We're all very over you, 2020. All year, we’ve had to adapt, improvise and overcome your obstacles.

Your global pandemic may have kept us physically apart, but hundreds of companies and their people banded together as a powerful, collective force for good. Your social injustices may have shook us, but we rose above it with a groundswell of support for equity unlike we’ve ever seen in our history. Your politics may have divided us, but we found common ground in a shared commitment to purpose over partisanship.

It hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been a challenge. But we’ve taken every one of your bitter lemons and turned them into lemonade. And we’re not done. We’ve enlisted help from as many people as we can to take back 2020.

Think of it as a petition… or maybe a challenge… YES! A global challenge with over 600 companies, their people and the world, all standing up to you in the most powerful way — Together. One act of Goodness at a time.

The Dear 2020 Challenge

It’s time to show 2020 the door in the best way possible: by reaching 3 million acts of Goodness together in the month of December. Every donation, volunteer hour and positive action counts. And we’re taking the conversation to social media too.

Each time someone posts on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #Dear2020, a mention of @benevity, and a note about something good they did this year, it serves as a signature to the petition and an act of Goodness in its own right. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for these posts from Dec. 1 through Dec. 31 so we can “like” them, share them and add them to our #Dear2020 social wall to help inspire even more Goodness!

For example:

  • #Dear2020, you canceled our annual fundraiser, but we got innovative and went digital! @benevity
  • #Dear2020, it's not over yet... I just made a donation to my local food shelter and my employer matched it through @benevity to double the impact!
  • #Dear2020, you made it difficult to be a working parent, but I made holiday cards with my son as an art project and we sent them to a senior’s home down the road. @benevity

People can take part in the Dear 2020 Challenge by sharing any act of Goodness, big or small. They all matter. For a little inspiration, here are 10 ways to take back 2020 with acts of Goodness, along with examples of how we’ve seen them in action throughout the year:

1. Take part in GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday typically takes place in the latter part of the year as a dedicated day of giving following the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But on May 5, GivingTuesday Now brought people together ahead of schedule, and companies and their people really showed up! Now we get another shot. On Dec.1, you can take part in the regularly scheduled global movement of generosity a number of ways — in fact, any of the ways mentioned below.

2. Invest in your physical and mental health

Many of us have been living and working at home for a good portion of 2020, and some of us are doing it entirely alone. COVID-19 has prevented group events like Run for the Cure and Ride for Heart, but there are other creative and easy ways to raise our heartbeat while raising funds and awareness for the causes we care about. At Benevity, we encouraged people to get outside, feel better and motivate friends & family by tracking physical activity done solo, like running or riding a bike. People are then rewarded with $20 in charitable currency from the company for each hour spent getting active (an investment in their physical and mental health) that they can donate to a nonprofit of choice.

3. Check in on those who might feel isolated or alone

Liberty Mutual did this with their employees through a program called Liberty Torchbearers Calling, which encouraged people to take time out of their workday to call loved ones in isolation. Try carving out a moment — even 15 minutes — to call friends, family or the elderly. Letting someone know that you care can go a long way in making their day.

4. Read up on issues that matter

During the Black Lives Matter protests this summer, Mortenson rewarded their employees for tracking their time spent signing petitions to achieve racial equity, contacting local legislature to make short term and long-term change, reading books like "White Fragility" and following social media influencers versed on racial equity.

5. Relieve a parent doing double-duty with work and kiddos at home

The folks at SAP got extra creative in expanding their employee volunteering program this year to include a host of virtual activities for children of their work colleagues — things like guitar lessons, pen-and-paper game sessions and crafts to help relieve parents.

6. Browse the internet using Bing and donate your rewards to charity

There are lots of cool things about Give with Bing’s expanded rewards program (beyond the fact that it’s powered by Benevity’s API). First, it’s designed in a way that empowers people to support their favorite causes among 1.4 million eligible nonprofits worldwide. Second, it’s a simple yet powerful way for people to make a difference while doing something they do every day anyway — searching the internet. Find out how to get started here.

7. Mentor or provide professional services to nonprofits or individuals

Many people in the tech sector and part of other dispersed workforces have been used to working virtually long before it became mandatory. If you’re among that group, consider offering pro-bono coaching for nonprofits to help them transition into a virtual working environment and build their digital skills.

8. Donate to a cause that mattered to you before the world went crazy

While big, global issues dominated giving in the first half of 2020, the end of the year is when people typically spend more time in their communities supporting local causes like shelters, food banks, religious organizations and other critical human services. When deciding where to offer your support, don’t forget those closest to home.

9. Reach out to a nonprofit, find out what they need and then spring to action

Sometimes, all you need to do is ask. One of our client companies made it really easy for their people to do this by providing them with email templates that they could send to nonprofits and ask if there are ways to help. This year in particular, we heard from a number of schools and sports teams finding it challenging to adapt their programs.

10. Return a favor

Think of someone who did something meaningful for you this year and reciprocate the effort. Did one of your neighbors paint a rainbow in their window that brought a smile to your face when you walked by? Make them a thank you card. Did someone check in on you when you were struggling? Find a way to pay it forward.

Still looking for more ideas? Check out our blog “50 Ideas to Do Good Year-Round (With and Without Opening Your Wallet!)”

But wait, there’s more.

If you work at one of the 600+ companies that use Benevity to power their corporate purpose program, other acts of Goodness — including each time someone donates to any nonprofit, signs up for a volunteer opportunity, tracks their volunteer time and more — are automatically being tracked on our platform and counting toward our goal of 3 million acts of Goodness in the month of December. Together, we know we can make it happen.

Dear 2020, we’re not done yet. We hope you’re ready for this. Because we sure are.