For #GivingTuesday, the rock bank Linkin Park raised awareness about the 1.3 billion people who live without access to electricity around the world.

Check our the video to learn about this important issue and visit Power the World to learn more and take action:

Linkin Park’s POWERLESS from Music for Relief on Vimeo.

Happy #GivingTuesday! Like Groupon Grassroots, we at DonorsChoose.org are founding partners of #GivingTuesday, and we hope it will join the ranks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to become an opening day for the giving season.

As part of The Big Give, DonorsChoose.org is partnering with Groupon Grassroots and an anonymous matching donor on this campaign: for $10, you’ll get a $20 gift card that you can apply toward the school project of your choice on DonorsChoose.org. The campaign is running as part of the special six-week holiday series of Grassroots campaigns, which means you can donate at any time from now until December 26.

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy to help classrooms in need by connecting you with specific projects you can support. We at DonorsChoose.org envision a nation where children in every community have the tools and opportunities needed for an excellent education. Our motto is simple: Teachers Ask. You Choose.

During the 2009–2010 school year, teachers spent an average of $936 of their own money on school supplies and instructional materials, according to a study from The National School Supply and Equipment Association. Classroom supplies provide a foundation for a child’s academic success, but due to budget cuts many teachers lack the basic tools they need to engage students in learning.

Here’s what one teacher said about working with DonorsChoose.org: “Each year that I teach, I strive to be that special person who provides structure and fun in a learning environment. The support that I have received from DonorsChoose.org in this endeavor has been phenomenal. Now that I have the supplies that I need to be an effective educator, I continue to see growth in my students and an overall change in their work habits. All my thanks to the DonorsChoose.org team; you make teaching rewarding.”

To make a contribution, visit our campaign page.

Kirk Smiley joined the DonorsChoose.org team back in 2007 when he focused primarily on partnerships in the Midwest. He graduated with honors from Purdue with a B.S. in Management, B.A. in English Literature and Religious Studies, and an M.B.A. from the Krannert School of Management. Coming from a long lineage of public school educators and economically prudent Midwesterners, Kirk is very excited to be working with DonorsChoose.org and Groupon.

This blog post originally ran on The Huffington Post’s GivingTuesday page. 

Four years ago, I decided to get involved with UNICEF, the humanitarian organization responsible for helping save more children’s lives than any other. What UNICEF cared about then — and what UNICEF still cares about — are the world’s most vulnerable children, many of whom miss out on a quality education or die needlessly from things we rarely have to worry about in the United States.

When I began working with UNICEF, I learned that 26,000 children under the age of five were dying every day because they didn’t have access to vaccines, decent medical care, proper nutrition or clean water. Today, that number is 19,000.

Like UNICEF, I believe in a world where zero children die unnecessarily and where every child has the chance to thrive. That’s why I began designing the décor for the annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball. It was a way that I could lend my talents to help the world’s kids. Subsequently, UNICEF invited me to become an Ambassador, and to this day I consider it one of the highest honors ever bestowed on me.

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to see UNICEF’s work firsthand in Mongolia, where many children face adult-sized challenges. Insufficient nutrition, inadequate sanitation and running water, and limited access to proper medical care and vaccines have resulted in a startling under-five mortality rate of 31 per 1,000 births. That’s nearly quadruple the child mortality rate here in the United States.

Photo: U.S. Fund for UNICEF. UNICEF Ambassador Vern Yip is all smiles with students at a dormitory school in Khuvsghul province, Mongolia.

I began my visit to Mongolia in the capital of Ulaanbaatar, where thousands of families have arrived from the countryside with very little money or sufficient skills to make a decent living. Often, children subsist on only one nutritionally vacuous meal a day and become stunted, which means they will never reach their full physical or mental potential.

Because of overcrowding in Ulaanbaatar, some of the poorest children must attend classes in shifts to accommodate this sudden population influx. As you can imagine, disease can spread rapidly in tightly packed schools without proper sanitation and running water. In response, UNICEF is installing indoor plumbing in many of these public schools and is teaching children proper hygiene techniques. During my visit to one of these schools, children proudly showed me how they wash their hands in the bathroom and clearly understood why hygiene was important to their health.

In the countryside, the problems are different but no less complex. A long history of herding and nomadism means that much of Mongolia’s population lives in difficult-to-reach areas without good access to medical care, safe water or education. In fact, many of Mongolia’s children leave their rural homes at the age of six to live in the dormitories of centralized schools. With herding families spread out over a vast terrain, it’s simply too costly for people to travel great distances with any regularity, so children often go months without seeing their parents. Families make this sacrifice because they know that education is key to a better life.

