Giving Tuesday has announced it will hold an extra day of global giving on 5 May in response to the coronavirus emergency.
People and charities are invited to take part and follow the hashtag #GivingTuesdayNow.
Giving Tuesday is a global initiative that started in the US in 2012. It normally takes place in November or December, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. People are encouraged to engage with charities by donating time, money or goods, or by fundraising.
Giving Tuesday is currently held in 60 countries. In the UK it is organised by the Charity Aid Foundation (CAF), raising £14m for charity in 2019.
Asha Curran, chief executive 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.”
Giving Tuesday said that in the US, partner communities, foundations, corporates and giving platforms will all take part in the initiative.
CAF said it is still looking into what this day might look like in the UK.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “We’re talking to partners and charities and trying to determine what they need the most right now from CAF.”
Earlier this week, CAF announced a £5m emergency grant scheme to help small charities through the crisis.
