A collaboration between the Norwegian Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Society, the Pink Ribbon Campaign has run annually each October since 1999 to show support with those affected by breast cancer, increase awareness, and raise money for research that could lead to better treatment, longer survival and increased quality of life for everyone who develops it. The most common form of cancer among women, 600 in Norway die from the disease every year – and of course, men can get it too.

To meet these objectives, the core target group for the information campaign is women aged 35+, while for the donor campaign, it’s the country’s entire population, which is just 5.5m people.

Yet from this relatively small audience, millions are raised every year, with 2024 setting a new fundraising record.

The 2024 campaign aimed to raise NOK 50 million (just over €43m); sell 160,000 ribbons – a symbol of support for everyone affected by breast cancer; maintain the campaign’s high level of awareness and knowledge of what the ribbon symbolizes; and achieve 800 media reports during the campaign period.

In fact, it beat the target to raise NOK 67 million (€58m): an increase of NOK 17.3 million from the previous year. The campaign saw 200,000 ribbons purchased, exceeding the target and selling out for the first time in the campaign’s history, and the post campaign survey also showed that it maintained its high level of awareness at 95%, while of those who had heard about the campaign, 96% knew what the ribbon symbolizes.

Participants in the Pink Ribbon Run in Bergen

The not-so-secret secrets of the Pink Ribbon Campaign’s success

So with such a long-running campaign, what’s behind its continued success – and last year’s incredible results?

Marit Sophie Egge, campaign manager since 2005, shares her thoughts:

The Pink Ribbon Campaign has grown from year to year, both in terms of attention and income, and particularly in recent years. There are probably several reasons why we succeed in continually engaging people.

A cause that impacts many

First is the cause itself. Breast cancer affects many. It is a disease that affects one in ten women during their lifetime, but it is not only the woman who gets it who is affected. So are her partner, family, friends and colleagues. When someone you love is affected by an illness, you want to contribute and get involved.

A symbol that people recognize – and exclusive rights
The second thing is the campaign symbol: the Pink Ribbon. It has become very well-known and a symbol that people want to wear to show their support for everyone affected by breast cancer. When Pink Ribbon was first organized in Norway, this symbol was unknown, but over the years it has become well-recognized. It probably also helps that the Pink Ribbon is an international symbol for the breast cancer cause.

Because awareness of this symbol is so high, since 2014 we have had a well-known Norwegian designer create their version of the ribbon. This gives people a reason to buy a new one every year. Last year’s Pink Ribbon was particularly popular, and for the first time “The Ribbon of the Year” sold out.

In addition, we have registered the logo and the word mark “Rosa sløyfe”, which gives us the exclusive right to use the Pink Ribbon symbol in Norway, whereas in many other countries there are several competing ribbons. No one can sell Pink Ribbon products in Norway without entering a collaboration with us. The Breast Cancer Society also has local associations all over the country that participate in the campaign every year, and which are most important as information providers and for giving a face to the cause.

I also think it’s important that Pink Ribbon is a campaign held for one month a year rather than being always-on. We limit campaign activities to October as much as possible, and that way we can create engagement among those who contribute and participate every year.

Working with commercial partners
The third thing is the collaboration with commercial partners. Before I took over as campaign manager, I worked as a project manager for fundraising from the business community at the Norwegian Cancer Society. I saw the potential in the Pink Ribbon concept to get the business community involved and support the campaign. Today, 70% of the income comes from activities carried out by the business community. We mainly collaborate with retail, which means that we reach out with the campaign and our symbol in approximately 2,000 stores across the country.

Cross-channel awareness raising
The fourth thing I must mention is our information work. The Pink Ribbon campaign in Norway is 50/50 information and fundraising. Therefore, our information work is just as important as raising money. Through our collaboration with the business community, we gain much wider reach through their customer magazines, websites and social media, in addition to paid communication platforms. We have our own channels, but we can multiply these tenfold with so many good partners. We also work purposefully to sell stories to editorial media. Important for us in all our information work is that we use real people, women (and a few men) who have themselves been affected and who tell their experiences of being affected.

