Charlize Theron Among Stars Joining Today's '#GivingTuesday Movement'

How #GivingTuesday was Born: Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends, partners and philanthropy experts, led by the 92nd Street Y, came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media and grassroots organizing joined with 92nd Street Y to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. The concept gained steam, and by bringing together a group of founding partners—including the United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever, the Case Foundation, United Way and VentureThree Capital—a nationwide series of discussions helped inform the #GivingTuesday approach and built the movement. Each week over the Summer and Fall of 2012, new organizations joined the movement and offered creative ways people could embrace #GivingTuesday and collaborate in giving efforts to create more meaningful results.

A team of influencers has been advising #GivingTuesday organizers to discuss the innovative ways that people are approaching giving during challenging economic times, along with how Americans can give smarter and use new media to encourage positive change in their communities. Currently, more than 1,000 corporate and nonprofit organizations have committed to participate in the initiative. #GivingTuesday is endorsed by Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy, Giving Institute, Giving USA Foundation and InterAction. Charity Navigator and GuideStar are serving as Charity Advisors. VolunteerMatch is a volunteer advisor to #GivingTuesday.    

About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate giving and provide incentives to give. It will begin with a national day of giving on November 27, 2012. This first-of-its-kind 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 is inspiring people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, to give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and to help create a better world. #GivingTuesday is harnessing the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays that is dedicated to giving, similar to the way Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are synonymous with holiday shopping.

A team of recognized experts and influencers, initially convened by leaders of 92nd Street Y and supported by a core group of founding partners, are spearheading this effort. Founding partners include United Nations Foundation, Case Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VentureThree Capital. Leaders in philanthropy, social media, innovative giving, grassroots organizing, marketing and communications are providing counsel and resources to help build this movement.

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