#GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and giving mounted by the GivingTuesday organization in response to the unprecedented level of need created by the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired acts of generosity in more than a hundred and forty-five countries and helped raise at least $65 million in gifts, the event’s organizers report.
According to a blog post published by the organization, “[m]illions of people expressed their generosity through acts of kindness, donations of goods, time and money, notes of compassion, advocacy for causes, and care for family and friends,” while the more than ninety companies that served as #GivingTuesdayNow partners — providing fundraising, volunteering, and donor engagement technology — reported a spike in giving during the day.
PayPal reported that it processed $65 million in donations for #GivingTuesdayNow, including donations to charities, contributions to PayPal’s COVID-19 fundraising campaigns, funds donated at checkout and through employee giving campaigns, and matching donations from companies such as Facebook, Airbnb, Live Nation, and Spotify. The $65 million processed by PayPal during the May 5 event represented a 43 percent surge compared with activity on the platform over the previous seven days and was half of the $130 million total PayPal processed during the most recent annual #GivingTuesday event in December — despite the fact that #GivingTuesdayNow was organized in just six weeks.
Highlights from the day included the launch of PowerOf, a Web-based campaign created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with GivingTuesday, VolunteerMatch, Candid, and DonorsChoose to make it easier for people to find opportunities to support local teachers, give to national and local COVID-19 response funds, volunteer virtually, and access GivingTuesday resources and ideas for spreading kindness and give back. The Gates Foundation also announced a $10 million commitment to maintain the platform, support “generosity infrastructure,” and strengthen the U.S. nonprofit sector.
North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, a joint effort between the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, and the Dallas Cowboys reported that nearly forty-five thousand donors gave more than $20.7 million to more than twenty-five hundred nonprofits in the region, while more than ninety-four hundred individuals pledged nearly three hundred thousand volunteer hours.
“We are in awe of the outpouring of generosity, collaboration and innovation that came into focus on #GivingTuesdayNow,” said GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran. “This show of unity is a reminder that we are all connected and we are all generous, even when we are uncertain and afraid. We must now take the energy and inspiration of this moment forward to establish stronger habits of generosity, to think about the good we can create in the world every day. GivingTuesday will continue to help communities and the social sector rebuild in the wake of COVID-19 with a renewed focus on resilience.”
Source:PND
