51福利社

It鈥檚 everywhere. In our inboxes, through the letterbox, on billboards during the commute, and plastered across every social media feed. Black Friday is coming.

Some of us approach it like a military operation, determined to get all the Christmas shopping done in one go.

But many of us also recognise that uneasy feeling that comes with the frenzy 鈥� that sense, as Lily Allen sings in The Fear, of becoming a 鈥渨eapon of massive consumption.鈥�

For me, stepping back starts with understanding the real cost behind Black Friday. There鈥檚 the waste that often comes from 鈥渂agging a bargain鈥� we didn鈥檛 actually need.

Research suggests around 80% of Black Friday purchases end up unused or thrown away after one use, and more than half of shoppers regret what they bought.

And it鈥檚 no wonder. The whole event is built on aggressive marketing and psychological pricing tricks that make it difficult to think clearly in the moment.

Consumer group Which? even found that 98% of Black Friday 鈥渄eals鈥� were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.

The environmental side is just as striking: carbon emissions from deliveries rise by almost 94% compared with a typical week, and waste increases by around 25%.

The second part is remembering that most of us want something a bit more meaningful than another parcel arriving on the doorstep.

That feeling of guilt or disappointment after a rushed purchase isn鈥檛 just about the item. It often reflects the sense that the whole cycle leaves us a little empty. Especially in a year when it鈥檚 become so expensive simply to get by.

That鈥檚 where Giving Tuesday comes in. It鈥檚 a global movement that encourages people to support good causes rather than accumulate things that won鈥檛 matter for long.

Last year, Giving Tuesday raised almost 拢20 million for charities in the UK. In the United States, where it began, it raised 拢2.5 billion.

Maybe the difference in scale is fuelled by the same concerns that mean today in the UK fewer people are donating to charity than ever before. People want to feel confident that their support genuinely helps.

That it does, in fact, reach the people and communities we want to benefit from our generosity, rather than getting tied up in the costs of running a large charity.

But here鈥檚 why I think we鈥檙e right not to be swept along by big charitable gimmicks. The answer isn鈥檛 more one-off giving days. The truth is that real change doesn鈥檛 happen in 24 hours. It doesn鈥檛 follow a marketing calendar.

It happens slowly, steadily, in the hands of people who understand their communities better than any charity board or funder ever could.

And the small grassroots groups doing this work say that what they need most isn鈥檛 a sudden spike in donations. It鈥檚 steady, predictable support that lets them plan ahead.

That鈥檚 why long-term, small-scale giving can be so powerful. A few pounds a month isn鈥檛 dramatic, but it creates stability. It gives community organisations the confidence to look beyond the next crisis and invest in what they know will make a lasting difference.

 offers an approach built around exactly that idea. People contribute small monthly amounts 鈥� as little as 拢1.25, far less than a take-away coffee - into a shared fund.

That money goes directly to community-led groups in the UK and around the world, supporting local groups directly: the young people leading climate resilience projects, the women shaping their neighbourhoods and campaigning for social housing, the local organisers tackling loneliness, and the local organisations keep young people in school.

No glossy campaigns. No distant decision-making. Just practical, grounded support for people tackling the challenges they live with every day. That鈥檚 what generates change, not charity.

So if Black Friday feels overwhelming and Giving Tuesday feels a bit fleeting, there is another option. You can choose to be part of something that lasts longer than a sale or a hashtag. What we give doesn鈥檛 have to be big to be meaningful.

Giving a little, regularly, is what it takes to help communities build the change they know is needed. Showing up consistently - no matter how small 鈥� is so much more powerful than showing off once a year.

That what helps communities create the kind of change that outlives all of us.

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Nicola Banks is Professor at the Global Development Institute at 51福利社 and Co-Founder of social enterprise, 

This piece was originally published by .