It is the day after Cyber Monday, also known as Giving Tuesday.

CanadaHelps is encouraging people to think about others today. Spokesperson Jacob O’Connor says when it comes to donating, there is a noticeable trend among who is giving back. “I think it’s really a demographic shift that we’re seeing and we’re having Canadians aged 55 plus giving far more money to charities than younger age groups. So as that demographic ages it’s about how do we fill that gap. And I think this impacts more-so smaller charities.” O’Connor says small charities rely on individual donors and these are the groups that will feel that gap the most. “It is really the largest charities, like health, hospitals, your educational institutions, that get the bulk of government funding. So really it’s the smaller charities that rely on individual donors. These are the ones that will feel the gap the most. So really important that we continue to cultivate that spirit of giving here in Canada.”

Giving Tuesday was first launched in 2011 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City and the United Nations Foundation as a response to commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season. It was first launched in Canada in 2013.