Western Virginia Land Trust Helps "Get Out the Give" As Part of #GivingTuesday

Nov. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Western Virginia Land Trust Helps “Get Out the Give” As Part of #GivingTuesday

Celebrates Inaugural National Day of Giving by offering donors a chance to win a unique prize package

Roanoke November, 19, 2012 – The Western Virginia Land Trust is part of the inaugural #GivingTuesday, a nationwide movement that harnesses the power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday has already inspired over 1,400 organizations and people in all 50 U.S. states and around the world to take collaborative action. Each aims to improve their local communities and give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world. Scheduled for November 27, 2012 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – and the Day after the famed “Black Friday and “Cyber Monday” shopping days, #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create an opening day for giving.

The Western Virginia Land Trust connected with #GivingTuesday as a way to connect with new members of the community and bolster year-end giving. Leading up to #GivingTuesday, they will be promoting the movement through their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Then, anyone who donates $25 or more to the land trust on November 27th will be entered to win a special prize package which includes two Hollywood’s Restaurant gift certificates, two “If the Land Could Sing” CDs, two dri-fit Roanoke Outside hats, and two land trust t-shirts.

“Giving Tuesday has the amazing potential to bring together communities from across the nation through philanthropy,” explained Diana Hackenburg, land trust project manager. “The land trust relies on the support of our service areas communities to achieve our mission of conserving land.”

#GivingTuesday:  The Background:  Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends, partners and philanthropy experts, led by the 92nd Street Y, came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media and grassroots organizing joined to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. The concept gained steam, and by bringing together a group of founding partners—including the United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever, the Case Foundation, United Way and VentureThree Capital—a nationwide series of discussions helped inform the #GivingTuesday approach and built the movement. New organizations have rapidly joined the movement, offering creative ways people could embrace #GivingTuesday and collaborate in giving efforts to create more meaningful results.

A team of influencers (http://www.givingtuesday.org/about) have been advising #GivingTuesday organizers to discuss the innovative ways that people are approaching giving during challenging economic times, along with how Americans can give smarter and use new media to encourage positive change in their communities.

Currently, more than 1,400 corporate and nonprofit organizations have committed to participate in the initiative. #GivingTuesday is endorsed by Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy, Giving Institute, Giving USA Foundation and InterAction. Charity Navigator and GuideStar are serving as Charity Advisors. VolunteerMatch is a volunteer advisor to #GivingTuesday.    

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