REDEFINING COMMUNITY THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTION

GivingTuesday’s network of proximate leaders are spearheading campaigns and coalitions in response to some of today’s most pressing issues and needs. They exemplify the power of local leaders tackling local issues, and they continue to have outsized impact in their communities, as they bring people together to take care of each other when existing systems have failed them or where gaps or inequities persist.

GivingTuesday Community Leaders organize campaigns with their communities in a geographic location or for a cause, culture, or common interest, and they inspire others to leverage the power of radical generosity to build the world we all want to live in.

These dynamic changemakers cultivate networks that include nonprofits, individuals, local businesses and leaders, and other partners. In addition, they combine their skills, resources, and efforts to spread the word about radical generosity and its potential impact. They volunteer, perform acts of kindness, give goods, time, skills, their voice, or money, and inspire others to join them in their shared mission to increase generosity in their community.

Several new coalition campaigns — organizations working together toward a shared mission — launched in time for their first GivingTuesday this year, including #GiveNative, a group raising awareness for Native-led organizations; #MoreThanSurvival, which brings together several grassroots humanitarian organizations and mutual aid groups at the forefront of supporting refugees in Lebanon, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, France, Greece, and the United Kingdom; and #GivingTalents, which inspired people to give one hour of their skill or talent to a cause, organization, civic group, neighborhood, or someone in need.

Many community campaigns surpassed their ambitious fundraising goals on November 29, 2022. The Panhandle Gives raised $8.9 million (74% increase from 2021) from 9,347 gifts to benefit 194 organizations. SHARE Omaha raised $4.2 million (7% increase), and their nonprofits also recruited more than 100 new volunteers and received more than 27,000 wish list items. #WeGiveCatholic raised a total of $18.4 million for Catholic schools, parishes, programs, and more from 42,000+ donors.

Giving platforms galvanized incredible support for a wide range of campaigns from people across the globe, who gave their voice and donations to causes they care about. LaunchGood celebrated GivingTuesday through their #MuslimsGive campaign. Over $1 million was raised by 500+ campaigns, which were supported by more than 18,000 supporters from 95 countries, and GlobalGiving launched their #MoveAMillion campaign and raised $3.45 million for 1,942 projects with the support of 15,980 people.

Hypelite and Apiary in the Sky teamed up to build a new mutual-aid based community fridge and pantry in Newark, NJ, and held a food drive to stock them.

This year #GivingTuesdayMilitary challenged its global community to share 1 Million Acts of Intentional Kindness, which included the now annual tradition of laying medals on the graves of soldiers throughout Arlington National Cemetery. Participants also laid medals on an often forgotten area of the cemetery that rarely sees visitors and is the resting place of more than 3,000 Black civilians — a small token of gratitude and recognition for those sharing the land.

#TuesdaysforTrash, a grassroots environmental movement mobilizing individuals globally to help create a more livable home on this planet.

Nearly 70 cities and towns across Brazil launched community campaigns this year. Dia de Doar Itu hosted their first generosity fair and welcomed 22 local nonprofits to share their stories of impact and giving.

GivingTuesdaySpark is a global youth-led community that encourages young people to take action around the causes they care about most and offers a supportive and engaged network for them to collaborate with as they inspire generosity throughout their communities.

GivingTuesdaySpark leaders connect year round to share project updates and brainstorm ways they can leverage their voices and rally their supporters in response to recent tragedies or crises. These young changemakers are committed to doing good, and they’ve built impactful and inspiring projects that uplift communities, encourage giving and acts of kindness, and provide much-needed support and resources for people in need.

This year ahead of GivingTuesday in November, Spark leaders Ben Wong, 16, and Jakhil Jackson, 15, launched Operation Inspiring America, an eight-stop tour through Chicago Public Schools to inspire youth-led community service projects. Tour stops included an on-site community service project, such as putting together care packages for those experiencing homelessness, and showing students how they can lead their own generosity projects at school or at home.

On GivingTuesday 2022, youth leaders around the world came together to inspire acts of generosity through the GivingTuesday Spark 2022 Global Youth Challenge. Through their projects, young changemakers showed that anyone, anywhere can give back through simple, yet impactful projects. More than 100,000 young people signed up to share an act of generosity for GivingTuesday this year.

FreeRice hosted the GivingTuesday 20 Million Rice Grains Challenge and encouraged young people across the world to give back, not through giving money, but through answering trivia to feed the hungry. In one month, the challenge rallied 4,266 participants and raised an equivalent of over 20,083,270 grains of rice to feed the hungry.

“It is beautiful to see the youth raise awareness about causes dear to their hearts and other organizations using social media to share their activities and GivingTuesday stories. In Kenya, we have an unrivaled culture of Ubuntu; we give in numerous ways, from caring for the elderly to taking care of the sick…I see a world where there is empathy and love because of the GivingTuesday movement.”

JANE OKELLO, LEADER, GIVINGTUESDAY KENYA

15-year-old Khloe Thompson in Yorba Linda, California, who started GivingTuesdaySpark, debuted a documentary she made about how this youth-led movement got started and packed essentials kits with hundreds of kids at a Los Angeles school.

12-year-old Chelsea Phaire in Danbury, Connecticut, made 500 art kits for children in communities that lack access to supplies at a packing party hosted by and featuring items from LEGO.

The Canada Mathare Trust’s youth scholars held a community cleanup in Mathare, Nigeria, as part of their GivingTuesdaySpark campaign.

13-year-old Jayden Perez in Little Falls, New Jersey, collected hundreds of children’s toys to be donated to organizations in Puerto Rico, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, NJ, and throughout his community.

Local youth joined GivingTuesday Nepal to distribute clothes and connect people in need to first aid programs, medical support, and other critical services and partnered with the Red Cross and other organizations on blood drives.

11-year-old Ethan Hill in Birmingham, Alabama, collected and distributed supplies for people experiencing homelessness. Ethan runs a free mobile store offering free necessities for people in need year round.