While leaving their parents at a young age is hard enough, kids also face the challenge of living in crowded dormitories without indoor plumbing or adequate heat. These children endure refrigerator-like classrooms during the day and freezer-like dormitories at night when temperatures drop below zero . In one school I visited, the unheated and unlit toilet facilities were located half a football field away from the classrooms and dormitories. Imagine a six-year-old having to cross a frozen field in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Despite these difficulties, there is no question that these kids and their families are dedicated to learning and to creating a better future for themselves. I met smiling children who were eager to share their aspirations in impressive English. Through poignant art work, they communicated their hopes: heated dorm rooms, computer labs, jobs that would allow them to eat regularly and support their families.

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, most of us are focused on celebrating with family and friends. This holiday season, I’m thankful for my beautiful family, my two healthy children, and the many lessons I learned from the kids I met in Mongolia. When I turn on my faucet or slip into my warm bed, I think of them. I’m much more appreciative of everything I have in my life and less apt to take the basic things I enjoy for granted.

These children have even inspired me to finish my holiday shopping ahead of schedule. Instead of ill-fitting sweaters, I’m buying UNICEF Inspired Gifts – lifesaving items that are shipped to Mongolia and other developing countries where kids need them the most. This #GivingTuesday, I encourage you to get involved. Purchasing an Inspired Gift means access to water where there previously was none, vaccines for children who would suffer without them, or even a temporary school during an emergency or natural disaster.

With your help, I know we can reach a day when all of the children of Mongolia — and everywhere around the world — will get to live to their full potential.

Acclaimed interior designer Vern Yip is best known for his appearances on TLC’s Trading Spaces through its fourth season and for hosting four seasons of HGTV’s show Deserving Design. Currently, Yip is a judge on the prime-time series HGTV Design Star. Yip has been a UNICEF Ambassador since 2010.

Did you know that 1.3 billion people – one in five globally – have no access to electricity? Some 95% of them live in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia. The world’s poorest are already paying the most as a proportion of their household income for inadequate, dangerous and unhealthy sources of energy.

Annual global expenditures for dim, dirty and dangerous kerosene-based lighting amounts to $37 billion, but how can we quantify the human costs – of a child severely burned by spilled kerosene, or a toddler who drinks kerosene thinking it is water and develops chemically induced pneumonia?  Of a fire that rampages through a shanty town, or people dying of cholera because doctors can’t see well enough to place an IV drip? Exposure to smoke from hazardous methods of cooking and lighting kills nearly 2 million annually, most of them women and children – and more women are severely burned by kerosene-related accidents each year than are diagnosed with HIV and TB combined.

Without access to modern energy services, this is the grim reality for so many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.

The United Nations Foundation is working to address these issues within the UN-led Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

What can we do to help?

As part of Giving Tuesday, learn how some organizations are working to change the status quo, and how you can join this global movement towards delivering sustainable energy services for all.

Save Lives: WHO estimates that 200,000 to 400,000 healthcare facilities in developing countries lack access to reliable electricity. Almost any procedure can wait until morning except for childbirth: Worldwide, 358,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year, yet maternal mortality can be reduced by 70% with the provision of minimal lighting and appliance operating services. WE CARE Solar manufactures “solar suitcases” – an economical, easy-to-use portable power unit that provides health workers with highly efficient medical lighting and power for mobile communication, computers and medical devices. Solar suitcases were first deployed in Nigeria and Liberia, and are now being requested in more countries around the world. To find out more and donate, visit www.wecaresolar.org.

Send Solutions: Enèji Pwòp (“Clean Energy” in Haitian Creole) was created by EarthSpark International, a non-profit organization, to build supply chains and business practices to support small-scale clean energy entrepreneurs in Haiti. Haiti’s poverty goes hand in hand with a lack of access to productive energy resources and efficient end-use technologies: Fewer than 25% of households in Haiti are connected to an electricity grid. Eneji Pwòp delivers energy solutions to Haiti’s poor and enables the Haitian diaspora to send clean energy products to friends and family, re-channeling remittances as a powerful sustainable energy financing mechanism. To learn more and contribute, visit www.earthsparkinternational.org and www.enejipwop.com.

Support Sustainable Energy for All:  Music for Relief is a grassroots effort of musicians, music industry professionals, and fans, established by the band Linkin Park to help those affected by disasters. Music for Relief has pledged to help 1 million families gain access to sustainable energy throughout 2012. Through direct donations fans and friends can support Earthspark International and We Care Solar to save lives and improve the quality of people’s lives in developing countries. To donate and help spread the word, visit www.musicforrelief.org.

Richenda Van Leeuwen is Executive Director, Energy and Climate, Energy Access Initiative team overseeing the UN Foundation’s work on energy access.

