It's not too late to get on board the #GivingTuesday train
Australia is gearing up for its biggest ever GivingTuesday on December 3, 2019, and it's not too late to get involved.
By the Giving Tuesday team at OurCommunity.com.au
November 8, 2019
Community groups, charities and their supporters are being urged to jump on board the world’s largest giving bonanza in the lead-up to the December giving season.
GivingTuesday, December 3, has become a fast-growing antidote to the pre-Christmas consumer frenzy, with everyone from tiny charities to big business getting involved.
Already thriving in 50 countries, GivingTuesday is being boosted in Australia this year by Our Community, through its giving arm, GiveNow. Our Community is well advanced in reaching its target of getting more than 1000 Australian groups on board.
Not-for-profits, charities and community groups are set to propel #GivingTuesdayAUS as a social media trend while boosting their fundraising, adding to their volunteer base, and generating new ways to help their favourite cause.
And with weeks to go, the campaign is picking up steam: more than 100 organisations have officially registered, and hundreds more are taking advantage of free webinars and campaign materials.
Knitted Knockers, a national organisation that provides free prosthetic breasts to cancer survivors across Australia, is among the grassroots groups gearing up for the big day.
It’s joined Groomed to Go, Microlend Australia and Women’s Federation for World Peace Australia, Lifeline, St Vincent de Paul, OzHarvest, Second Bite, Fitted for Work, McAuley Community Services for Women, and Neighbourhood Houses Victoria, who are all getting their campaigns underway.
Knitted Knockers, which produces knitted prostheses for breast cancer survivors, is getting involved in Giving Tuesday.
Research, health and disability organisations also feature prominently on the list of groups on board. There’s the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, Cancer Wellness Support, the Burnet Institute, Charlies Foundation for Research, the Australian Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, Alkira, Ability Centre, Autism Advisory & Support Services and Prada-Willi Syndrome Australia.
Others getting involved include local councils, including Brimbank, Yarra Ranges and Nambucca, businesses such as Work Logic and NZ’s FrankAdvice, and a huge variety of religious charities and support groups.
It’s a campaign that has got the thumbs up from Australia’s leading fundraisers.
Fundraising Institute of Australia CEO Katherine Raskob said the GivingTuesday movement was set to provide a shot in the arm for Australia’s 600,000 not-for-profits and charities, partly because of the ease of joining the movement.
“We believe this global day of giving is compelling and will inspire public generosity at an important time of year,” Ms Raskob said.
GiveNow director Cathy Truong said GivingTuesday had raised $1.8 billion and millions of volunteer hours in just seven years across the globe but continued to grow rapidly, and to boost the amount raised for causes overall.
“Research shows GivingTuesday does more than just move donations from one day of the year to another – it brings in money that wouldn’t otherwise have been donated,” Ms Truong said.
“Since it began in the United States seven years ago, GivingTuesday has reached more than 50 countries. In 2019, China, Germany and Somalia will join in and Australia is gearing up for its biggest ever involvement.
“GivingTuesday is now truly a global celebration of generosity: a dedicated day of the year when people donate their time, goods, or dollars, or the power of their voice to charities, causes and community groups.
The CEO of Fundraising Institute Australia, Katherine Raskob
“No one owns this movement and organisations across the world have used the day to experiment with a new ideas. We’re expecting to see that here too.
“The aim of the GivingTuesday movement is to spread generosity and make giving go viral. We want to inspire Australians – who are renowned for stepping up to help each other out – to join in. We want them to want to post on social media (#GivingTuesdayAUS) and talk to their friends, families and colleagues about the causes that they care about enough to give to.”
Why it's not too late to get started
Save the date – Tuesday 3 December 2019 – and start planning your organisation’s GivingTuesday campaign. Here are four things you can do today to get started:
Sign up to the monthly newsletter to keep up to date with the #GivingTuesdayAUS movement
Download a toolkit, graphics, logos and case studies to get your campaign started
Register (it’s optional) and your organisation will be promoted as an official #GivingTuesdayAUS partner
Use and follow the hashtags #GivingTuesdayAUS and #GivingTuesday on social media.
Cathy Truong with members of the GiveNow team that are getting behind Giving Tuesday.
GivingTuesday takes place globally on Tuesday 3 December 2019. Our Community's role as the designated leader of the movement in Australia is to encourage participation by organisations, individuals and businesses, and stimulate a national conversation about giving.
www.givingtuesday.org.au | More Our Community News
