Chester County nonprofits join Giving Tuesday movement

Nonprofits throughout Chester County have 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 goal is to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities and give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support.

Occurring this year on Nov. 29, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and falls in line with the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

“In 2015, the fourth year of the movement, #GivingTuesday brought together over 45,000 partners in 71 countries and helped raise nearly $117 million online in the U.S. alone,” explains Kristine Parkes, partner at Kultivate and organizer of the initiative in Chester County. “Each year we include more and more participants and are pleased to provide them with support to help kickoff their year-end giving season.”

To be included, a registered charitable organization must have a service area that includes Chester County as well as the ability to accept online donations through their own website. All participating organizations are listed on GivingTuesdayChesCo.org, which has more information on the national movement, the mission statements of participating organizations in Chester County, and links to their donation pages. All donations are made directly to the nonprofit organization through its own website.

“People can donate to the organizations at any time, not just on Nov. 29, but #GivingTuesday garners more excitement and gives donors the opportunity to learn more about organizations who work so hard for their community,” Parkes said.

There are currently more than 60 Chester County nonprofits signed up to be part of this year’s #GivingTuesdayChesCo. Donors

are encouraged to spread the message through social media to get others involved.

To learn more about #GivingTuesdayChesCo participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit: www. GivingTuesdayChesCo.org or on Facebook at GivingTuesday-ChesCo.