Causecast Blog

#GivingTuesday just completed its fourth year, and by most measures it has already become a successful fixture in the charity landscape. Launched as a response to the overt consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday focuses the attention of the world on the true meaning of the holiday season: sharing our capacity to care for and empower one another. According to a preliminary estimate by the Case Foundation, #GivingTuesday raised $45.7 million for nonprofits this year, representing a nearly 240 percent increase from the $13.46 million generated just two years ago when the event first launched.

As Thanksgiving looms, company leaders across the world are building thanks to their communities through their year-end giving campaigns. For many businesses, this year’s corporate philanthropy effort will reach its zenith on December 1st, also known as #GivingTuesday.

The holidays are here (just about), and that means that seasonal giving campaigns are cranking into high gear. Before you know it, we’ll be bombarded with holiday viral campaigns like Office Max’s popular time-killer, Elf Yourself, and opening earth-conscious holiday e-cards from companies instead of the snail mail kind. Since an increasing percentage of shoppers use mobile platforms to do their holiday shopping, our cell phones will be hit with seasonal promotions that benefit charities, like the ones that Starbucks did for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. It’s that time of year when most philanthropic giving transpires, so now is when companies are pulling out all of the stops to grab the attention and charitable dollars of their customers.