Partners Across Sectors Continue to Strengthen the Power of #GivingTuesday 2014

Today as Americans all over the U.S. get out the vote for Election Day, more partners and dedicated Social Media Ambassadors across all 50 states and around the world are signing on to “get out the give” for December 2, 2014—this year’s #GivingTuesday. This global day dedicated to philanthropy and volunteering will fall just after Black Friday and Cyber Monday and will transcend partisan differences and geographic boundaries as giving back is something Americans can all agree on.

With four weeks to go, the excitement around #GivingTuesday is growing, and many partners around the world are organizing innovative campaigns to get out the give. Across the U.S., over 13,000 diverse partners are mobilized around the dedicated day of giving. #GivingTuesday partner plans include:

• Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA) : BPFNA’s Colour the Dove! campaign will run Oct. 1-Dec. 2 with the goal of raising $25,000. The BPFNA dove and fire logo is a vibrant, bright representation of the diversity within the BPFNA. The campaign starts with a blank outline of the usually colourful logo, and as people donate they help restore the logo to its bright colours, helping to secure a bright financial future for the BPFNA and ensuring that the work of peace continues.
• Beyond Right and Wrong: As part of an online effort to send half a million dollars in donated funds to selected charities, the award-winning film Beyond Right & Wrong is available to view for free on FilmRaise.com, a website that partners with human rights organizations to showcase social impact films. More than 30 charities can collectively earn up to $500,000 from a prize pot made possible by generous donations from Operation Kids Foundation and Share the Mic. Viewers can choose a charity to support by watching Beyond Right & Wrong at FilmRaise.com/Beyond-Right-and-Wrong.
• Catchafire : Blown away by the generosity surrounding #GivingTuesday, Catchafire is setting out to keep the momentum going all year long! Catchafire is donating $24,000 worth of memberships to 10 deserving social good organizations! Apply here: https://www.catchafire.org/givingtuesday/.
• Comcast and NBCUniversal: In addition to msnbc serving as a signature media partner for #GivingTuesday, Comcast and NBCUniversal will use its social media and digital assets, such as Xfinity.com, to encourage its customers, viewers and employees to support the movement by giving back to their communities.
• Connect360 Multimedia: Connect360 Multimedia, a marketing communications company, joined the movement this year, spreading the message of #GivingTuesday by providing its services pro bono to distribute #GivingTuesday public service announcements to television and radio stations nationwide.
• Discover: Discover will engage card members and employees in #GivingTuesday this year. The company will add 2 percent to all Cashback Bonus donations and donations made with Discover to its Cashback Bonus charitable partners. Discover will also provide an extra giving program match to its employees’ donations to any charity on December 2.
• eBay: eBay is launching a #GivingTuesday sweepstakes to connect consumers to their favorite nonprofits from December 2 through December 31. eBay will award three grants totaling $50,000 to the nonprofit organizations who drive the most favorites on eBay during the sweepstakes, plus provide a chance for supporters to win more than $8,500 in cash prizes!
• Fiver Children’s Foundation: The Fiver Children’s Foundation has made a 10-year commitment to children from underserved communities, cultivating ethics and civic engagement and empowering children to succeed in school, careers and life. On #GivingTuesday, the foundation will encourage donors to support its #10YearsMatters campaign.
• Great American Milk Drive: Milk is one of the items most requested by food bank clients, but it’s rarely donated, meaning hungry families are missing out on the essential nutrients—including high-quality protein—that it provides. This #GivingTuesday and holiday season, when you donate to the Great American Milk Drive at www.MilkLife.com/give, the country’s dairy farmers and milk companies will match your donation, making milk multiply for families in need in your community.
• Hyatt: Hyatt will be giving back this #GivingTuesday to the many local communities around the world the company calls home. With its Hyatt Community Grants initiative, the company has encouraged its hotels to identify local charities in their communities that truly make a difference; and the company will activate 31 local grants in cities across the globe this year. Each charity’s cause is as diverse as the communities it supports—from sponsoring a mobile farmer’s market to help combating food deserts in Sarasota, Fla., to building libraries in schools around Beijing. The company is also looking forward to #GivingTuesday to celebrate the $2 million milestone achieved through this annual grant initiative.
• Invisible Children: Invisible Children’s 2014 Musician Coalition is an army of passionate artists, brands and partners who believe that no child should live in fear. Using their time, talent or money, the members are investing in an emergency communication network that radically transforms lives in central Africa. Join them on December 2, #GivingTuesday, in the effort to end violence perpetrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and bring every captive home to their families, through the power of music and radio. Find out more and donate here. ​
• JustGiving: As a global partner for this year’s #GivingTuesday, JustGiving will power nonprofit campaigns all over the world on the day. JustGiving’s social platform for giving helps causes of all sizes reach more people, inspire more action and raise more money to fulfill their missions. As one of the founding partners, JustGiving is helping to bring the movement to the U.K. for the first time.
