GivingTuesday announces day of global action for giving and unity in response to COVID-19

Today [March 30, 2020] GivingTuesday, the groundbreaking global generosity movement, announced #GivingTuesdayNow, a day of global action for giving and unity, set to take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. The day is designed to drive an influx of generosity, citizen engagement, business and philanthropy activation, and support for communities and nonprofits around the world. #GivingTuesdayNow Leadership Supporters the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and PayPal are already actively responding to COVID-19. Confirmed additional partners include original #GivingTuesday co-founder the United Nations Foundation powering the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, the CDC Foundation, Facebook, LinkedIn, Guardian News and Media, the Aga Khan Foundation, United Way Worldwide, Candid, The Communications Network, Global Impact, Philanthropy Together, Teach for All, Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), with NBC News and MSNBC returning as GivingTuesday’s signature media partner.

#GivingTuesdayNow will mobilize GivingTuesday’s global network of leaders, partners, communities, and generous individuals. GivingTuesday is also committing $200,000 to launch The Starling Fund, designed to support its existing network of official community and country leaders. Priority will go to leaders in the regions of greatest crisis or lowest resource in order to strengthen their #GivingTuesdayNow initiatives.

The day of global action will rally people around the world to tap into the power of human connection and strengthen communities at the grassroots level. Communities are encouraged to take action on behalf of first responders, as well as the world’s other—often forgotten—frontline workers: the nonprofits and community organizations that feed, house, educate, and nurture neighbors impacted by the global pandemic. The social sector is in crisis at the very moment the world needs it most, and GivingTuesday stands ready to rally the world at this critical time.

On the last GivingTuesday, December 3, 2019, the day of global action generated $2 billion in giving, just in the United States, and inspired millions of people worldwide to volunteer, perform countless acts of kindness, and donate their voices, time, money, and goods. The additional giving day planned for May 5, 2020, is being deployed in response to needs expressed by communities and leaders around the world.

“For eight years, GivingTuesday has celebrated grassroots generosity, and has built a movement that empowers millions of people to give, engage their communities, and find common ground,” said Rob Reich, faculty co-director, Stanford University Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, and chairman of the board for GivingTuesday. “We are all confronting the same challenge right now, we need the giving spirit more than ever.”

People can show their generosity in a variety of ways during #GivingTuesdayNow—whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill, or giving to causes, every act of generosity counts. The day of global action will emphasize opportunities to give back to communities and causes in ways that comply with public health guidelines. Planned initiatives include:

Dozens of countries will mobilize national networks to activate locally and promote generosity in their country.

• Hundreds of communities across the United States led by volunteer leaders and by organizations like community foundations, United Ways, and giving groups will both raise funds and provide safe opportunities for supporting neighbors in need with other forms of civic participation and generosity.
• Corporate and foundation partners from around the world will activate employees, and provide technical resources and matching funds in support of efforts on the ground around the world.
• Giving platform partners are delivering solutions in response to the crisis already, and will be coordinating those efforts for #GivingTuesdayNow; and, they have committed to sharing data and collaborating on research into giving patterns, interest, and impact.
• GivingTuesday Kids will offer opportunities for youth to organize internationally and give back while many young people are distanced from their schools and classmates.
• GivingTuesday Military will activate their network of military service members, families, and veterans around the world to engage with their communities to give back in a show of unity.
• The GivingTuesday Data Commons will continue to collaborate with online giving platforms around the world, and conduct primary research to provide in-depth analyses on giving trends and donor behavior in times of crisis, and offer recommendations in support of sector resilience and emerging best practices from this influx of generous behavior.

“As a global community, we can mourn this moment of extreme crisis while also finding the opportunity to support one another. We each have the power to make an impact with acts of generosity, no matter how small, and to ensure the sustainability of organizations and services that are crucial to the care and support of our communities,” said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday. “#GivingTuesdayNow is a chance for us to stand united and use grassroots generosity to show that we are all in this together, beginning to end. Even as many face financial uncertainty, generosity is not about size. Every act of kindness is not only a beacon of hope, it’s a critical act of civic and social solidarity.”

Created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y and incubated in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact as a day to do good, GivingTuesday has grown into a year-round global generosity movement with leaders who have launched more than 200 community campaigns across the U.S. and national movements in more than 60 countries. At the grassroots level, people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday in every single country in the world.

To learn more and participate in #GivingTuesdayNow, visit the GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday), or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday on Twitter. For youth interested in joining the movement, visit GivingTuesdayKids.org for inspiration and project ideas

Nonprofits can sign up to learn more here and join us 4/9/20 for a “Getting Ready for GivingTuesdayNow” webinar!

Reprinted from GivingTuesday.