A solid strategy
To succeed with a campaign, it is important to lay stone upon stone. The Pink Ribbon Campaign today is the result of systematic work over more than 20 years. Our mantra is to do more of and further develop what works and less of what doesn’t. The activities we do in the campaign should create awareness, spread information or raise money. Preferably all three.

Examples of activities we do in the campaign that have proven successful:

We travel around the country and visit the largest places in Norway with a travelling stand: a pink trailer staffed by members of the Breast Cancer Society. They meet people face to face to talk about breast cancer, prevention and early detection and sell the campaign symbol. This is an important information activity as a counterbalance to the rest of the information activities in the campaign, which are mainly digital.

We organize a Pink Ribbon run in six cities and help local organizers with runs in smaller places. In 2024, we had a record number of participants, a total of more than 26,000 people.

We have had clear goals for the campaign and have been true to them. We have also dared to stand in the repetitive rather than throw ourselves around trying to come up with overly creative ideas, but we have nevertheless tried to follow trends and add something new to the campaign that makes it constantly relevant. We have a campaign team with dedicated employees who each have their own areas of responsibility such as a senior communications manager, a project employee responsible for press work, a project employee responsible for marketing work, a project employee responsible for logistics, and a group responsible for cooperation with the business community.

We also measure the effect of everything we do and adjust and adapt measures according to these measurements. It is of course important to communicate to donors how the funds raised are used, and as we use the funds raised for breast cancer research, sharing updates about this is important in our information work.

So in essence, there aren’t any revolutionary, new key factors that make this fundraising campaign so successful. The secret to its success is simply good work over a long period of time!

Marit Sophie Egge

About Marit Sophie Egge

Marit Sophie Egge has led the Pink Ribbon Campaign in Norway since 2005. Under her leadership, the campaign has grown significantly each year, both in scope and funds raised, into one of the largest and most well-known in Norway. To date, it has raised more than 500 million NOK for the breast cancer cause, and was awarded “Campaign of the Year” in both 2023 and 2024, while Marit Sophie was awarded “Fundraiser of the Year” in 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Bergen and a master’s degree in management and leadership from Oslo Metropolitan University. She has extensive experience leading various fundraising campaigns, including the annual TV fundraising campaign and the Norwegian Cancer Society’s annual fundraising campaign.

I strongly believe in GivingTuesday as a global generosity movement. I believe that when likeminded individuals from all over the world come together to inspire and share what generosity looks like in their part of the globe, magic happens.

GivingTuesday came to Norway in 2017 and has since developed – slowly, but always with innovation in mind. Norwegian NGOs, companies and individuals have caught on to the idea and transformed it to suit their own matters of the heart, their own challenges to solve, and their ideas for how to make this world a more just and generous one.

Those who have already joined the movement are eager to develop their project and always keen to have more people on board. They are also eager to share best practices, tools, and contacts to help YOU join the movement. This is an open community, where the common saying ‘sharing is caring’ is for real. A film or quote or activity copied means more acts of generosity carried out to the benefit of more people and animals and different local needs. In this way each one of us is acting on a local level, yet through our worldwide network having a global impact.

In Norway, we have many GivingTuesday advocates among charities and NGOs, in several companies and also among individuals, all of which believe in the idea and help to spread the word. These are some examples:

• GivingTuesday is a natural part of the annual campaign wheel of several charities. NMS/Norwegian Mission Society use GivingTuesday to reach their young followers and has, since its beginning in Norway, collaborated with top Norwegian influencers. The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue Norway use GivingTuesday as a First Aid Day.
• Engineers Without Borders Norway collaborated with their corporate sponsors on a Missing Maps Project in Congo on GivingTuesday.
• The telemarketing company Dialog Norge has initiated a corporate challenge on LinkedIn to engage companies for GivingTuesday. Some of our partners share their acts of generosity on GivingTuesday and challenge their contacts and networks to do the same. Acts of generosity can be to give their time, their competence or money.

