December 2 is Giving Tuesday, a day for individuals, businesses and charities to celebrate giving back and support the causes that matter to them.

More than 3,000 businesses, charities and organizations will come together for the second year with hundreds of thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to celebrate giving back.

Giving Tuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering and was co-founded in Canada in 2013 by CanadaHelps, which allows donors to safely donate and fundraise online for any registered Canadian charity, and The GIV3 Foundation, a registered Canadian charity.

Around the world, more than 16,000 partners from 43 countries are expected to take part in Giving Tuesday this year.

“Whether it’s raising awareness, volunteering or fundraising, Giving Tuesday was created to inspire everyone to get involved and rally around the causes that are meaningful to them,” said Marina Glogovac, president and CEO, CanadaHelps. “Just as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season, Giving Tuesday is the opening day of the giving season. It’s a global movement to encourage giving back at every level during the holiday season and beyond. We encourage individuals, businesses and charities of all sizes to join us on December 2 as we celebrate the importance and impact of giving back.”

Canadians are invited to take part in campaigns, activities and events organized by Giving Tuesday partners from coast to coast. Information on about how to get involved, sign up to be a partner or view a full list of Giving Tuesday partners and activities at GivingTuesday.ca.

In its inaugural year in Canada, more than 1,300 charities, businesses and organizations joined the Giving Tuesday movement. The number of charitable donations made using CanadaHelps increased by 169 per cent over the same Tuesday the previous year and the total dollar value of donations increased by 91 per cent. More than 77 per cent of donations through CanadaHelps on Giving Tuesday were made by first time donors.