Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Boothbay Region YMCA and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens have joined together in petitioning the towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor to declare December 3, 2013 a “Community Day of Giving” as part of a new, nationwide #GivingTuesday initiative.

#GivingTuesday is a first of its kind effort to harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners (charities, families, businesses and individuals) to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the Thanksgiving Holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday is intended to inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world.

Taking place December 3 (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to the way that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are now synonymous with holiday shopping.

The Board of Selectmen for the towns of Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay are set to meet on November 25 and 27, respectively and are expected to proclaim December 3, 2013 as #GivingTuesday, a community day of giving on the Boothbay peninsula.

Graham Shimmield, Executive Director of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, expressed his gratitude to the towns for recognizing the community’s assets. “The Boothbay Region is rich with cultural, scientific and natural resources. Our team at the laboratory could not be more grateful to our non-profit partners for their willingness to collaborate around #GivingTuesday and for their contributions to the lives of our staff.”

Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group led by the 92nd Street Y came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media and grassroots organizing joined with 92nd Street Y in New York City to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector.

“It’s been a privilege to work with remarkable leaders all over the country building a movement around #GivingTuesday,” said Henry Timms, 92Y’s interim executive director. “This initiative has truly been crowd-sourced by some of the smartest and most connected minds among the next generation of philanthropists and entrepreneurs.”

A team of influencers have met to discuss the innovative ways that people are approaching giving during challenging economic times, along with how Americans can give smarter and use new media to encourage positive change in their communities.

#GivingTuesday is endorsed by Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy, Giving Institute, Giving USA Foundation and InterAction. Charity Navigator, Givewell and GuideStar are serving as Charity Advisors. VolunteerMatch is a volunteer advisor to #GivingTuesday.

“#GivingTuesday is a counter narrative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday because it reminds us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation. “The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends and neighbors is the commitment to work together to help build a better world.”

Those who are interested in joining any of the participating local organizations’ #GivingTuesday initiatives can visit their individual organization websites or their Facebook pages. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website, Facebook page or follow #GivingTuesday and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.