GivingTuesday Launches Global Learning Initiative and Microgranting for

Grassroots Leaders

GivingTuesday's Starling Collective is a new global learning collaborative for grassroots leaders,
offering coaching +$250,000 in microgrants to accelerate innovative approaches to generosity.

New York, NY, August 04, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Today GivingTuesday, the groundbreaking global
generosity movement, announced the launch of the Starling Collective, a new initiative designed to
identify and support creative, passionate grassroots leaders who are working to accelerate particularly
innovative approaches to catalyzing generosity, empathy, equity and justice. The program will offer
coaching, peer learning and connection to GivingTuesday's global community of movement leaders.
Applicants selected for the Starling Collective cohort will receive microgrants to accelerate their work as
part of an initial pool of funding totaling $250,000 USD.

GivingTuesday’s Starling Collective aims to spur rapid implementation of new ideas and grassroots
action, and is designed to break down traditional barriers to resources and networks that often exclude
underrepresented voices, leaders of color and grassroots movement builders. The program is open to
organizations and individuals worldwide. Priority consideration will go to applicants in the regions of
greatest crisis or lowest resource and to those with particularly innovative ideas for inspiring generosity
through projects or initiatives with potential to scale. Applications for GivingTuesday’s first cohort of the
Starling Collective open today, with an application deadline of September 1, 2020. Selected participants
will be announced in early October.

GivingTuesday is devoting an initial commitment of $250,000 to put to immediate use in the upcoming
round of funding, and the organization aims to double the available funds through support from
foundations and individuals by the end of 2020. The initial round of grants are expected to help at least 50
initiatives around the world, and will be awarded in amounts typically ranging between $2,500-$7,500
USD. GivingTuesday intends to offer additional cohorts of the Starling Collective in 2021.

On May 5, 2020 GivingTuesday rallied a global network of leaders, partners, and individuals for
#GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and giving in response to the unprecedented need caused by
COVID-19. The day sparked activity in more than 145 countries, mobilizing millions to give back, and
more than $503M in online donations were contributed in the U.S. alone. In a pilot program to support
on-the-ground campaigns for the event, GivingTuesday also funded more than $170,000 in Starling Fund
microgrants to empower its existing cohort of global leaders. This effort inspired and informed the
creation of the more comprehensive Starling Collective.

“Generosity is a powerful form of civic participation and grassroots, community-based and

community-led efforts will be key to creating lasting change,” said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday.
“GivingTuesday creates a shared space where those who engage with it can see, and work to co-create,
the radical implications of a more generous world. We have an opportunity to create an inclusive, mutual
learning network that drives grassroots generosity at a global scale. The Starling Collective will provide
passionate leaders and movement builders with the tools to rapidly implement their ideas, and with the

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wisdom and support of one another.”

To manage the program more effectively and equitably, GivingTuesday is expanding its team by adding
global regional directors who will review and select applicants and also serve as mentors/coaches to
participants. GivingTuesday’s Starling Collective Regional Directors include:

João Paulo Vergueiro, CEO for the Brazilian Fundraisers Association (ABCR) and GivingTuesday Brazil
country leader, will serve as the Regional Director for Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and
Brazil.

Estefania Rodriguez, New Venture Consultant at Robotic Drums and GivingTuesday Uruguay country
leader, will serve as the Regional Director for Europe and South America.

Catherine Mwendwa, Research and Stakeholder Engagement at Wasafiri and former GivingTuesday
Kenya country leader, will serve as the Regional Director for Africa.

Cherisse Faith Beh, Senior Manager at Special Olympics Asia Pacific and former GivingTuesday
Singapore leader, will serve as the Regional Director for Asia Pacific.

A regional director for the United States and Canada will be announced in August.

"The support from GivingTuesday gave us the ability to help significantly more non-profits and people in
Colombia who were struggling due to the pandemic," said Diana Miller, president and Executive Director
of FUNDECISE and leader of the GivingTuesday national movement in Colombia. "The Starling
microgrant allowed us to grow the movement in other regions, promote acts of giving, secure supplies,
such as masks, hand sanitizer as well as food, and meant we could invest in tools to reach and aid more
people in need. The program made a huge difference in how we were able to respond during this crisis."

Created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y and incubated in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social
Impact as a day to do good, GivingTuesday has grown into a year-round global generosity movement
with leaders who have launched more than 200 community campaigns across the U.S. and national
movements in more than 70 countries. At the grassroots level, people and organizations participate in
GivingTuesday in every single country in the world.

To learn more and apply to be a part of the Starling Collective, visit www.givingtuesday.org/starling

About GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to
transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day
that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that
inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Whether it’s
making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care
about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and

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everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of
generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity
around the globe. To learn more about GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the global
generosity movement, please visit: www.givingtuesday.org and www.givingtuesdaykids.org or find
GivingTuesday on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Contact Information:
GivingTuesday
Caryn Stein
571-330-6966
Contact via Email
https://www.givingtuesday.org/starling
Chief Communications Officer, GivingTuesday

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/818322

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