CrowdRise Community To Build World's First Giving Tower Beginning Nov. 25, 2014

NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CrowdRise, the leading platform for charitable crowdfunding, is partnering with hundreds of charities to build a Giving Tower to show the world's philanthropic impact on #GivingTuesday. The Giving Tower will be built using augmented reality, think a really cool hologram. The campaign launches Nov. 25, 2014 and will run through the official start of the giving season, Dec. 2, 2014. The world will be able to watch the Giving Tower grow and compare the height of the Tower to iconic buildings at www.CrowdRise.com/GivingTower.  Plus, everyone will be able to download the free Giving Tower app from the iTunes store and Google Play starting Nov. 25, 2014.

The world can watch the Giving Tower grow right from their smartphones in augmented reality. Augmented reality apps work by interacting with specific targets to create a unique experience for the viewer. The Giving Tower app will work by pointing your phone at a number of targets: an image on your computer, a specific PDF or at a $1 bill.

Additionally, people will be able to visit the Giving Tower in a few real-life locations including the Worldwide Plaza at 50^th Street and 8^th Avenue in Manhattan, United Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, TX, and on the grounds of the Washington Monument at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in coordination with the Trust for the National Mall.  

Everyone who donates to the Giving Tower gets a brick in the Tower with their picture and the cause they donated to.  All the individual bricks will stack up to create the Giving Tower.  As people all over the world donate to the causes they care about, everyone will be able to watch the Giving Tower grow.

"Augmented reality is like regular reality, but way better," said Robert Wolfe, CrowdRise co-founder and CEO.  "The idea of embracing the awesome #GivingTuesday movement and allowing everyone to participate in a really fun and innovative way is just incredibly exciting.  We're super psyched to play a small role to help so many great causes rally."

Anyone can help build CrowdRise's Giving Tower by visiting www.CrowdRise.com/GivingTower or by downloading the free app and donating to any of the hundreds of charities that have signed up for the Giving Tower campaign.

"CrowdRise has already been an instrumental partner for #GivingTuesday in years past, but CrowdRise is really taking it to the next level for 2014," said Henry Timms, executive director of 92Y and co-founder of #GivingTuesday. "To give the world such a cool visual of #GivingTuesday's impact on communities and charities around the globe is such an amazing feat."

In just three years, #GivingTuesday has established itself as a day on the scale of Black Friday and Cyber Monday—but for giving back to causes, charities and organizations that are doing good things for people around the world.

Founding supporters of CrowdRise's Giving Tower include such respected organizations as 92nd Street Y, American Red Cross, Eventbrite, the It Gets Better Project, March of Dimes, NFL, Robin Hood, United Nations Foundation, United Airlines and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Over 500 charitable organizations are signed up to participate and the campaign is open to any nonprofit. Featured organizations include: the ALS Association, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of America, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Every Mother Counts, just keep livin foundation, Malala Fund, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, PATH, Trust for the National Mall and USA for UNHCR.

Celebrities including Kristen Bell, Edward Norton, Will Ferrell, Matthew McConaughey, Toni Collette, Timbaland, and Kat Graham, among others, will be launching their own fundraisers and contests in the Giving Tower Campaign.

United Airlines launched its campaign early, offering its Mileage Plus Members who donate $50-$99 USD to receive 250 MileagePlus bonus award miles, members who donate $100- $249 USD to receive 500 bonus award miles and members who donate $250 USD or more to receive 1,000 bonus award miles. 

For more information on CrowdRise's massive #GivingTuesday effort, and to watch a video demonstrating how the Giving Tower will work, please visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/GivingTuesday.

ABOUT CROWDRISE 

CrowdRise is the platform that millions of people, charities, companies and celebrities use to give back. CrowdRisers use the site to donate to and fundraise for the causes they're passionate about. CrowdRise's unique approach to making giving back fun and notable and cool and interesting creates a network effect that drives amazing awareness and, most importantly, revolutionary fundraising for thousands of organizations every day.

Launched by Edward Norton in 2010, CrowdRise is the fastest growing and largest online fundraising for good. We have raised over $140 million for charity to date and are on track to raise another $120 million in 2014 alone. If Facebook is the place that defines you by your friends and Twitter is what you use to say what you're doing right now then CrowdRise is the site for you to show how you give back. The power of the crowd is real, lots of small donations really do add up to create monumental impact.

CrowdRise is committed to innovation in fundraising and making raising money for charity fun and effective. We're the friend-to-friend platform for the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon, Red Cross, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Ironman, as well as celebrities like Sean Penn, Seth Rogen, Ian Somerhalder, Sophia Bush, Paul Rudd, Olivia Wilde and so many more. The CrowdRise community was named a "Top 25 Best Global Philanthropist" by Barron's. We beat Oprah. And Mashable named CrowdRise something like "the best place to raise money online for your favorite causes." 

Media Contact:
Rose Levy
Havas PR
202.262.1635
[email protected]

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SOURCE CrowdRise

Related Links

http://www.CrowdRise.com/GivingTower