Giving Tuesday: Give Back During the Holiday Season

Will donating to charity ever be as popular as shopping during the holiday season?

A partnership of nonprofits hopes so.

For many people, the holiday shopping marathon began on Thanksgiving day, with some national chains opening their doors just hours after the traditional turkey dinner. Then comes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, which has morphed into Cyber Week.

Now, there's a new campaign asking you to open your wallet -- "Giving Tuesday."

The Giving Tuesday website says the effort, coming on the heels of days devoted to consumerism, is designed "to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations."

Several Massachusetts-based nonprofits are among those using their websites and social media networks to kick off the inaugural effort. They include larger organizations such as Charles River Watershed, Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, Huntington Theatre Company, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, The Jimmy Fund, and The Partnership of Historic Bostons.

For a complete list of participating organizations, click here.

The effort includes the Twitter hashtag #GivingTuesday which is designed to help spread the word.

What do you think? Can a social media push get people giving more of their money and time to charities during the holiday season?