This year we are planning a Gaming for Good event. GivingTuesday Norway will be an umbrella for us to experiment in this fairly new fundraising channel in Norway. Together we learn!

Participating in Giving Tuesday is very rewarding but it can also be challenging. Many GivingTuesday initiatives are fulfilled by grassroots leaders with sparse resources. They are dependent on volunteering and also some funding.

Because GivingTuesday is quite different from any other project. Its model is not a top-down leadership one, but a process of empowering your connections to take action where they are. These ‘concentric circles’ lead you towards a way of working where you must not be afraid to lose control. You need to be available to strive to understand the initiatives, and encourage your network.

I suggest you reach out to your network and gather together those who embrace the idea. And remember – if you have a question or need a chat, the network of GivingTuesday is at hand and easy to reach.

Resources are available through the international website and you can also check the Giving Tuesday map to see if there is a movement in your region.

So, what do you say?

Would you like to join a team that constantly work together for a more just and generous world? How can you not say yes to that?

Get in touch – I’m waiting for your call. Or you can reach out to your own national GivingTuesday team.

About Charlotte Arnø Storebakken

Charlotte Arnø Storebakken is manager of the Institute for Fundraising with Fundraising Norway. Fundraising Norway deals in policy, advocacy and knowledge on behalf of the fundraising sector in Norway. Its goal is to make sure Norwegian NGOs have a high standing in the eyes of the public, and that the regulatory framework for fundraising in the country is not impeding on the ability to raise funds. Charlotte is also a big fan of the GivingTuesday idea, and the contact of Giving Tuesday in Norway.

Main picture: by GivingTuesday on Pexels

The Starling Collective connects leaders from around the world through skill-building, coaching, and peer-learning as well as microgrants to support leadership development and accelerate on-the-ground work. Applications for the 2022 cohort are open until 1 September, with each of those selected to receive a microgrant of $2,000 USD (€1,965).

Participants will also have the opportunity to pitch their idea or initiative for a chance to receive additional funding at the end of the programme, with those selected to be announced in early October.

Asha Curran, GivingTuesday CEO, said:

“Injustices in the world are overwhelming and can rob us of our belief that change is possible, especially in times of ongoing crisis. But every day in communities across the globe, there are leaders responding to local needs and challenges with generosity, kindness, and resourcefulness, and they remind us of the transformative power of community-based and led care and support.

“The Starling Collective fellows are determined and creative leaders committed to creating change in their communities, and it’s thrilling to see them collaborate, learn together, and offer each other support as they continue growing their projects and their impact.”

GivingTuesday first launched the Starling Collective in the spring of 2020 as a response to the pandemic’s upheaval and the demands for social justice. Nearly 4,000 applications were submitted from 100 countries. Fellowship alumni have included 109 grassroots organisers, activists, artists and changemakers representing 60 countries, speaking 40 languages, and ranging in age from 11 to 71.

Their impact has included organising a coffee shop as a safe space for women refugees in Greece, raising awareness for the needs of blind people in Vietnam, mobilising for trans rights in Brazil, inspiring giving through music in Uganda, and organising mutual aid networks and community care around the world.

Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

Against the backdrop of the Ukraine invasion and with 2 million people having already crossed the border to seek refuge in Poland, visibility has surged of NGOs and their role in providing critical aid and infrastructure. Aware of this unique opportunity to capture public interest as charitable needs continue to rise, the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation (FAOO), the Polish Donors Forum and the National Federation of Polish NGOs have united with nonprofits across Poland to educate the public about the long-term benefits of regular giving and appeal for support.

Andrzej Pietrucha, fundraising & marketing consultant the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation, says:

“Poles have shown their philanthropic spirit in recent weeks, rushing to help in every way possible and often taking guests into their own homes. But the scale of the crisis in Ukraine and the number of refugees coming into the country means that the need for charitable services is greater than ever.

