PayPal Users Donated More than $48 Million on #GivingTuesday

This year the #GivingTuesday movement turned five. Founded in 2012 by 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, this global day of giving has seen millions around the world unite to generously give their time and money to charitable causes. PayPal has been a lead supporter of the #GivingTuesday movement from the beginning, powering millions of donations on this day alone.   We are delighted to share that PayPal users donated more than $48 million globally on #GivingTuesday 2016, beating our previous GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® for the “most money raised online for charity in 24-hours” from last year. The increasing popularity of #GivingTuesday as a global movement and the official start of the holiday giving season is evident in the numbers - approximately 550,000 PayPal users donated, up from 512,000 in 2015. Thank you to everyone who donated with PayPal on this important day for charitable donations!   There’s also plenty of time to give back this season - here are some helpful tips for year-end giving and a few ways that PayPal can help:

• Get more out of your donation. While giving this holiday season, look for options that match and extend your donation’s impact. At PayPal, we are adding an extra 1% to every donation made through the end of the year on paypal.com/givecheer to ensure 101% of your donation goes towards the cause of your choice.
   
• Spread your giving out over the year. Even the smallest of donations can make a big difference for your favorite charity when given consistently over time.  Many organizations offer PayPal’s recurring donation option. Simply select the amount you want to give and the donation will be automatically withdrawn from your account each month.
   
• Fundraise to make a bigger impact. You can extend your impact  by encouraging your network of friends, family and colleagues to give. Thanks to PayPal’s new partnership with GoFundMe, you can start a fundraising campaign on behalf of your favorite cause just in time for the holiday season. 

Throughout the season PayPal is closely tracking online giving trends on our interactive holiday giving tracker so we invite you to check back on how people are giving around the world.   One of my favorite quotes on giving is by Kathy Calvin, President & CEO of the United Nations Foundation, who said: “Giving is not just about donations. It’s about making a difference.” I am so incredibly inspired by the outpouring of goodwill demonstrated by PayPal users on #GivingTuesday, and I hope we can keep the momentum building throughout the holiday season so that we can look back on 2016 as a year in which we made an incredible difference in the lives of people and communities around the world.