Australian Charities Join Global Giving Campaign

The Everyone Gives campaign is an 8-day global giving campaign that will benefit charities around the world

Five Australian charities have joined an 8-day global giving campaign that uses the power of personal networks to “connect for good” and benefit hundreds of charities worldwide.

The Everyone Gives campaign begins on February 22, 2012, spanning more than 60 countries around the world. “Everyone Gives” organisers say it promises to be the most extensive and inclusive global giving event ever attempted, benefiting more than 200 Not for Profits around the globe.

Variety, the children’s charity in Australia, will participate in the global giving campaign along with Oz Harvest, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Heart Foundation and RSPCA Australia. Other international charities that have a presence in Australia include, World Vision United Way and Make a Wish and Room to Read, founded by Australian businessman John Wood.

“This is an easy way for our supporters to donate to Variety and to tell their friends and family about why Variety is important to them,” David Small, chief executive of Variety, the children’s charity, said.

Small says donating is simple and secure, and one hundred percent of all donations made through Everyone Gives go directly to the charity selected by the donor.

Participants make a small donation, as little as $5, to Variety through the Everyone Gives website at www.everyonegives.org and then tap into their social networks via email, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to invite friends, co-workers, clients and family to support Variety.

Everyone Gives is the brainchild of executives at Colliers International, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate companies.

“I think of it as a giving tree,” explained Doug Frye, President of Colliers International and a founding sponsor of Everyone Gives. “One donation becomes five, five becomes 25 and 25 can become hundreds. And you can track your giving tree and your friends’ giving trees on the Everyone Gives website.”

Frye said the idea germinated and grew through collaboration with other like-minded organisations, seeking to create sustainable good.

“Through Everyone Gives, individual participants donate directly to the charities of their choice. We don't collect information from or about the donor. We simply pass participants through to their selected charity for their gift transactions,” Frye said.

“So what makes us different? Through Everyone Gives, participants' gifts are recognized and selectively shared across their personal networks. Friends and associates see the participant's donation, along with a suggestion to match the gift or make a contribution to a charity of their choice.

“When the participant's circle of friends chooses to give, share and encourage other people to donate through their personal networks, it creates an exponential giving effect.

“From one small seed gift, participants can watch their spirit of giving grow as one gift becomes five; five becomes 25; and 25 becomes hundreds. Such is the power of networks.”

Everyone Gives can be reached at www.everyonegives.org, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.