“We’re all too aware that people can’t continue to help like this indefinitely – we need to be able to deliver a more coordinated approach over the long-term, and that means building regular income from private donors.”

He explains that a humanitarian crisis of this scale has not been seen in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989, saying that: “a new approach to philanthropy is necessary.”

“Currently in Poland, regular giving is rare. But this is crucial if we think about long-term support and planning. Moreover, we can assume that commitment and interest in the crisis will decrease slightly over time, so we need to act now to build on the public’s desire to help.

“If we succeed in building regular donations, NGOs will be able to plan ahead, and to to react faster and better to those in need, now and in the future.”

The appeal highlights the key challenges faced by NGOs, with guidelines on where to find information about organisations in their area and how best to support them. It also emphasises the significance of professionally prepared staff.

To date, the campaign has reached more than 2 million people across the country, achieving widespread media coverage and with the hashtag #JakPomocPomagajacym (how to help the helpers) shared widely on social media channels.

The campaign founders believe that by capitalising on the current interest in helping others they will be able to educate the public about the role of charitable organisations in Poland and the value of long-term, intentional philanthropy.

Pietrucha adds: “I believe that what is happening in our country is a decisive moment not only for Polish humanitarian organizations, but for the entire charity sector engaged in supporting the largest wave of refugees in Europe since WWII. It is necessary to call for sustainable funding of NGOs and recall the role of independent organisations as a part of the aid system. A new approach to philanthropy should be the shared responsibility of individual and institutional donors, including companies, governments and private grant makers.”

Main photo by Anna Liminowicz

Highlighting the diversity of Ireland’s charity and community sector, We Act spokesperson Sarah Monaghan said:

“The COVID-19 crisis brought a renewed public focus on the work of our sector. From support lines for older people to laptops for children in emergency accommodation, when we saw a need in our communities, we responded to it. The pandemic demonstrated that – in times of real need – charities and community groups are at the forefront of our national response.

“We saw a shift in values towards equality, justice and supports for the most vulnerable in our communities and across the globe. Now, there needs to be a concentrated effort to ensure the innovation, goodwill and community cohesion continues as we recover from the pandemic.”

Public recognition of vital role of charities

Although people in Ireland recognise the vital role of charities on lives in their community, few recall interacting with a charity or community group in recent times. A survey of 1,000 people in Ireland*, conducted by nfpSynergy on behalf of the We Act campaign, found that 7 in 10 people believe that the lives of people in their communities would be impacted if charities disappeared overnight. And yet, fewer than 1 in 10 (8%) believe they interacted with a charity or community group in the past year.

Almost two thirds (63%) of people have given to a charity or community group in the last three months. The majority (62%) think charities are more likely to be responsive in their services than the public sector, but little over half (54%) think staff in the charity sector should be paid similarly to those in the public sector.Despite the fact that board members in both large and small charities are unpaid volunteers, over 4 in 10 people believe those who serve on charity boards are paid a salary.

The survey also reveals a lack of understanding about the breadth of the sector. While 7 in 10 people understand that a homelessness organisation is a charity, only 1 in 10 think an arts organisation is a charity.

Commenting on the findings, Ms. Monaghan adds:

“We know from the incredible support during the pandemic that people in Ireland have a huge affinity for good causes and we can see from the research that they understand the role some charities have in providing vital services. However, a majority of the public feel that charity is for someone else – and this campaign wants to celebrate the wide breadth of groups who have an impact on our lives every single day – even if we don’t realise it.

“We hope that a better understanding of the benefits of charitable work and volunteering will drive community and voluntary action in communities across Ireland, which will help drive the post-pandemic recovery.”

Next Steps for We Act

The We Act campaign will run over the next three years across Ireland with a view to addressing the challenges uncovered in the research. It aims to support the growth of vibrant and sustainable community life, strengthen the charity and community sector and encourage more people to engage and participate in the sector by volunteering, working, and donating. The campaign is managed by a coalition of charities and community groups, led by Boardmatch, Charities Institute Ireland, the Disability Federation of Ireland, Dóchas, The Wheel and Volunteer Ireland.

