By now you’re probably familiar with Giving Tuesday, the unofficial but widely observed national event that takes place annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.

The event was initiated in 2012 as a way to kick off the season of giving and remind people the holidays are about more than consumerism. Last year it raised some $274 million in contributions, a 55 percent increase over 2016.

Like the rest of the holidays, Giving Tuesday tends to sneak up on us each year. If you haven’t had the chance to decide how and where to bestow your holiday giving this month, consider the following suggestions for making those choices.

• Often, corporations or anonymous donors will match individual cash donations bestowed to certain nonprofits on Giving Tuesday. You can get double the bank for your buck if you direct your holiday giving to one of those causes — or maybe triple the bang for your buck if your employer also matches your contribution.
• Depending on your situation, giving doesn’t have to be about contributing your own money. Think instead about donating your time as a volunteer; giving blood; baking or cooking for someone else; passing on something of value; donating unwanted belongings to a nonprofit like Goodwill; being a grassroots publicist for the event or organizing a fundraiser through which others with more means can donate.
• Choose a cause or causes that have personal meaning to you, whether they involve children, women, animals, the fight against a given illness, a certain philosophical issue or something else that’s affected your life.
• Vet your top choices through an objective site such as Charity Navigator that summarizes each organization’s previous work and reports how much of your donation will help the cause itself instead of administration.
• Share your story or experiences on the Giving Tuesday website to try to inspire others.
• Stash away the receipts from your donations to 501(c)(3) organizations to earn eligible deductions during tax time.
• Consider supporting future generations of working women by contributing to the Stephen Bufton Memorial Education Fund or to the American Business Women’s Foundation.

Companies that train their employees in what are commonly referred to as “soft skills” are finding those efforts pay off in productivity and retention.

People with soft skills are adept in areas such as interpersonal communication, leadership, problem solving and adaptability. But often still missing in the soft-skills department, some corporate analysts say, is the willingness to show an even softer side – specifically, saying “thank you” and “I’m sorry.”

“Simple as they sound, those phrases – which most of us were taught by our parents as good manners – are often difficult for many people in the corporate culture to say,” says Keith Martino (www.KeithMartino.com), author of Expect Leadership and head of CMI, a global consultancy that customizes leadership and sales development initiatives.

“But there’s a great value and power to saying ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘thank you’ in the corporate world. The first time someone apologizes or says a genuine ‘thank you,’ the whole environment shifts.”

Martino has observed corporate cultures becoming healthier when workers and leaders learn more about each other, care about each other and communicate better. As a result they work better together.

“So many people in today’s corporate culture have lived through not being valued in the workplace,” Martino says. “As we moved from the industrial age to technology, the thing that got left behind was the human element. People are starving for the human touch.”

Martino gives three reasons why saying ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ carry power in the corporate culture:

• Rebuilds relationships. Leaders who can put themselves in the shoes of an employee whom they berated can build strong bridges throughout the company by apologizing and showing a more respectful approach next time. “People feel more valued and no longer threatened,” Martino says. “Every word you speak is an act of leadership as you influence others.” A thank you to a deserving employee also forges a more trusting, respectful relationship. “Being specific and genuine with the thank you heightens a person’s self-image, their view of the workplace, their boss and co-worker, and motivates them to keep up the good work,” Martino says.
• It shows character. Humility shown in saying “I’m sorry” is essential to leadership, as well as to the rank-and-file, because it authenticates a person’s humanity, Martino says. Saying “thank you,” he adds, reflects an appreciation for others that is essential in building a successful team. “Competence is no substitute for character,” Martino says. “When people see a co-worker or boss doesn’t thoughtlessly put themselves above them, bonds and productivity grow. Character is a key element that attracts people and builds the foundation of a company.”
• It energizes everyone. It’s easy to get wrapped up in daily business obstacles or an overloaded email box and skip saying “sorry” or “thank you.” “But when these new habits are formed, showing that everyone values everyone else, a spirit of cooperation flows like a river throughout the company, creating a consistently positive culture,” Martino says.

“The relationship qualities, founded on mutual respect, that were common 100 years ago are still essential today,” Martino says, “and without them organizations fail. Walls go up, people get alienated and can’t work together anymore.”

About Keith Martino

Keith Martino (www.KeithMartino.com) is the author of Expect Leadership, a series of four leadership books – The Executive Edition, in Business, in Engineeering, and in Technology.