Two successful social campaigns raising awareness and funds for the nonprofit sector are aligning forces, combining Georgia’s biggest day of giving with a growing worldwide phenomenon.

Starting this year, Georgia Gives Day is officially partnering with #GivingTuesday to become their lead organizer for Georgia, re-launching the state’s 24-hour giving marathon on November 28, 2017 alongside a 50-state, 97-country effort as GAgives on #GivingTuesday. Building on the year-over-year achievements both campaigns have amassed since they launched independently in 2012, organizers are looking forward to increasing momentum, resources, and revenue for the thousands of Georgia nonprofits that take part annually.

GAgives on #GivingTuesday falls on the Tuesday that follows Thanksgiving, and the twin retail phenomena of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, answering the public’s appetite to balance holiday “getting” with community “giving,” and kicking off the end-of-year fundraising season for nonprofits. Presented by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, the event will unify the state in an effort to raise as much money and awareness as possible for Georgia nonprofits in a 24-hour period. As in past years, every Georgia nonprofit is invited to create a free ecommerce-enabled profile on the fundraising platform at GAgives.org, where funds raised will go directly to participating organizations.

Bringing together thousands of state charities in one place, GAgives.org makes it easy for Georgians to select a cause that matters to them, learn about the work of individual nonprofits, and donate directly to them. Everyone is invited to give to a cause that matters to them on Nov. 28, and help advance the movement by sharing news of their gift on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere – tagged with the phrase #GAgives on #GivingTuesday.

“Both movements share one purpose: To educate, celebrate and support the diverse causes that strengthen our communities,” said Georgia Center for Nonprofits CEO Karen Beavor. “Our shared success lies in the powerful joy of collaborating with others, teaching the importance of philanthropy, and participating in acts of kindness.”

Asha Curran, 92nd Street Y's Chief Innovation Officer and Director of its Belfer Center for Innovation, the home of #GivingTuesday, agreed: “We are thrilled to have GAgives join the #GivingTuesday movement, as our alignment promises to compound attention and support for Georgia’s nonprofits and help us further this unified, global giving movement.”

GAgives welcomes any Georgia-based nonprofit to set up an online donation page at GAgives.org for free, where they’ll be equipped to receive direct donations any day of the year, and compete for prizes throughout the day on November 28. GAgives.org is also the place to find resources and sign up for campaign communications, which will include invitations to free webinars, calls from the media for stories, insights to support campaign planning, and more.

Two simultaneous movements

Launched by the 92nd Street Y in 2012 and housed in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact, #GivingTuesday is a global movement that inspires people around the world to take collaborative action to improve their local communities and contribute in countless ways to the causes they believe in. The movement reaches millions of people with campaigns and activities in all 50 states and nearly 100 countries on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and throughout the year. On #GivingTuesday 2016, $180+ million was raised online in the United States alone to benefit a tremendously broad range of causes, and much more was given in volunteer hours, non-monetary donations, and acts of kindness.

GAgives, also rooted in the Thanksgiving season, has raised more than $13.5 million in donations for nearly 2,700 Georgia nonprofits since 2012. Led by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, the GAgives initiative maintains an online fundraising platform, GAgives.org, free to use for any registered 501c3 in the state; it also helps teach and mobilize everyone with a stake in the community – organizations, corporate sponsors, government agencies, media partners, and citizens – to raise awareness and support for nonprofits.