The campaign is funded through a grant from RTÉ Does Comic Relief, which is distributed by The Community Foundation for Ireland.

Globally, the campaign continues to escalate and in this round-up we shine a spotlight on some of the ways that European nations chose to celebrate GivingTuesday this year, on 01 December 2020.

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Valencia

The Spanish and Czech GivingTuesday campaigns captured the eye by lighting up symbolic buildings across the nations, stirring up conversation about the day of giving and encouraging the nation to take action. The Czech campaign focused on the health profession, lighting up hospital buildings in honour of those working to protect the nation from Covid-19 and as a symbol for all those affected by the virus.

In Norway, companies came together on LinkedIn to do a relay, donating hours of their time to make thank-you calls and show support for the Norwegian Parkinson’s Association. Companies challenged each other on social media, passing the torch to get other companies to participate. While in Italy, some of the biggest artists came together to perform a live concert on Facebook to generosity around the country.

GivingTuesday Slovakia launched a campaign starring 22 Slovak celebrities. The influencers, actors, and athletes contributed video messages to inspire the public to give. The campaign sought to alleviate the polarisation of society, building a sense of solidarity and unity during quarantine.

One of a number of firsts, Ireland held its first GivingTuesday campaign, calling on companies and individuals to give back. Meanwhile, Pia Tornikoski, secretary general of VaLa and leader of the Finnish campaign, TekojenTiistai, was interviewed on NBC’s Today Show about the nation’s inspirational campaign message, calling for ‘A million actions of good’.

In the Netherlands, participants were asked to share their giving story with a heart selfie on social media, hashtagged with #GivingTuesday & #MyGivingStory and to nominate a number of friends to do the same. Drukwerkdeal.nl a digital online press company offered people the opportunity to send a free digital postcard to a family member or those they have not seen due to the pandemic.

In Switzerland, over 110 GivingTuesday campaigns took place; a new record for the country, including one by Jelmoli, the largest premium department store in Switzerland. The store offered to donate 5 francs to the Theodora Foundation for every purchase of 50 francs or more from the Black Friday weekend.

And in the UK, we saw the launch of GiveBack2020 – a fundraising initiative that encouraged people to give back in a range of ways, from asking people who have been working from home to donate the cost of a week’s commute to baking and selling mince pies to raise money for their favourite cause. Many celebrities took part and helped to promote this year’s campaign.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Austria launched an advent calendar app; when buying a coke, people receive a code which they can use to win prizes through the app. The prizes can either be consumed or they can be donated to Caritas Austria. This launched on December 1 and will run through the holiday period.

And leaders in Romania organised a week-long campaign, beginning on GivingTuesday and focusing on encouraging support by donating your birthday, money, volunteering time or giving blood, enabling the public to schedule their activities through an app.

The extra day of global giving and action was launched by Giving Tuesday in response to the Coronavirus crisis with the aim of driving philanthropic action among individuals and businesses in support of first responders, non-profits, and community organisations supporting those affected by the global pandemic.

It encouraged people to show their generosity in a variety of ways. Suggestions for action included supporting healthcare workers by donating supplies, advocating for them, and staying home, giving to organisations people care about, helping small businesses by buying gift cards or writing an online review, and reaching out to a neighbour, relative, older person or veteran. Due to the pandemic, the day emphasised opportunities to give back to communities and causes in ways that comply with public health guidelines.

A dedicated #GivingTuesdayNow website gave more information on how to participate as well as a toolkit and other resources for non-profits. It also features a map highlighting acts of generosity around the world, inviting people and organisations to join in through sharing their own stories. It shows a number of initiatives in countries across Europe, such as the FortheGood Project from the BCause Foundation in Bulgaria, which is raising money to buy protective clothing, ventilators and other medical equipment, and Italy’s Fondazione Lene Thun Onlus, which is also fundraising to support its country’s hospitals during the crisis.

