Celebrate India’s Giving Week DaanUtsav October 2018
This is great! India has a National Giving Week and everyone can participate! No travel required, just small gives each day from October 2 to 8, 2018 to celebrate India’s giving week DaanUtsav.
Started in 2009, DaanUtsav is India’s national answer to giving back to increase happiness and well being. Sound familiar doesn’t it! Considering all of our members are giving every day through out the year, we thought it would be great to support this giving week. Use the hashtag #DaanUtsav and post your gives online. This original festival was called Joy of Giving Week but the name was changed to a Hindu name to appeal to the vast majority of people participating in India.
This giving week is bringing joy to India with small gives, not big donations being the focus. In 2016, millions of people participated in more than 1,500 events across 200 cities in India. Funds, food and volunteer hours were donated throughout the week. It has become one of India’s largest festivals so why not join in at home.
Inspiration and Giving Ideas for #DaanUtsav
The best way to support #DaanUtsav if you are living outside of India is to support their efforts through social media.
Tag them on any of these social media platforms Facebook (facebook.com/daanutsav), Twitter (@daanutsav), and Instagram (@daanutsav) or see how you can participate in their social media campaign.
- Post your Happy Dot Selfie: Once you perform an act of giving during the week, click a selfie with the #DaanUtsav happy dot (see the smiley in the logo) and share it online. You can either draw the Happy Dot yourself or print it and stick it on your finger, wrist, or face.
- Post photos and videos of giving: Document your act of giving and share it across social media platforms. Additionally, you can also upload it on YouTube.
- Tag atleast 5 people after you perform an act of giving: To create a chain of givers using your social network, tag 5 or more of your friends to motivate them to celebrate #DaanUtsav.
- Share stories of giving: This can be through blog posts and status updates on social media in which you recount the experience and act of giving through narrative and/ or images.
- Use the #DaanUtsav badge on your Facebook profile: Go to the ‘Pic Badges’ app on Facebook and then search for the ‘Daan Utsav’ badge using the search tool. Once you find it, click on it and activate the feature. The badge will now show on your profile. Wherever you post, whatever you post, don’t forget to include the hashtag #daanutsav.
Use Their Happy Dot!
How fun is this. Your give can be sharing the happy dot at school during India’s giving week Daan Ustav, on the street or at work. Showing others your happy dot bring a smile to their face in flash. Then they just might ask you what it means, which helps you spread the word! That is a great give for the day!
Do Something That Shows You Have a Big Heart
The whole idea behind DaanUtsav is to show your heart is big! Daan Utsav stories demonstrate that giving is simply a question of how big your heart is rather than the size of your pocket/wallet. Even those who would be considered economically disadvantaged in India— autorickshaw drivers, domestic help, building security staff — participate in this Festival and find joy in giving.
So are you in? Mark October 2 to 8, 2018 on your calendar and use our suggestions above for this week of giving! It just might inspire more of your friends to start giving every day, one small, simple give to bring more joy into the world.
Read more about giving Week DaanUtsav on their website. This Festival is inspiring and gives us more ideas for Do1Give Day, our signature international giving day in May 2019.