South Africa gets ready to rally around Covid-19 response effort on #GivingTuesdayNow

As part of the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers of Giving Tuesday, the global day for charity, announced a second day of giving to be held tomorrow, May 5.

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They’ve teamed up with GivenGain as the official South African online fund-raising platform to enable fund-raisers and donors to help out wherever they are without leaving their homes.

“South Africa has among the highest numbers of Covid-19 cases on the continent and charities are struggling, but we’ve already seen an amazing response,” said the president of GivenGain, Marius Maré.

“Fund-raisers and charities on our platform stepped up in a big way to keep spreading kindness, even when big fund-raising events were called off due to lockdown.

“We’ll be doing all that we can to help them continue to do so on May 5 and beyond.”

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To help charities, fund-raisers and corporate teams prepare for the event, GivenGain has spent the past few weeks preparing its fund-raisers, donors and charities on their platform for #GivingTuesdayNow.

They have been sharing fund-raising advice starter packs for charities, fund-raisers and corporations, tips for earning donations through social media, and charity event ideas that supporters can host without leaving home.

In the run-up to #GivingTuesdayNow, GivenGain launched its own Covid-19 initiative calling on fund-raisers and donors to support their favourite charities.

Despite fund-raising events being cancelled or postponed, fund-raisers got creative and raised almost R4-million for charities in South Africa.

After the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town was cancelled Amelia Lourens decided that she was going to make a difference anyway.

She completed the marathon’s 56km distance by running more than 1 000 laps in her garden.

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She hoped to raise R5 600 for the Herberg Children’s Home but her GivenGain project exceeded all expectations after she shared it on social media.

Lourens was able to beat her target more than four times over.

Other GivenGain charities and fund-raisers have chosen less strenuous ways to raise money.

Childhood cancer charity Choc ran a superhero-themed baking competition for people to join, in exchange for donations.

The same charity has also been helped by the Blue Bulls rugby team as players have been recording themselves reading children’s bedtime stories to raise money.

For GivenGain’s Maré, this wave of generosity is the perfect answer to Covid-19.

To participate or create a charity account, click here

GivenGain was founded in 2001 and is a non-profit foundation with offices in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and South Africa.

The project enables global philanthropy by providing a platform that simplifies global giving and fund-raising.

#GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season.

#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place tomorrow as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by Covid-19.

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