Community foundation joins the global #GivingTuesday movement

Community Foundation of Pulaski County has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. The community foundation is focusing on increasing community grants through local donations for the 2015 #GivingTuesday effort.

Occurring this year on Dec. 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

Community foundation president Don Street said, “The community foundation is committed to fostering philanthropy in the county and growing funds to serve our communities. Through an invitation to local businesses, both large and small, we are introducing the #GivingTuesday opportunity so that they may join together in kicking off the charitable season and support our community.”

Street continued, “Alliance Bank has already committed to #GivingTuesday with a unique plan, and we look forward to many other companies joining. By committing a portion of sales, encouraging employees to participate, or offering customers the chance to add a donation to their purchase on #GivingTuesday, everyone can take part in giving back on Dec. 1.”

“Our goal is to raise $10,000 for community grants on #GivingTuesday to support needed programs and causes. An extra special bonus this year is that all of the donations will be matched $1 for $1 by Lilly Endowment,” said Wendy Rose, executive director. “Our hope is that this day will become part of a new tradition of generosity for our county.”

#GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global movement dedicated to giving around the world. In 2014, the third year of the movement, #GivingTuesday brought together 30,000 partners in 68 countries and registered 32.7 million impressions on Twitter, with its eponymous hashtag mentioned 698,600 times.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.