By: Michele Egan
Normally Giving Tuesday is an annual day of giving that takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kick off the year-end season of giving. However, like many things in 2020, plans shifted in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and organizers quickly collaborated to launch #GivingTuesdayNow – a global day of unity “where we can all come together to recognize, celebrate and give thanks for the incredible outpouring of compassion we have witnessed during this crisis.”
The global day of giving and social connection took place on May 5th, and, from early accounts was a big success. NBC and MSNBC News were the signature media partners and #GivingTuesdayNow trended all day on Twitter. Leadership partners included Pay Pal, the Gates Foundation and several others, plus over 80 donation platform partners came together to process donations and support virtual giving.
In theory, the concept for this special day was simple: for anyone to say, ‘thank you’ and show gratitude for our health and essential workers and others in our communities who have shown kindness and compassion during the crisis. Engagement was powered by families, kids, neighbors, activists and citizens who joined together around the world and the corner. And, of course, as your go-to cause partnership experts, we kept a pulse on how companies partnered and amplified nonprofits’ efforts throughout the day. We rounded up these campaigns and want highlight some of them for you below!
Here are a few of our favorite #GivingTuesdayNow Campaigns:
T-Mobile & CDC Foundation
T-Mobile donated 500,000 much needed masks to hospitals in need through a unique partnership with the CDC. They also asked their followers to share notes of thanks to healthcare heroes in their own communities by using the hashtag #FrontlineFirst in their own social posts.
COV-AID Benefiting Americares & BGCA
COV-AID was a one-day livestreaming gaming, esports, and music charity event benefitting Americares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The partners developed over 10 hours of LiveStreaming curated content from gaming competitions, to musical entertainment, and a range of celebrities like Lil Jon and Rob Gronkowski who joined in on the fun by demonstrating we all have a part to play!
Canadian Pacific & American Red Cross
Red Crossers across the country are stepping up to help their communities during the #COVID19 crisis. During this pandemic, as is the case with other disasters, the need for blood donations has not gone away. As part of a $1M commitment to four North American charities working on the front lines to help people affected by COVID-19, Canadian Pacific committed to match donations, up to $150,000 for the day.
The Kellogg Company & No Kid Hungry
Donors were able to double their impact with a generous match from the Kellogg Company throughout the #GivingTuesdayNow day. Kellogg’s is a legacy breakfast partner of No Kid Hungry and believes every child deserves to start the day with the power of breakfast. They committed up to $200,000 in matching and included brand partnerships with Mini Wheats, Frosted Flakes, Special K, Rice Krispies, Eggo, and Nutri-Grain Bar.
SONIC & DonorsChoose
With Teacher Appreciation Day falling on #GivingTuesdayNow, it was a perfect day for SONIC to recognize dedicated teachers across the country who continue to work hard to meet their students’ needs through distance learning. SONIC, again a long-term corporate partner dedicated to raising aware and funds around education through Limeades For Learning, matched every donation on the DonorsChoose site to help teachers with distance learning, up to $1 million.
Overall, #GivingTuesdayNow, was a successful day of sharing generosity and giving and, for that, I am grateful.
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