This time of year, we recognize our success and abundance in our work and at home. We share meals and gifts and create holiday celebrations with clients, family and friends. How many times have I heard people say that the holidays have become more about shopping than about the appreciating what we all have? We needed a meaningful response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In the last ten days, I have heard that the country is embracing a new tradition called #GivingTuesday. What is #GivingTuesday? It is time and reason for all of us to give back. It can be volunteering, making a charitable gift, providing an in-kind service to an organization in need or any gesture of kindness that supports others who are disadvantaged or challenged.

I ask that you please join me and Jenkintown in helping to support this new tradition, #Giving Tuesday on November 27th. You can learn more about it here, www.givingtuesday.org.

What am I doing? Jenkintown is going to celebrate #GivingTuesday by cleaning a new facility, The Connelly House, which is a building shared by Project Home and the Bethesda Project in D center city Philadelphia. Both organizations serve the homeless.

What will you do? You may already have an idea or you can talk to your family, colleagues and friends.

I am grateful to my clients, and partners in serving the buildings in the region. I know we all share in much abundance. I hope you will take some time and think about what you can do to make #GivingTuesday come to life in our community.

Marty Tuzman is the CEO of Jenkintown Building Services.

Wondering how some organizations are embracing the #GivingTuesday movement and getting involved? In this post, Andrew Schrage,  the editor of Money Crashers, explains what they’re doing for #GivingTuesday and how they’re doing it, too.

1. Why did Money Crashers decide to become a #GivingTuesday partner?

Money Crashers decided to participate in the GivingTuesday campaign because giving back to the community is one of our 11 Indispensable Principles of a Money Crasher. For those who have their finances in order and have the means to do so, giving back to the community is very important. We firmly believe in the concept of goodwill, and becoming involved in GivingTuesday is one way we display that.

2. What is Money Crashers planning for #GivingTuesday?

We haven’t yet devised a specific campaign, but one idea we’re considering is to launch an initiative that will provide budding entrepreneurs some financial assistance in order to get their ideas off the ground. We understand that small business is the backbone of our economy, so this initiative will support that aspect.

3. What are you doing to get your readers involved in this initiative?

We plan to do some promotions of GivingTuesday via social media, where we have quite a significant presence. We’ve donated some money to the cause as well. And for those businesses out there considering donating to the cause, remember that there are tax deductions for charitable contributions as well, so it’s a no-brainer!

Want to connect even more with the #GivingTuesday community? Check out our awesome online social community! Share, connect, earn points!

The holidays are upon us! In addition to planning our holiday parties, meals and mailings, millions of us are also thinking about how to give back and donate our time and money to those in need. The holiday giving season feels like a fabric of our American culture, and this is the beauty of Giving Tuesday.

On November 27, in the midst of our holiday shopping, a cultural phenomenon in and of itself, we are reminding ourselves and each other that the holiday season is about more than just finding the perfect present, but about giving back and doing good.

And this is why we at Future Fortified are proud to be a part of Giving Tuesday. As many of us gather with family and friends to share delicious meals prepared with love, we are grateful for those who also want to help other families who aren’t as fortunate.

Nearly one billion people around the world go hungry every night and another 2 billion lack the simple, but essential nutrients they need to lead healthy, productive lives. And unfortunately, poor nutrition is the underlying cause of 1 in 3 childhood deaths worldwide.

Poor nutrition is an urgent issue because when children don’t get the vitamins and minerals they need before they turn two, the damage is irreversible. Good nutrition is essential to enable children to live, learn and grow.  And we have simple, lasting solutions – like home nutrition packets that make it easy for moms to sprinkle vitamins and minerals onto their children’s meals, nourishing them for only pennies a day.

This holiday season, we can help put nutrition on the table for children around the world. And through Future Fortified, we have really fun, easy ways to do so – including through our holiday store. Find the perfect gift for your family and do good, as 100% of proceeds will go toward improving nutrition for children in Bangladesh, where malnutrition rates are among the highest in the world. It costs just $10 to provide five children in Bangladesh with home nutrition packets for the next six months.

This Giving Tuesday we can continue to give more children the chance to grow and become our future leaders, doctors, teachers, and caregivers. This helps create a healthier world and fortified future for all of us. Join us!

Adrianna Logalbo built Future Fortified from the ground-up, joining the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in 2011 with the goal of building a dedicated community of supporters for global nutrition.

Want to connect even more with the #GivingTuesday community? Check out our awesome online social community! Share, connect, earn points!

“For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only son…” (John 3:16) When God met each of us he came into our lives simply to bless us. He came as a “giver.” God did not enter our world saying, “It is Christmas, what are you going to buy me?” Or, “I’m God and you owe me.” By grace, Jesus, the son of God, arrives on the human scene full of “grace and truth”. (John 1)

Can you imagine life without these two wonderful gifts, grace and truth? What amazing gifts of life they are. Oh, and then there’s that, life! The greatest gift of all. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10) Wow!