Commenting at #GivingTuesdayNow’s launch, Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday, said:

“As a global community, we can mourn this moment of extreme crisis while also finding the opportunity to support one another. We each have the power to make an impact with acts of generosity, no matter how small, and to ensure the sustainability of organisations and services that are crucial to the care and support of our communities.

“#GivingTuesdayNow is a chance for us to stand united and use grassroots generosity to show that we are all in this together, beginning to end. Even as many face financial uncertainty, generosity is not about size. Every act of kindness is not only a beacon of hope, it’s a critical act of civic and social solidarity.”

#GivingTuesdayNow was an extra event, and the traditional annual GivingTuesday will still take place on 1 December 2020.

What issues do you really care about? What fires you up every time you read about it? How will you show up for that cause? #GivingTuesday pic.twitter.com/8J6g3pdNaY

— GivingTuesday (@GivingTuesday) December 3, 2019

Here’s a selection of this year’s activity from around Europe:

Ce matin à 9h00, @GivingTuesdayFr lançait officiellement la 2e édition #GivingTuesday dans un café @PFPauvres, café tenu par des bénévoles dans le 17e arrondissement de Paris en compagnie du secrétaire d'État @GabrielAttal et @sebastienfolin, ambassadeur #GivingTuesdayFr pic.twitter.com/6s9rMQwfYD

— AFF fundraisers (@AFFundraisers) December 3, 2019

In France, the day officially launched in a charity coffee shop in Paris with secretary of state Gabriel Attal and Giving Tuesday France ambassador Sebastien Folin in attendance. For the second year of Giving Tuesday in France, plenty of advice was offered on how to get involved, along with some inspiring stories of what generosity means to different people available on Info Don’s site. 

The French fundraising association also tweeted to show its own staff had participated in Giving Tuesday, through a range of actions from using a search engine that donates meals to animals in a shelter, to donating to help children suffering from cow milk protein allergies. 

Parce que la #générosité, la #solidarité et l'#engagement sont des valeurs qui font sens avec la philosophie de l'@AFFundraisers, l'équipe en interne a décidé de se mobiliser pour #GivingTuesday Découvrez vite leurs actions pic.twitter.com/h5tynJDCjZ

— AFF fundraisers (@AFFundraisers) December 3, 2019

SVT Nyheter Väst rapporterar om #GivingTuesday. "Motreaktionen Giving Tuesday lockar allt fler" https://t.co/nvGcRjsPsi via @svtnyheter #givingtuesdaysweden

— GivingTuesdaySweden (@givingtuesdaysw) December 2, 2019

2019 was the third year of Giving Tuesday for Sweden, with activity in the city of Gothenburg including the Jonte Foundation, which works for young people who are waiting or having an organ transplant, appearing at the central station to try and encourage more people to sign up for the donation register, and SKF and the Rescue Mission collecting clothes for the homeless.

An interview with Giving Tuesday Sweden project manager Malin Ekeland on SVT News West highlighted these and other activities, as well as the sharp increase the country has seen in participation since launch with 160 businesses taking part last year and more expected in 2019.

In einer Woche ist #GivingTuesday.
Doch was ist der Giving Tuesday?

Mehr: https://t.co/m5Qs5w9Tko pic.twitter.com/3R6WsgIJuF

— Caritas Österreich (@CaritasAustria) November 26, 2019

This year marked the first year of participation for Austria as Stephan Kropf. Organisations came up with more than 125 actions for the day, including Amnesty International Austria, which asked people to donate to support Marinel from the Philippines in her fight for a climate-friendly future, SOS Children’s Village, which raised funds for a new home for children in the SOS Children’s Village Imst (Tyrol), and Zurich Austria, whose employees collected donations of food, clothing and other essential items for a Caritas emergency shelter for the homeless. 

In Finland, everyone was encouraged to take part. Small actions from walking the neighbour’s dog to doing someone’s shopping were just as welcome as big ones, said the Finnish Giving Tuesday site. It challenged everyone to see what they could do to improve their community. 

