Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday have all come and gone.

The next in the lineup is today’s “Giving Tuesday.”

Giving to local nonprofits and other charities is urged throughout the holiday season, but there is a special movement  that has flooded inboxes with matching gift offers, special hashtags on Twitter and is growing in prevalence.

Eleven countries and two regions have brought the movement to their residents. The 31 participating countries include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, Latin America, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Giving Tuesday is in its fourth year of reminding folks that now is the time of year to donate, for various reasons. It was originally created in 2012 by 92nd Street Y — a cultural center in New York City. The giving day is powered by social media and collaboration among individuals and companies.

Check with your company today to see if it will provide a matching gift if you donate to a nonprofit today. If your company is not aware of the national movement on this specific day, there are good odds that it might be willing to match a gift at a later date.

Now is the time to get in all your donations to receive a deduction when tax time rolls around in the spring. Nonprofits know this trend happens and many actually count on donations to pour in at this time of year. If people don’t rise to the occasion, that actually could be problematic for people and other entities served by our local nonprofits.

We encourage those in the Lafayette County, Oxford and University of Mississippi area to donate today. If not today, write a check by the end of the year for everyone’s benefit. But, still do not forget gifts need to come in throughout the year.

Don’t itemize your taxes and need every cent of your paycheck? We encourage you to give with your time and talents. You can tutor or mentor a child, walk some animals at the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, play basketball with some kids at the Boys & Girls Club, pound a nail into a board for Habitat for Humanity or call United Way to see what organization is in the most need of your help.