Partners Start 60-Day Countdown to #GivingTuesday on December 3, 2013

Today, thousands of #GivingTuesday partners around the world – international and local non-profits as well as civic-minded businesses and corporations – begin the 60-day countdown to the second annual #GivingTuesday, to be held this year on December 3 as the start of the holiday giving season.

#GivingTuesday, which follows the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, 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 to bring about real change in their communities. #GivingTuesday celebrates and encourages people to give their time, resources, talents and social media voice to a new kind of philanthropy that is about social purpose and collaboration for a better world.

The first-ever #GivingTuesday in 2012 brought together more than 2,500 partners in all 50 U.S. states. These partners created innovative fundraising and volunteer initiatives fueled by and shared on social media. 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. Two months ahead of #GivingTuesday 2013, the number of non-profits and businesses joining in the movement is growing toward the goal of 5,000 partners, including multinational corporations and major philanthropic organizations.

“This year we are seeing so many dynamic campaigns coming together to form one community. There is so much energy and entrepreneurialism throughout the #GivingTuesday movement,” said Henry Timms, #GivingTuesday founder and interim executive director of 92nd Street Y. “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.”

In 2013, organizations in countries around the world have joined the #GivingTuesday movement, creating initiatives in Australia, Canada and Mexico; additional countries are expected to sign on in the coming weeks. #GivingTuesday communities are joining a global movement of individuals and organizations that believe that everyone – whether a large or small donor – has a role in helping solve challenges at a local and global level.

Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said, “I think the democratization of giving really invigorates people to think, ‘Yes I could make a difference. I could urge others to make a difference. I can demand that government make a difference.’ We want to encourage people to get engaged and to give back; it does not have to be money – it can be engagement or advocacy, raising your voice, or offering your time and expertise.”

#GivingTuesday continues to rely on the strength and voices of individuals to celebrate giving, leveraging the power of social media and technology. A cadre of social media ambassadors has emerged over the past year to help raise awareness for #GivingTuesday and the organizations that are part of the movement. By providing online resources and training to #GivingTuesday partners, organizers hope to not only catalyze more giving, but to inspire smarter giving by building capacity for more open and transparent giving plans. Resources to help donors and organizations learn how to make smart giving choices are available from expert organizations such as Guidestar, Charity Navigator, DonorsChoose, Global Giving and others and are readily accessible online at www.givingtuesday.org.

“The power of #GivingTuesday is the people who make it happen,” said Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation. “When people come together to donate their money, their time and their voices to support a cause in partnership with others, that’s philanthropy at its very best.”

#GivingTuesday Partners and Projects

Partners large and small have developed innovative programs and campaigns to encourage their employees, customers and constituents, as well as the general public, to give back this year. While the list of partners already numbers in the thousands, a few early examples show the creativity and energy that partners are bringing to the #GivingTuesday story. Examples of partner plans for #GivingTuesday this year include:

• Discover: This #GivingTuesday, Discover is finding ways for their cardmembers and employees to give more, give better and give smarter. For example, they are encouraging Discover cardmembers to give by offering a 2 percent match on direct donations to the national chapters of their Cashback Bonus charitable partners when using Discover cards as well as a 2 percent match on Cashback Bonus donations made on that day.
• eBay Inc.: By way of its global portfolio of businesses, eBay Inc. is committed to powering giving with new solutions to help customers support charitable organizations. To celebrate #GivingTuesday, eBay Deals will be teaming up with eBay Giving Works to bring consumers an easy way to shop for the hottest holiday gifts at the best prices. From December 3 until December 10, at least 10 percent of the proceeds from each of those sales will benefit a non-profit. Also beginning December 3, PayPal will kick off a series of activities to encourage its customers to support the non-profits they love throughout the holiday season.
• Juvenile in Justice: Through the power of art and action, InLiquid looks to raise awareness of juvenile justice system reform. On December 3, InLiquid will host the #GivingTuesday Juvenile in Justice Day with the goal of: (1) sparking a local and national conversation on juvenile justice reform; (2) giving 500 at-risk youth a second start through Philadelphia’s largest-ever expungement clinic; and (3) honoring the individuals and organizations that work hard to reform the juvenile justice system.
• Kenneth Cole: For #GivingTuesday, fashion designer and social activist Kenneth Cole will promote AWEARNESS ID bracelets featuring the messages “BE AWEAR” and “I HAVE ISSUES.” These aim to encourage and inspire individuals to get involved and make a difference. Available at Kennethcole.com and select Kenneth Cole stores, 100 percent of the net profits from the sale of the bracelets will be donated to AWEARNESS. The Kenneth Cole Foundation promotes, encourages and inspires meaningful social change. Additionally, Kenneth Cole will ask fans to share the causes they want people to “#BEAWEAR” of on their social channels.
• Microsoft: On #GivingTuesday, Microsoft YouthSpark is launching a campaign to raise $500K for Give for Youth to create education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people. Give for Youth, a micro-giving site focused on supporting youth, allows donors to fund and follow the dreams of young people around the world. Microsoft will match 100% of donations made on #GivingTuesday dollar for dollar up to $250,000. Microsoft will also involve more brands and channels from across the company, including Skype, Windows and Microsoft Stores, in celebrating #GivingTuesday.
• Shot@Life: Shot@Life is excited to be part of #GivingTuesday. Working to give children around the world a shot at a healthy life by providing lifesaving vaccines where they are needed most; the campaign will encourage their more than 500 Champions across the U.S. to join and spread awareness of the Giving Tuesday movement. In addition, Shot@Life will work closely on a December 3rd promotion with partner Diapers.com. To learn more about Shot@Life, please visit ShotatLife.org.
• Unilever: A founding partner, Unilever focuses its #GivingTuesday efforts on rallying employees in support of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan goal to help 1 billion people take action to improve their health and well-being. Building on its successful and multi-faceted 2012 program, Unilever will again focus on hunger relief by conducting a second annual company-wide Food Bank Drive, which first launched on Giving Tuesday 2012. This year the drive expands to Canada and culminates on December 3, creating employee volunteer opportunities on #GivingTuesday itself. As a new element, Unilever will double the match of employee donations made to its seven Unilever Foundation partners on #GivingTuesday.
• United Way Worldwide: As the largest privately funded non-profit in the world, United Way is encouraging its network of 1,800 community-based United Ways, plus partners and supporters, to participate in #GivingTuesday. The organization is asking people to give back more than money and to give their time and help more kids graduate by pledging to become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor in their communities.

#GivingTuesday Goes Global

The #GivingTuesday movement has sparked interest in countries around the world, where people and organizations are creating their own initiatives to encourage giving – whether money, time or both. These initiatives are celebrating local heroes and providing opportunities for people to connect with local causes. Examples of new international partner programs include:

• Australia (www.givingtuesday.org.au): Lead by Australian nonprofit, Connecting Up, partners ‘down under’ have started registering using the theme of giving in different ways. Yelp Australia, Singapore and NZ will all be putting their heart and “sole” into the day, literally. In doing what they do best, Yelp will be running simultaneous “Giving Shoes Day” events nationwide to introduce locals to one of their city’s best shoe shops and experience what gives a shoe its “walkability.” Entrance to the event costs a pair of used (but not abused) shoes that will be donated to a local charity for those who can use them the most.
• Canada (GivingTuesday.ca): In Canada, Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC), an organization that makes giving via wireless technology easier for registered non-profits, is making #GivingTuesday mobile, offering any Canadian charity the opportunity to participate in a #GivingTuesday text-to-donate campaign at no cost. The MGFC campaign will make it easier than ever for Canadian mobile users to give back on #GivingTuesday. Canadian charities can learn more about free #GivingTuesday mobile giving campaigns at www.GivingTuesday.ca.
• Mexico: Filantrofilia (the Mexican charity rating agency, similar to Charity Navigator in the U.S.) is spearheading the Mexican campaign, #DonaConConfianza 2013. Through the more than 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) it has rated, and by mobilizing the general public, it is launching resources and a general promotional campaign in time for the holiday giving season to raise awareness about the great work Mexican NGOs are doing. The Mexican social sector is extremely vibrant, and Filantrofilia looks forward to seeing the creative ways that Mexican partners make this movement their own. More information is available online in both Spanish and English.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): This year, the UN’s largest development agency hopes to highlight stories from all levels of society, including the poorest nations on earth. UNDP wants to celebrate the power of generosity and giving that is not necessarily the giving of funds, but rather the giving of time and knowledge through volunteerism and community work. The message is, “You do not have to be a rich to give; even the millions of people living on less then one dollar per day give every day in some form, and that deserves celebrating.”

Social Ambassadors

To support the global #GivingTuesday movement, the initiative relies on its roots in local communities, with Social Media Ambassadors who champion the message and garner support from individuals, corporations and public sector organizations on all continents. These Ambassadors amplify the commitments of the #GivingTuesday partners, and together they will use the next 60 days to harness the power of social media to create a great global moment dedicated to charitable giving.

More information, including background, partner information and tools, can be found at www.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.

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 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