Celebrating Giving Tuesday - how to give effectively

SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow marks the second annual Giving Tuesday, in which thousands of nonprofits – including World Vision and their annual Gift Catalog campaign – are partnering to publicize the day dedicated to giving back. But, how do we celebrate Giving Tuesday, and is it effective?

Last year, across participating charities, Giving Tuesday brought a 53 percent increase in online donations and a 25 percent increase in average online gift size.ⁱ

"Last year's Giving Tuesday brought in $404,454 through the World Vision Gift Catalog, reaching men, women and children in need worldwide," said Gift Catalog Specialist Cheryl DeBruler. "We've seen the holiday's effectiveness in our donor base and only expect it to grow across all nonprofits – even internationally – especially in the aftermath of recent natural disasters like Typhoon Haiyan and severe storms in the U.S. Our world is ready for a big Giving Tuesday this year."

This year shoppers can join Bill & Melinda Gates in celebrating Giving Tuesday through the World Vision Gift Catalog, a collection of hundreds of donation opportunities that directly impact those in need. Here are some ways to do so:

• Give a Gift, Get a Gift: Donations to Where Most Needed can be made with a handcrafted accessory in tow for you or a loved one – from ornaments made out of recycled materials in Kenya to jewelry made in projects that prevent exploitation, there are items appropriate for all interests. Plus, your gift will likely be one-of-a-kind – World Vision's 2013 Holiday Giving Survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive among more than 2,000 U.S. adults, found that only 19 percent of adults have ever received a charitable gift, that is, a charitable donation made in their name as a present.
• Discuss Disaster Recovery – Transform current events discussions into active, impactful giving by reviewing the Gift Catalog with kids. Brainstorm ways to support long-term recovery for events like Typhoon Haiyan through initiatives like the Philippines Disaster Response Fund.
• Cook Up Some Kitchen Giving – With one meal-centric holiday behind us, there are plenty more ahead. Add giving goodness to your seasonal baking and cooking with impactful food items like prosperity cinnamon, Fairtrade coffee sets and hand-carved serving spoons.
• Virtual Volunteerism: Not everyone can volunteer at a soup kitchen during the holidays, but you can volunteer virtually by giving food kits to families in need right here in the U.S. For $18 – the cost of a t-shirt – you can feed a whole family in the U.S. for a day, reaching the historically high 44 percent of America's poor currently living below half the poverty line – a number that includes nearly 10 percent of all children in the United States.

Last year, more than 186,000 donors purchased more than 475,000 items from World Vision's Gift Catalog helping more than 844,000 people around the world. In its 18th year, the Catalog offers a variety of gifts from $16 to $39,000 to share thanks and thoughtfulness on Giving Tuesday 2013.

Datasheets and interviews with World Vision representatives are available upon request. For more information contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected], 323-208-2444, or Natalie Bisaro at [email protected], 708-434-5006.

About the World Vision Holiday Giving Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of World Vision from October 21-23, 2013, among 2,033 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected], 323-208-2444, or Natalie Bisaro at [email protected], 708-434-5006.

About the World Vision Gift Catalog
Since 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has given people the opportunity to better the lives of children, adults and communities in the U.S. and around the world through hundreds of gifts in all different areas of need: clean water, food, education, sexual exploitation, job training and others. Last fiscal year more than 186,000 donors purchased more than 475,000 gifts that raised over $33.7 million. To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call toll-free at 855-WV-GIFTS. Want to see where your dollars go? Watch how the Gift Catalog works through the WorldVisionUSA YouTube channel.

About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. For more information on their efforts, visit WorldVision.org/press or follow them on Twitter at @WorldVisionNews.  

ⁱ GivingTuesday.org, http://community.givingtuesday.org/Page/FAQ

SOURCE World Vision