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#GivingTuesday

After Thanksgiving, we are hit with days focused on shopping— Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Then, #GivingTuesday reminds us to slow down and focus the importance of helping our community.

WHAT is #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday began in 2012 to kick off the charitable season by using the power of social media and collaboration. Since, the day has become a movement that celebrates philanthropy and supports giving, of both time and resources. Uniting people and communities around the world is a common purpose, to celebrate and encourage giving.

Kim Sidwell, Director of Institutional Advancement at Imagination Station, adds, “Giving Tuesday truly heightens the opportunity for people to support those organizations about which they’re passionate. It provides Imagination Station the opportunity to inspire and invite our advocates and others to participate in that one-day giving movement.”

WHEN is #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year on November 27, so mark your calendars!

WHY was #GivingTuesday created?

#GivingTuesday was created to use the power of social media to encourage generosity in people around the world to bring about real change in their communities.

After Thanksgiving, focusing on gratitude, followed by days devoted to shopping, #GivingTuesday inspires us to donate what we can— our time, resources and talents— to better our surroundings.

It also brings together organizations — nonprofits, civic organizations, businesses and corporations, as well as families and individuals— to magnify each act of kindness.
Social media allows the sharing of these good deeds with the world, communicating globally our desire to improve our individual communities.

WHO started #GivingTuesday?

It was a team effort in 2012 from a group from the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City.

HOW can I be part of #GivingTuesday?

Anyone can be a part of #GivingTuesday! Volunteer your time and talents, donate money, spread the word in person or through social media, or post an #unselfie (a photograph of yourself performing a charitable act to inspire others to do the same).

Sidwell shares how Imagination Station’s “corps of ambassadors” inspires a passion for science through social media on #GivingTuesday: “they share their stories and experiences and invite people to be part of Imagination Station’s work…[and] that support inspires the ‘goosebumps moments’ every time a visitor sees, hears or understands the marvels of science at Imagination Station.”

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