Charities taking part in Finland this year included The Heart League Lottery, the Finnish Red Cross & Stem Cell Registry, and Animalia.

Tänään ympäri maailmaa vietetään #TekojenTiistai ta. Hyvä päivä auttaa, antaa omaa aikaansa ja lahjoittaa yhteiseen hyvään. Minkä hyvän teon sinä aiot tehdä juuri tänään? Haastamme kaikki seuraajamme mukaan! #sydäntekeehyvää #GivingTuesday @TTiistaihttps://t.co/itPhkRs1mw

— Suomen Sydänliitto (@Sydanliitto) December 3, 2019

Charities Aid Foundation coordinates Giving Tuesday in the UK, with around 3,200 charities and businesses estimated to be playing a part in this year’s campaign. In London, Giving Tuesday messages were beamed from the BT Tower and the Canary Wharf Jumbotron screen throughout the day. Match funding of £150,000 was provided by PayPal, through its PayPal Giving Fund, and The Big Give launched its Christmas Challenge – a crowdfunding initiative offering match funding on donations to 600 charities. The Christmas Challenge 2019 aims to raise £14 million in just seven days.

The UK’s Institute of Fundraising called on charities to share their Giving Tuesday activities with Giving Tuesday UK, with #GivingTuesday trending at number one on Twitter by 10am.

Today is #GivingTuesday! How is your charity getting involved? Share your fundraising activities with @givingtuesdayuk

Last year, more than £7.8 million was raised in the UK in online donations alone on the day itself. You can learn more here: https://t.co/64vs1thgZe pic.twitter.com/wV7KkzoI09

— Chartered Institute of Fundraising (@CIOFtweets) December 3, 2019

And in Norway, where Giving Tuesday launched in 2017, the public were also encouraged to participate in any way they wished, from giving blood, to donating, or signing a petition. To promote the day, Hacienda Film created a video, which featured on Giving Tuesday Norge’s Facebook page, and showed people in the street talking about what they could give, while another film by Hummelfilm showed the value of giving away unwanted clothes and encouraged people to donate to organisations like Fretex Fashion and the Salvation Army. 

Last year Giving Tuesday raised more than $400m raised worldwide for good causes, and with more individuals, charities, and businesses taking part this year than ever, this year’s results will be awaited with interest around the globe.

GivingTuesday has rapidly become a household name in many nations across the world, what is the background to the campaign?

GivingTuesday was launched in the US in 2012 as a day to celebrate giving; an antidote to the consumer-driven focus of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Over the past seven years, the movement has grown and has now been tracked to almost every country and territory on Earth, providing an opportunity to everyone to give back and do good.

What does the campaign aim to achieve?

We celebrate all acts of generosity. From donating books, volunteering, to giving money, GivingTuesday is inspiring people all over the world to come together for one common purpose: to do good.

It’s also providing new opportunities for nonprofits and organisations to engage supporters and to grow their capacity. Throughout the year, campaign leaders share tools, resources, and ideas with the goal of boosting philanthropy in all forms.

How many countries now have a formal partnership role in the movement, hosting a national GivingTuesday campaign?

European Participants at GivingTuesday Global Summit

There are over 55 countries in the global movement, with almost every European nation represented. Bulgaria, Finland, France, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine took part for the first time in 2018. This year’s Global Summit was held in Bellagio in Italy earlier this month and it was a great opportunity to see the European philanthropic community unite and share their stories and ideas for making this year’s GivingTuesday even bigger and better.

Dutch GivingTuesday leader and director of Legavision, Theo Hesen, adds:

“It’s fantastic to be part of an international philanthropic movement like this and reignite our passion for growing philanthropy and creating a more just world.”

What is GivingTuesday’s distributed leadership model and how does it work?

The GivingTuesday global team in New York works with organisations around the world in leading localised, national movements in their own countries. These global leaders oversee the facilitation and direction of the movement in their country. The global team supports these leaders throughout the year and encourages them to customise, adapt, and translate the movement for their country and region. The global leader network also works together across borders, cultures and languages to share ideas and promote philanthropy on a global scale.

