– More than 3,000 businesses, charities and organizations join the second annual GivingTuesday movement in Canada –
TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2014 /CNW/ - Move over Black Friday, see you later Cyber Monday, it's time to take a break from spending and start giving. December 2 is GivingTuesday, a day for individuals, businesses and charities to celebrate giving back and support the causes that matter to them. More than 3,000 businesses, charities and organizations will come together for the second year with hundreds of thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to celebrate giving back.
GivingTuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering and was co-founded in Canada in 2013 by CanadaHelps and GIV3. Around the world, more than 16,000 partners from 43 countries are expected to take part in GivingTuesday this year.
"Whether it's raising awareness, volunteering or fundraising, GivingTuesday was created to inspire everyone to get involved and rally around the causes that are meaningful to them," said Marina Glogovac, president and CEO, CanadaHelps. "Just as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season, GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season. It's a global movement to encourage giving back at every level during the holiday season and beyond. We encourage individuals, businesses and charities of all sizes to join us on December 2 as we celebrate the importance and impact of giving back."
On December 2 and throughout the holiday season, Canadians are invited to take part in campaigns, activities and events organized by GivingTuesday partners from coast to coast.
Examples of GivingTuesday national campaigns include:
- Habitat for Humanity is encouraging donors to help Canadian families in housing need by texting "HOMES to 20222" to donate $5, $10, $20 or $25.
- PayPal Canada will match 1 per cent of all donations through CanadaHelps.org from December 2 to 31, 2014 made using a PayPal account.
- Mobile Giving Foundation Canada is offering fee-free text-to-donate campaign keywords to pre-certified MGFC charities that partner with GivingTuesday.
- Interac will add up to $25 per charitable donation made through Interac Online on CanadaHelps.org on GivingTuesday (up to a maximum of $10,000)
- Raising the Roof is launching its national Toque Campaign with a goal of selling 40,000 toques (and socks) in Canada, raising $400,000 for long term solutions to homelessness.
Examples of regional campaigns include:
- Dress for Success Calgary is celebrating #GivingShoesDay, encouraging #shoegooder women to donate their professional shoes to Dress for Success.
- Healthy Start for Mom and Me in Winnipeg is running a text to donate campaign to raise $10,000 for their Meal Bags program which offers ready-to-cook ingredients and a recipe in a bag to feed 4 to 6 people for $1.50.
- Guelph Gives is planning a city-wide GivingTuesday celebration, with a goal to raise $1 million for local causes. A giving fair is planned for multiple locations on December 2.
- Banques Alimentaires du Quebec is challenging Quebecers to donate food items or volunteer time in one of 18 food banks across the province, in combination with the #UNselfie campaign.
- Meals On Wheels Fredericton is launching a drive to recruit new volunteers with opportunities for drivers, community outreach, social media and other areas of expertise.
In its inaugural year in Canada, more than 1,300 charities, businesses and organizations joined the GivingTuesday movement. The number of charitable donations made using CanadaHelps increased by 169 per cent over the same Tuesday the previous year and the total dollar value of donations increased by 91 per cent. More than 77 per cent of donations through CanadaHelps on GivingTuesday were made by first time donors.
"We couldn't be more excited about the momentum GivingTuesday has gained in just one year," said Lys Hugessen, president, GIV3. "With more than 3,000 partners from every sector and province, participation has more than doubled from last year. Thank you to all our partners and every Canadian who is participating this year. It is because of your generosity and commitment to giving back that GivingTuesday has been such a success in Canada."
Learn more about how to get involved, sign up to be a partner or view a full list of GivingTuesday partners and activities at GivingTuesday.ca. Share stories and join the GivingTuesday conversation online using #GivingTuesdayCA.
About GivingTuesday (#GivingTuesdayCA)
GivingTuesday was launched in Canada in 2013 by GIV3 and CanadaHelps.org and lists 15 Founding Partners. GivingTuesday is a day for the entire charitable sector and encourages all Canadians to join the movement and give and volunteer for charities of their choice. GivingTuesday was first initiated in the US by 92nd Street Y in partnership with the UN Foundation. www.givingtuesday.ca
About GIV3
GIV3 is a movement of The GIV3 Foundation, a registered Canadian charity (CRA # 896499464RR0001). GIV3 has a unique mission: to encourage more Canadians to be more giving (greater Giving, Inspiration, Volunteering). GIV3 does not represent any specific charity but encourages Canadians to give to any registered charities of their choice. www.giv3.ca
About CanadaHelps.org
CanadaHelps.org allows donors to safely donate and fundraise online for any registered Canadian charity and provides charities the secure online fundraising platform they need to succeed. As a registered charity itself, CanadaHelps has facilitated over $400 million in donations to Canadian charities online since it launched in 2000. Nearly 1 million Canadians have donated to charities using CanadaHelps and over 15,000 Canadian charities fundraise online using the CanadaHelps platform. The mission of CanadaHelps is to engage Canadians in the charitable sector and provide accessible and affordable online technology to both donors and charities to promote - and ultimately increase - charitable giving in Canada. www.canadahelps.org
SOURCE: CanadaHelps.org
For media inquiries, please contact: Sheri Papps, Paradigm Public Relations, 416-413-5207, [email protected]; Shannon Craig, VP Marketing, CanadaHelps, 416-628-6948 x2390, [email protected]; Kathleen Grace, Marketing Manager, CanadaHelps, 416-628-6948 x2387, [email protected]
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