Following the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush, the United Nations Foundation is working to promote a spirit of charitable giving through the hashtag, #GivingTuesday.
This new promotion is ushering in partnerships from organizations including GlobalGiving, Groupon and the United.
The North Central Florida branch of the United Way works with 27 Alachua County community-based organizations and offers different ways to give back such as online contributions, donating goods or clothing and volunteering.
"Most, if not all of them, are looking for food and other goods during the holiday season," said Kim Faenz, spokeswoman for the North Central Florida branch. "So whether its via online or whether you call that number, if you want to give back, we will help make it as easy as possible for you to do so."
The promotion has a heavy online component, which features a live Twitter feed and Facebook correspondence, allowing people to participate with just the click of a mouse.
"It’s all online and we’re promoting #GivingTuesday via our social media outlets, Facebook and Twitter," said Faenz. "It’s really a click away to give back to your community here in Gainesville and our surrounding communities."
Online donations to the United Way and its local branch will go into a community fund to be divided among different organizations.
The best way for people to get involved would be to find the United Way’s North Central Florida branch on Twitter and Facebook or access the organization’s main website at www.unitedwayncfl.org. Those interested can also call the branch's office at 352-331-2800 to receive a list of agencies the United Way works with locally.
Kelly Price wrote this story online.