GovWire

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global movement which follows the Black Friday sales and Cyber Mondays online shopping activity. #GivingTuesday shifts the emphasis to giving, whether through volunteering, donating money or simply spreading the word.

The Cabinet Office is proud to be a founding partner of this global movement. To support #GivingTuesday, we have announced a package of measures to support and incentivise social action in communities and alongside public services.

Text Santa grant

The Cabinet Office is giving up to 100,000 to ITVs Text Santa charity appeal to encourage people to donate or search for volunteering opportunities. We will contribute:

• 5 to Text Santa for each of the first 15,000 donations made to Text Santa by members of the public
• 5 for each of the first 5,000 people who search for volunteering opportunities through Text Santa

Centre for Social Action

We are investing 15 million in a new phase of the Centre for Social Action. The Centre accelerates the development and spread of high impact social action models that complement public services, learn more from social action: harnessing the potential. This investment will help ideas that can make a difference to grow and become routine in our public services and communities.

Community Organisers

We are continuing to support community organising with a new commitment to increase the number of Community Organisers recruited to 10,000 by March 2020.

In partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government, we have also set up the Community Organisers Mobilisation Fund. The fund, worth over 500,000, will help 27 Community Organisers who are inspiring people in disadvantaged communities to take control of their neighbourhoods.

Through this fund, residents from Penzance in Cornwall to Heaton in Newcastle will use community rights and neighbourhood planning to shape their area.

GiveMe5

We are supporting Localgivings fundraising campaign on #GivingTuesday, #GiveMe5, to encourage support for small, local charities and community groups.

GiveMe5 will run over 24 hours on #GivingTuesday. Every 5 donation made through Localgiving on the day will go into a draw to be doubled through match funding by Cabinet Office and a private philanthropist. 1000 donations of 5 will be matched.

Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, said:

Volunteers are the backbone of communities across the country unsung heroes selflessly giving their time. So many organisations, from charities to community groups, would be unable to make the difference they do without the incredible support of volunteers.

Volunteering is also a fantastic way to gain new skills and experiences, and people who volunteer have significantly higher levels of life satisfaction.

Its easy to get involved, so this festive season why not take the opportunity to find a cause you can support.

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