ATLANTA (Nov. 29, 2016) — In honor of Giving Tuesday, CARE today announced #DreamWithHer, a holiday gift experience that allows the public to interact with inspirational girls from Malawi who benefit from CARE’s poverty-fighting work. Through #DreamWithHer people can virtually meet Evelisi, Maliyana and Alinafe, who will share their stories and inspire supporters with their dreams of a brighter future in southern Africa.
Now in its fifth year, Giving Tuesday – which falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – kicks of the charitable giving season. CARE is tripling all donations made at care.org on Giving Tuesday, holding its annual Giving Tuesday Thank-A-Thon for donors and providing several gift options for people seeking to add deep meaning to the holiday season.
Through #DreamWithHer, which runs Dec. 5-25, people can not only send the girls messages of hope and ask questions about their lives in Malawi but also buy a gift of lasting change for a friend or loved one at gifts.care.org. Purchases support CARE programs that help these girls and others like them around the world. Shoppers can buy a goat for $45, for example, 10 fruit trees for $37 or a water pump for $405. Dozens of other products and services are available for purchase, from organic fertilizer to hygiene kits and midwifery services.
“I recently visited Malawi, where I met Evelisi, Maliyana and Alinafe,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE president and CEO. “Their energy, hope and optimism inspire me, and I hope they will move you to #DreamWithHer this holiday season. I’m so grateful that they’re willing to share their stories, inviting each of us into the challenges and triumphs they encounter every day.”
Other #GivingTuesday activities and opportunities include:
#MyGivingStory: A national campaign and social media storytelling contest sponsored by Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, #MyGivingStory invites individuals to share the story of why they give. Participants can visit the #MyGivingStory tab of #GivingTuesday’s Facebook page to post a short essay before navigating to facebook.com/nonprofit/fundraisers where they can create a fundraiser that will generate financial support for CARE’s work. Facebook is partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and #GivingTuesday to contribute up to $1 million to Facebook Fundraisers. Donations to all fundraisers on Giving Tuesday will be matched by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $1,000 per fundraiser (for a total of $500,000 matched). Facebook will waive up to $500,000 in fees.
CARE Triple Match: Every donation made at care.org by midnight on #GivingTuesday Nov. 29 will be tripled so that donor dollars will go three times as far to help save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.
Thank-A-Thon: As one expression of gratitude to its supporters, CARE will host a Donor Thank-a-Thon as it has on each Giving Tuesday since the national day of giving started five years ago. Staff members will call donors from a phone bank at the organization’s Atlanta headquarters to offer a simple yet profound “Thanks” for making CARE’s work possible around the world. “We simply could not do what we do without the many compassionate donors who give so generously to help families overcome extreme poverty,” Nunn said. “We’re grateful for them, and the annual Thank-a-Thon is a great way for us to let them know that.”
UNselfie: Turning the social media “selfie” phenomenon on its head, the “UNselfie” is a photograph of individuals promoting messages of kindness, generosity and compassion. CARE supporters can use hashtag #UNselfie when posting “UNselfies” of themselves.
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. That’s why women and girls are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education and health, create economic opportunity, respond to emergencies and confront hunger. Last year CARE worked in 95 countries and reached more than 65 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
Media Contacts
Brian Feagans, bfeagans@care.org; 404-979-9453
Nicole Harris, nharris@care.org, 404-735-0871