn more about FASD and the people it impacts. Practice respect and acceptance in your daily life to reduce the stigma around FASD.

Have a happy #GivingTuesday from everyone at CanFASD!