How important are digital channels to the campaign?

GivingTuesday is fuelled by the power of social media, providing a way for people to share what they give and why they do so. We can see that crowdfunding platforms and channels like Facebook are revolutionising how people donate and talk about philanthropy. These digital channels are connecting donors to causes and creating an online, global community of givers.

For the global leaders, digital communication is hugely important. We have one in-person meeting every year, but the leaders are talking every day on WhatsApp and over email. It’s crucial to maintaining and strengthening the bonds between countries.

How do you track the impact and what has been the biggest success for GivingTuesday?

Each country tracks the impact of the initiative differently, but together, the global network is looking to partner with platforms and processors to learn more about giving trends and behaviours. Through the GivingTuesday Data Collaborative, we are starting to learn more about how people give, what causes they support, and what impact technology and social media has on donor behaviour. We have learned that there’s huge potential for people to give more and give more frequently to charity, and we are leveraging GivingTuesday to test new ideas and to inspire greater generosity worldwide.

What tips would you offer those looking to build a worldwide philanthropic movement?

Be open and inclusive. Some of the most innovative and creative campaigns have come from the community of participants, not the organisers themselves. Probably the best example of this is our logo. We first saw some of our global leaders take the heart in #GivingTuesday and make it their own, representing the flag or symbols of that country. As the movement grew, communities, schools, charities, and organisations around the world followed suit and created their own #GivingTuesday logo, hashtag, and campaign. This creativity and co-ownership has been a key part of the movement’s success.

This year’s GivingTuesday takes place on 03 December 2019. For more information about becoming a national ambassador and inspiring people across your nation to do good, click here or contact Kait.

About Kait Sheridan

Kait Sheridan manages the community of Global Leaders and digital communications for #GivingTuesday. Kait first joined 92nd Street Y’s Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact team in 2013, where she worked on #GivingTuesday, the Social Good Summit, 92Y Fellowship programs, and other strategic initiatives. In 2016, Kait’s personal life took her to the UK and then Asia, where she continues to work on #GivingTuesday with a focus on expanding the Global Leader community. She has worked on a number of award-winning social media campaigns, leadership programs, and strategic initiatives with NGOs around the globe, and advises a number of startups and companies on their corporate CSR and fundraising programs. Kait currently lives in Hong Kong.

In Europe, the global giving day is rapidly expanding into new territories, with Bulgaria, Finland, France, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine taking part for the first time in 2018.

Yaële Aferiat, director of the Association Française des Fundraiser, believes the collective nature of the campaign and the reach this gives it has been integral to achieving so much buy-in from charities across Europe.

“Giving Tuesday’s major strength is that everyone can find a way to participate, regardless of the size or budget of their organisation,” she said.

“The fact too that it is a global campaign based on positive and collective energy makes it very powerful, and provides motivation and support that mobilises both organisations and individuals to take part. This is so important for the sector at the moment, particularly in France where the funding environment has become so tough and we are seeking to build a culture of generosity and philanthropy.”

As its reach widens, Giving Tuesday is making its mark. In Spain last year, over €600,000 was raised for more than 300 social projects, while Switzerland saw more than 100 million Swiss francs donated. #GivingTuesday became a trending topic on social media across the world.

According to Swissfundraising’s Roger Tinner, there is also an opportunity for Giving Tuesday to create a general trend towards greater collaboration across the sector. He says:

“I am convinced that the worldwide growth in commitment towards Giving Tuesday has the potential to create a global giving and helping trend. NGOs can learn from each other, talk about shared activities and therefore raise public awareness for the act of giving. That’s why Swissfundraising has been part of the Giving Tuesday community for the past three years to support the movement.”

Overall, figures from GivingTuesday.org show that people from over 150 countries took part last year, raising over 300 million US dollars for good causes, with national Giving Tuesday movements in 42 of those.