The most beautiful gift that God gives us besides the three I just mentioned, grace, truth and life, is himself. In fact, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”. (John 14:6) he didn’t say, “Let me catch a sale at the mall or flea market so I can find a great deal on grace, truth, and life? Not, he is the gift! The gift of himself is offered freely to all who receive him. It is in Jesus that we have the gifts of his “way” of grace, his truth, and his life. What a giver!

When I was introduced to #Giving Tuesday, it was a no brainer. God is a giver, I must be. God is a gift. I must be. God is looking for opportunities to simply bless others by grace. Shouldn’t I be?

#Giving Tuesday gives me a perfect opportunity to think about how I can leverage my influence to bless others in a positive way in the name of the one who has blessed me beyond measure! Jesus Christ.

I hope every church leader figures out ways to redeem the holiday season beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday when purchasing great deals are the order of the day. Hundreds of people in my church, Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia, Maryland, are figuring out how they can feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and package Christmas gifts for children of prisoners as a way of being true gift-givers on #Giving Tuesday. We are excited about getting “in on” what God is “up to.”

May the grace, truth, and life that is found in Jesus, the greatest gift-giver of all, motivate us all to leverage #Giving Tuesday in a way that redeems the true purpose of the holidays. Why? Because God so loved the world that he “GAVE”!

Dr. David Anderson, founder and President of the BridgeLeader Network (BLN), is one of the world’s leading authorities on building bridges across the deep divides of race, faith, culture and wealth. Find him on Twitter @AndersonSpeaks. 

When you are in New York and you see Spiderman, Mickey Mouse and Shrek coming down Broadway you know it is Thanksgiving, which means the shopping season has begun.

Thanksgiving Day parade. Flickr/martha_chapa95.

It used to be that Thanksgiving opened the season of giving. Now it opens up the season of buying. Black Friday and Cyber Monday now define this time of the year. It is of course wonderful to give and receive gifts to and from friends and relatives. We should be happy as Americans to see consumerism strong in a time where our economy is so challenged. Nonetheless, something is being lost in the shuffle. For this reason we at 92Y have come up with a new special day, Giving Tuesday, November 27^th. The idea of Giving Tuesday is to encourage individuals, corporations and organizations to focus on giving around this time of year. Giving whatever your can, financial donations or volunteering your time.

Giving Tuesday brings Thanksgiving back to its original roots. The Pilgrims based Thanksgiving on the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:33-44). Sukkot is a Jewish harvest festival. The idea of the holiday is to give thanks for a successful agricultural season. The Pilgrims read about Sukkot in the Bible and they felt that it related to their experience of trying to farm and establish a new home for themselves in the America.

Sukkot and by extension Thanksgiving has within it two messages:

1. Giving thanks for what we have.

2. That giving thanks for what we have should raise our conscience to understand that there are many people who have not been blessed with what we have and therefore we have a responsibility to help these people.

Thus, Giving Tuesday is way to bring the true message of Thanksgiving back to this holiday.

With that let me make some suggestions about how to create a meaningful Giving Tuesday experience. In preparation for Giving Tuesday, when you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening, before the Turkey and Cranberry sauce come out, go around the table and have everyone lift their glass and give thanks for something in their life, young and old alike, everyone has something to be thankful for.

Once everyone has given thanks, go around the table a second time. This time everyone will name one thing they can do to help someone on Giving Tuesday. Once again, include everyone in this ritual. No one is too young or too old to help another person.

Here are some suggestions of things you can do on Giving Tuesday:

1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter or food pantry.

2. Help clean up a park or any place that needs some sprucing up.

3. If you live in or nearby an area that was affected by Hurricane Sandy or some other recent disaster participate in the relief effort.

4. Hospitals, rehab centers and senior facilities can always use your help.

5. Donate some blood.

6. There are many organizations doing wonderful work that could use your financial help or your time.

There is no end to the lists of kind acts we can come up with for Giving Tuesday. There is so much that is needed in this world. Find the volunteer or charitable experience that is right for you. Perhaps take on a project together with a friend, life partner or with your children on Giving Tuesday.

By each of us volunteering and engaging in philanthropy on Giving Tuesday, we will not only help another person, but we will change ourselves. We will make ourselves more caring and soulful people. This kind of transformation can truly have a ripple effect. In other words, by improving the lives of those we help and impacting our lives by helping, we can truly transform the world. This is the meaning of the central Jewish goal of Tikkun Olam, to repair this very broken world.

May all of you be blessed with a meaningful Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday and a peaceful holiday season.

Rabbi David Kalb is the Director of Jewish Education for the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at 92nd Street Y. At 92Y Rabbi Kalb directs and teaches a variety of different learning programs for a range of ages. He also serves as a spiritual resource to the entire professional staff and lay leadership of 92Y.