• Lutheran Services in America (LSA): Lutheran Services in America recently launched the LSA 20-500 Fund, LSA’s first three-year fundraising campaign commemorating LSA’s 20th anniversary and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The LSA 20-500 Fund is vital to LSA’s ability to facilitate growth, new partnerships and funding opportunities for its more than 300 member health and social service providers nationwide. LSA is proud to announce a matching gift opportunity through its partnership with Thrivent Financial and the Thrivent Financial Foundation, which has generously committed to match individual donations to the LSA 20-500 Fund, dollar for dollar, for the first $25,000. Take the #LSA20500 pledge and use #LutheransGive to show your support on this #GivingTuesday.
• MAM USA: The global leader in pacifiers, bottles and infant oral care products has teamed up with the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign as an official #GivingTuesday partner. Since 1976, MAM has been combining the best in technological innovation, medically sound function and contemporary design to help give babies the best start in life. For more information about MAM, please visit www.mambaby.com
• Move This World: Move This World is excited to partner with #GivingTuesday to launch its Move This Education campaign to provide educators and students with the tools to create and support healthy school communities. Having trained 2,000 adults and impacted more than 20,000 youth in 22 cities across four continents, support for Move This World on #GivingTuesday will help the organization continue to expand around the world.
• National Farm to School Network: The National Farm to School Network (NFSN)—an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food and food education into schools—joins #GivingTuesday with a call for parents and concerned eaters to support the farm-to-school movement. Together we can create new markets for local farms while helping to build the next generation of healthy, informed eaters. Through social media and visual storytelling leading up to and on #GivingTuesday, NFSN hopes to expand its network by 500 new donors and raise broad awareness of the value of farm-to-school practices.
• PayPal: PayPal is the safe and easy way to donate to your favorite nonprofit. This Holiday season, PayPal is Giving Cheer by matching 1% of every donation made through the PayPal Giving Fund at www.paypal.com/givecheer. PayPal’s 1% match – beginning #GivingTuesday through the end of December – will also be given on any donation made via PayPal on Razoo and CanadaHelps. This year, choose to give cheer to others by donating digitally with PayPal.
• Ruby Rocket’s: The healthy snack company founded and run by a mom will work with schools in an underserved community to offer information about nutritious snacking and guidance on healthy eating, as well as free Ruby Rocket’s ice pops to all students (with probiotics and the lowest sugar content of ice pops on the market).
• Samahope: This crowd-funding platform allows anyone anywhere to fund work done by physicians providing life-saving medical treatment to women and children around the world. For #GivingTuesday, it will build on its #HonorYourMom Mother’s Day campaign; users can make a donation in their mother’s name (or in the name of a woman they love), upload the best photo of themselves and their “nominee,” and explain why this woman should be honored this year.
• Stand Up To Cancer: Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) that raises funds to accelerate the pace of cancer research, will conduct a #GivingTuesday takeover of its social media platforms. SU2C invites anyone around the world to participate in their #UNselfie campaign, “I gave 2-day, on #GivingTuesday, 2 Stand Up.” Participate on social media and on SU2C.org by making donations in denominations of “2” ($2, $20, $22, etc.). The social media avatar takeover will expand to other EIF programs, including Hunger Is and the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women.
• Toys R Us: The world’s leading dedicated toy retailer, Toys“R”Us®, is partnering with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to help bring Christmas joy to some of the 14.7 million U.S. children living in poverty. Through a new #PlayItForward Challenge, Toys“R”Us is asking customers and supporters to take a “selfie” while donating a toy in any Toys“R”Us store across the country. For every selfie shared using #PlayItForward, Toys“R”Us will donate an additional toy to Toys for Tots (or the equivalent cash value up to $150,000), ensuring even more children in need have a toy to open on Christmas morning. Toys“R”Us will triple the giving on December 2, by donating two toys to Toys for Tots for every donation selfie posted on social media using #PlayItForward.
• Whole Foods RI: For #GivingTuesday this year Whole Foods RI is putting together a 5% Day to benefit five local nonprofits that are working to alleviate hunger in Rhode Island communities. On 5% Day, the store will donate 5 percent of the day’s sales to a nonprofit organization, and in this case, the proceeds will be split equally among the five selected charities, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Food4Good, Feed 1,000, We Share Hope and Amos House.
• YMCA of the USA : On #GivingTuesday, YMCA of the USA World Service is raising support for Y education programs around the globe. Poverty often impacts generations of families, and YMCAs are focused on breaking the cycle through education. In many communities, the Y is the only place where a child can learn to read, a teen can access health education or a parent can develop job skills for family stability. When people have access to the opportunities for a better life, families and entire communities become stronger too. Learn more and give at www.ymca.net/world-service.

