#GivingTuesday Movement Grows in Western Hemisphere as Latin American Partners Lead the Way

As December 3rd and the kickoff to the holiday season nears, the #GivingTuesday movement continues to gain momentum worldwide.  Following the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the holiday giving season with a global day dedicated to charitable giving, harnessing the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world.  The movement has gone global, with partners in Latin America building the buzz about the new generation of philanthropy that is emerging as part of #GivingTuesday.

Today, new interest and momentum in the western hemisphere has led to the growth of #GivingTuesday in Latin America and the launch of  resources pointing to December 3 as an innovative “Dia Para Dar,” which will be heralded during the FIIS Conference this week.  Championed by pioneers in social entrepreneurship such as Sergio Fernandez de Cordova of Pvblic Foundation and Patricio Boyd and Guillermo Caro of OurMark, the announcement this week shines a spotlight on the #GivingTuesday message and solidifies the community that has gathered in Chile among the growing roster of nations pledging to encourage charitable giving.  #GivingTuesday messages, tools and resources in Spanish are being used around the region as organizers and champions organize #GivingTuesday activities in their respective countries.

The story of #GivingTuesday’s growth in Latin America is part of a worldwide emergence of partners.  Recent #GivingTuesday announcements in Mexico, Canada, Singapore, and Australia already point to hundreds of partners who are building the conversation about giving worldwide.  These movements, built by and powered by local social entrepreneurs and philanthropy leaders, highlight the diversity of the movement as it catalyzes communities to talk about what works in their local areas and how they can help their constituents give more, give smarter, and give with more impact during the end of year season.

With the help of global partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, conversations about giving are taking place in capitals, on social media streams, and in circles of influence on all continents.  For a list of countries participating in #GivingTuesday, including links to resources in Spanish and the Western Hemisphere partners, visit www.givingtuesday.org/participating-countries.

#GivingTuesday will feature prominently among upcoming gatherings worldwide, including the exciting FIIS conference being hosted in Chile this week. Gatherings like this, one of the hemisphere’s biggest gatherings of social good leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in the Western Hemisphere, offer a chance for communities to come together around ways to encourage philanthropy.  Mr. Fernandez de Córdova, who will take the stage at FIIS to announce the emergence of #GivingTuesday and congratulate Latin American partners, is in Chile as a representative of the United Nations Foundation as an emeritus member of its Global Entrepreneurs Council.   During his speech at FIIS, he will talk about the vision of #GivingTuesday, will challenge friends and partners in Latin America to embrace this vision, and will point the FIIS community to ways that they can get involved and begin civic-minded initiatives that leverage the worldwide movement that again kicks off on December 3 of this year.

Mr. Fernandez de Córdova will announce plans to leverage unused media assets run by Pvblic Foundation to help bring #GivingTuesday message to communities throughout Latin America.   Pvblic is an in-kind grant-making organization that harnesses the power of unused media assets to drive social change in order to increase awareness.  He joins leaders in the region who are passionate about the #GivingTuesday message and mission.  Patricio Boyd and Guillermo Caro, of OurMark, are working with partner organizations throughout Latin America to further build the movement and garner additional support.  Their work to build online resources and tools has already galvanized communities throughout the region who are constructing local activations throughout the region.  OurMark is an online platform designed to empower and accelerate what we call the “Global Trend of Doing Good”. People can keep a record of their good deeds in over 40 Topics, and learn about new ways of Doing Good.

Henry Timms, Interim Executive Director of 92nd Street Y, a renowned Jewish community and cultural center in New York that reaches out to people of all backgrounds, and creator of #GivingTuesday, welcomed the announcement in Chile as Latin American partners continue to join the movement. He says, “This year we are seeing so many dynamic campaigns coming together all over the world to form a global community around the idea of giving.  It has been humbling to see an idea that took root in one of 92Y’s core values – repairing the world – resonate with people, organizations, and business entities around the world who have taken it upon themselves to create new and innovative ways to inspire and facilitate giving.”

“Latin America leads the way on issues related to how social media can change the way that conversations around social good and philanthropy are had,” added Aaron Sherinian, Vice President of Public Affairs at the UN Foundation.  “We are proud to partner on this global effort to inspire giving and address the world’s most pressing issues.”

The first-ever #GivingTuesday in 2012 brought together more than 2,500 partners in all 50 U.S. states.   Leading organizations in the sector including Blackbaud, Network for Good and Donor Perfect shared data pointing to more than a 50 percent increase in online giving on #GivingTuesday 2012, compared with the same day the previous year. This year, between the U.S. and an array of the global partners the movement is already 3200 partners strong and growing by the minute to include multinational corporations, major philanthropic organizations, small business and individuals who are creating innovative fundraising and volunteer initiatives fueled by and shared on social media.

We are watching very closely with enthusiasm how the FIIS conference and conversation in Santiago can help propel the conversation about new giving in a social media era.  We are grateful for all of our partners who are making #GivingTuesday and #UnDiaParaDar more than a trend, more than a moment, but something that truly is a movement for good.

More information, including background, partner information and tools, can be found at www.givingtuesday.org.  Join the community and add your voice http://community.givingtuesday.org.

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About #GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 3, 2013. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.  #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

About the PVLIC Foundation

PVBLIC Foundation is an in-kind grant making organization that harnesses the power of unused media assets to drive social change. An aggregator of media across all platforms, they work strategically to pair media space with key non-profit organizations at the local, national and global levels.  Utilizing existing and emerging technologies, PVBLIC media grants increase awareness around important causes and help non-profits amplify their message. For more information please visit www.PVBLIC.org

About OurMark

OurMark is an online platform designed to empower and accelerate what we call the “Global Trend of Doing Good”. People can keep a record of their good deeds in over 40 Topics, and learn about new ways of Doing Good. Organizations can use OurMark to engage their supporters in an innovative and effective way. Not doing anything yet? Get started! Already doing something? Do more! Doing a lot? Inspire others! www.ourmark.com

A team of recognized experts and influencers, initially convened by leaders of 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation and supported by a core group of founding partners, originally spearheaded this effort. The founding partners in 2012 included Blackbaud, DonorsChoose.org, charity: water, Darden Restaurant Group, GlobalGiving, Groupon, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), jcpenney, Kiva, Mashable, Microsoft, Unilever, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dynamic Signal, and VentureThree Capital, among many others. Leaders in philanthropy, social media, innovative giving, grassroots organizing, marketing and communications are providing counsel and resources to help build this movement.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:

Website: www.givingtuesday.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues