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Everyone has heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. How about Giving Tuesday?

The University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is kicking off the season of giving by participating in #GivingTuesday on Nov. 29, asking those who support the workshop to make a gift and urging supporters to post an "unselfie" on social media to encourage others to give.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to make a difference in the lives of others and the causes they support.

The workshop has set an ambitious goal of raising $20,000 in contributions by the end of the year to take full advantage of a generous $20,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor. The #GivingTuesday social media campaign is part of that push. Between now and Dec. 31, all donations to the workshop will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $20,000.

To make an online gift, click here. Checks can be mailed to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-7054. If you or your spouse works for a matching gift company, the impact of your gift may be doubled or tripled. Please check here or your human resources office for details.

Why give?

"For many, it's a way of giving back to a workshop that helped launch their writing lives. We're trying to keep the workshop affordable for writers and continue Erma's legacy," said Teri Rizvi, who founded the biennial workshop in 2000. "We are asking writers and supporters to help us honor Erma in a way that will allow us to reach as widely and as powerfully as her writing and humor have."

When Rizvi recently asked for personal stories, writers from around the country said they gained the confidence, writing know-how and connections to publish books, write essays for The New York Times and other national outlets, perform stand-up comedy, secure speaking engagements and submit work for anthologies. Read their stories here. Writers described the popular, nationally renowned workshop as "life changing," "empowering," even "magical."

Entering its fifth year, #GivingTuesday is powered by social media and collaboration. Last year, more than 700,000 online donors in 71 countries gave nearly $117 million to nonprofit organizations.

In 2004, University of Dayton alumnus Ralph Hamberg and his wife Cindy gave a $100,000 gift to start a workshop endowment fund in memory of her cousin, Brother Tom Price, S.M., the English professor who launched Erma's career with three simple words of encouragement: "You can write!" The Hamberg family, the Bombeck family, workshop faculty members, volunteers, writers and other supporters continue to contribute to the endowment fund. In 2015, actress and playwright Mary Lou Quinlan brought her one-woman show, "The God Box, A Daughter's Story," to campus for two benefit performances for the endowment.

The University of Dayton's Alumni Association underwrites the cost of scholarships that allow between 25 and 30 University of Dayton students to attend the workshop for free. The University of Dayton's Human Resources Office provides 10 scholarships for faculty and staff.

For more ways to support the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, click here.