Giving Is Growing around the World

The spirit of giving is not only growing in the United States, but it is reaching organizations in eight countries and regions. This week, #GivingTuesday launches in Ireland (www.givingtuesday.ie). Mycharity.ie, Blackbaud, Fundraising Ireland and the Wheel are leading the charge to get Ireland giving on December 2. #GivingTuesdayIreland on December 2, 2014 is a day of recognition andthanks, on which charities recognize and thank their supporters, and supporters show their recognition and thanks for the great work of their favorite charities.

Ireland joins Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Latin America, Mexico, Singapore and the United Kingdom—all with initiatives being planned for 2014. In addition, with the help of Pvblic Foundation, TechSoup Global, United Nations Development Programme and other multinational organizations, the #GivingTuesday movement reaches countries around the world, where local heroes are embracing new ways to connect with causes and giving of themselves to make change in their communities.

The #GivingTuesday movement provides partner organizations, individuals and philanthropists with the tools and resources to build campaigns with big results, making it easier for anyone anywhere to make a difference. These tools and shared expertise also help to catalyze not only more, but smarter giving, and to drive measurable results. Additional resources to help donors and organizations learn how to make smart giving choices are available from expert organizations such as BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Blackbaud, Charity Navigator, DonorsChoose, Global Giving, Guidestar, GreatNonprofits and Network for Good. For more information, including background, partner information, tools and updates, please visit www.GivingTuesday.org.

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#GivingTuesday, December 2, 2014, follows the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, kicking off the holiday giving season with a global day dedicated to charitable giving, combining the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities. Now in its third year, #GivingTuesday is a worldwide movement that celebrates the power of giving in all its forms. This effort builds on 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 inspires 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 leverages the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world. #GivingTuesday was founded by 92nd Street Y and is spearheaded in tandem with the support of the United Nations Foundation.

A team of recognized experts, influencers, and founding partners originally spearheaded this effort. The founding partners include Blackbaud, CECP, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Groupon, Kiva, Microsoft, Pvblic Foundation, (RED), Unilever, United Nations Development Programme and Univision among many others. The movement includes signature media partner MSNBC, who will help spotlight the innovative ways that people are giving back in their communities and the world.

Website: www.givingtuesday.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday

Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues