Let the Giving Begin! Microsoft’s #GivingTuesday 1:1 Match is Live

Donate to youth projects on Give for Youth on #Giving Tuesday and we’ll match your donation 1:1 – up to $100,000 worth of matched donations 

We’ve all seen the pictures and TV footage over the past few days – hordes of holiday shoppers running into stores, racing to fill their carts with toys and electronics and jockeying to get the best deals. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a big deal here in the U.S.

Now imagine this: hordes of people rushing to their favorite charities to volunteer their time and money. People competing for the biggest and best “give.” Families gathering to create new traditions around helping others during the holidays.

That’s the idea behind #GivingTuesday – it’s a national movement to shift the focus of the holidays from buying and getting more “stuff” to giving back. Microsoft is a founding partner of this new day of giving, and today only, we’ll match any donation 1:1 on Give for Youth, a micro-giving site that makes it to fund and follow the dreams of young people around the world, up to a total of $100,000.

Here are three simple ways you can participate in #GivingTuesday:

• Give – There are hundreds of life-changing Give for Youth projects, and on #GivingTuesday, you can double the impact of your donation through the Microsoft 1:1 match. Even a small donation can make a huge difference a young person’s life.
• Share – Share what you’re doing to give back on #GivingTuesday with your circle of family and friends, your community, and your company or organization to encourage them to join in acts of generosity. Here’s a Tweet to get you started: “To support #GivingTuesday, this holiday season I am …”
• Learn – Give for Youth is a program in partnership with GlobalGiving and it’s part of Microsoft YouthSpark, an initiative to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world over the next three years by connecting young people with education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. There are many ways to get involved and help us achieve this goal to close the opportunity divide for youth around the world.

This holiday season, Microsoft wants to help you give as good as you get. We hope you’ll join us in giving back on #GivingTuesday.