Tweeting for a cause – what could be better? Founder and CEO of 5WPR Ronn Torossian stops for an #unselfie moment as he discusses #GivingTuesday – both where it’s going and where it’s been.

1. A look at #GivingTuesday

2. Have you ever heard of #throwbackthursday? How about
#womancrushwednesday? Chances are you’ve picked up on
plenty of these catchy phrases. Our online lexicon has been
inundated with meaningless hashtags, but a campaign with a
cause has emerged in the last few years. #GivingTuesday was
started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and the
United Nations Foundation to garner support for charity and
philanthropic organizations during the holiday season.

3. Our economy is especially consumer driven after
Thanksgiving. As an answer to that, GivingTuesday falls on
the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday annually in
an attempt to remind consumers to give back to those in
need. The organizers hope that in time GivingTuesday will
become a holiday tradition. GivingTuesday is mainly a social
media campaign, relying on the use of hashtags in the hopes
of reaching viral proportions.

4. The movement even created the #unselfie, a clever hashtag
to use when tagging photos to show your support of
GivingTuesday on platforms such as Instagram and
Facebook. GivingTuesday support has nearly doubled every
year since the campaign began in 2012. With over 20,000
charitable partners in 2014, the third annual event was the
most successful yet.

5. The number of organizations partnered with GivingTuesday
doubled from the amount in 2013, and people from 68
different countries participated. According to
GivingTuesday.org, donations rose 63% over the previous
year’s totals, and 90% from 2012′s numbers. The hashtag
#GivingTuesday was used on Twitter 754,600 times and was
a trending topic for 11 hours. #unselfie was tagged in over
7500 photos and tweeted nearly 40,000 times.

6. There was a 101% increase in mobile transactions compared
to the previous year, proving that the heavy use of social
media influence in the campaign is paying off. GivingTuesday
received donations from all 50 states in its first year, and has
now received worldwide support in its third year. Notable
organizations such as UNICEF and the American Red Cross
have joined ranks with many other charities large and small.

7. The wide range of giving options makes donation more
appealing, meaningful and personalized for the individuals
who participate. With every year skyrocketing past the
previous year’s totals, this holiday may have the best show
of support yet. So, before you spend all of your holiday
budget on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, remember
GivingTuesday and start your holiday off with a selfless act.
This year’s GivingTuesday is on December 1st, 2015.