New $200K grant from Craig Newmark Philanthropies helps launch free online sessions that explore the future of movements as a force for change
February 11, 2021 — Today GivingTuesday announced a new series of online events focused on new ways of thinking about community and change. GivingTuesday’s Radical Generosity Sessions will challenge us to take a fresh look at how we organize, collaborate, and give to leave old habits behind and build a radically different future. This series is made possible through a generous $200,000 gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
Launching in March, the free online sessions will feature monthly panel discussions with grassroots organizers, community leaders, movement builders, data scientists, and social sector innovators, who will share insights on giving during crisis and emerging movements as well as inspiration from GivingTuesday’s nine years of exponential growth and its global network of leaders.
“Generosity is a powerful form of civic participation. The pandemic has made clear just how much we are all affected by significant societal issues – and the only way we can tackle them is if we all take action,” said Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. “We need to lift up and explore innovative ways to further engage communities in giving and encourage grassroots generosity at a global scale. GivingTuesday is popularizing a new model for a more generous world, and this series will open up conversations on further collaboration and innovation in the social sector.”
Session topics will include data and insights on giving during crisis, recovery, and resiliency in the social sector, lessons on building movements, accelerating innovation and collaboration, investing in the power of grassroots leaders, and more. Panelists and event registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“During a time when so much attention goes toward what divides us, generosity is a core value that unites us across borders and demographics,” said Asha Curran, co-founder and CEO of GivingTuesday. “Compounding crises continue to challenge how we respond to unprecedented moments, but generosity continues to surge, providing hope and a unique opportunity to address systemic issues. This new series of candid conversions will explore how we can carry forward lessons from the past year and embrace new ideas and challenge leaders from all sectors to reimagine our approach to rebuilding–not to put things back the way they were, but to build the world we wish to see. We’re grateful to Craig Newmark Philanthropies for supporting our efforts to transform the way we think about and act on giving every day.”
Born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York, GivingTuesday is now an independent nonprofit, having grown into a global movement, inspiring hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round. The movement is brought to life through national movements in more than 70 countries and more than 250 community campaigns across the U.S., each led by entrepreneurial local changemakers. In 2020, GivingTuesday inspired a surge of generosity in the midst of crisis, with people celebrating the power of generosity in every country and territory in the world. In the U.S. alone, 33.1 million adults participated in GivingTuesday and $2.47 billion was given on December 1, 2020.
About GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday reimagines a world built on shared humanity and generosity.
To learn more about GivingTuesday or to join the global generosity movement, please visit: www.givingtuesday.org
About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer, philanthropist, and leading advocate. Most commonly known for founding the online classified ads service craigslist, Newmark works to support and connect people and drive broad civic engagement. In 2016, he founded Craig Newmark Philanthropies to advance people and grassroots organizations that are “getting stuff done” in areas that include trustworthy journalism & the information ecosystem, food insecurity, voter protection, women in technology, and veterans & military families. At its core, all of Newmark’s philanthropic work helps to strengthen American democracy by supporting the values that the country aspires to – fairness, opportunity, and respect. For more information, please visit: CraigNewmarkPhilanthropies.org. Craig can be found sharing his personal perspective on the issues of the day at @craignewmark.
