The Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the US is celebrated by many as ‘Giving Tuesday’ It’s an opportunity – after you’ve shopped the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals or as an alternative to consumerism – to think about ways that you can give back to others by supporting non-profit organizations.

If you’re a Synthtopia reader, you already know that synthesizers are awesome, and that they are the gateway to a lifetime of learning about music, sound, physics, performance and more.

There are lots of people, though, that have never had a chance to play a synth, or learn the history of electronic music or see the synthesizers that were used by pioneering synthesists. And there are two non-profit organizations that offer people chance to do these things, while preserving the history of electronic instrument pioneers

Here are some ways you can help support these organizations:

• The Bob Moog Foundation is a non-profit organization, completely independent of Moog Music, that’s dedicated to preserving the legacy of Bob Moog. They have created an archive to preserve Bob Moog’s documents, instrument prototypes and more; built the Moogseum, a mecca for synthesists; and created the Soundschool, a 10-week curriculum teaching the science of sound through electronic music instruments. You can support them via their Facebook fundraiser, where the first $10,000 in donations will be matched dollar for dollar. You can also support them by doing some of your holiday shopping at the Bob Moog Foundation store, which features t-shirts, posters, books, music and more – all related to electronic music.
• The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation is a New York not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the legacy of the founder of ARP instruments. They’ve launched a fundraiser to restore their ARP 2500, as part of their ARPs for All program to make vintage ARPs available for everyone to experience. Perks of the fundraiser include an awesome poster for your studio, a t-shirt, and a hands-on time with a rare ARP 2500 synthesizer in Boston. They’ve also got a store, where you can get cool synth stuff while you support a good cause.

And if you’re reading this on Wednesday, Thursday or even later, check out the links we’ve shared above, because non-profits need support every day of the year to survive.