NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation Joins #givingtuesday
Contact:
Johanna Gavin, NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation, (908) 241-4653, johannag@njsga.org
NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation
Joins the National #GivingTuesday Movement To Encourage Spending With A Purpose
Pledges to #KeepTheCaddieInGolf
Kenilworth, N. J., November 6, 2013 – NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort that will 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 will 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, 2013—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 how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.
The NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation joined #GivingTuesday to promote the game of golf and one of the oldest traditions in the game: caddies. By using social media, we hope to spread awareness about this scholarship opportunity for caddie scholars, to raise funds that will provide these scholarships, and to “Keep the Caddie in Golf” (#KeepTheCaddieInGolf).
“The intent of the Caddie Scholarship Program is to reward qualified caddies with needed funds to pursue higher education, while at the same time, encouraging New Jersey’s member golf clubs to foster and promote a caddie program to maintain the tradition of the caddie in golf,” explains the Foundation’s Director, Johanna Gavin.
“The primary challenge for our Caddie Scholarship Program is to continue to provide meaningful financial support to our recipients in the face of ever-increasing costs of pursuing a college education, while trying to satisfy every qualifying applicant to our Program. This is an opportunity to support the greatest game and the greatest gift you can give these young adults: an education.”
Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends and partners, led by the 92ndStreet 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 the 92ndStreet Y to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. The concept gained steam, and by bringing together a group of founding partners—including the United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VentureThree Capital—a nationwide series of discussions about how to make #GivingTuesday a success is already underway. Each week, new organizations have joined the movement and are providing creative ways people can embrace #GivingTuesday and collaborate in their giving efforts to create more meaningful results.
“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 on 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.
Currently, more than 4,001 corporate and nonprofit organizations have committed to participate in the initiative. #GivingTuesday is endorsed by Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, Dorothy A. Johnson Center in 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 NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit http://givingtuesday.org/partner/njsga-caddie-scholarship-foundation/. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow #GivingTuesday (https://twitter.com/GivingTues) and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.
About NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation
The NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation has been a shining light for 66 years in providing financial assistance to deserving member club caddies pursuing higher education. Since 1947, it has provided over $9,500,000 in college scholarship awards to 2,700 caddies. For the upcoming academic year, the Foundation will provide 192 caddies with over $815,000 in scholarships. Caddie scholars are selected based on their academic performance, financial need, and length and quality of service as a caddie. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.
About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 3, 2013. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.
A team of recognized experts and influences, initially convened by leaders of 92ndStreet Y and supported by a core group of founding partners, originally spearheaded this effort. Founding partners in 2012 included United Nations Foundation, DOnorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VentureThree Capital. Leaders in philanthropy, social medial, innovative giving, grassroots organizing, marketing and communications are providing counsel and resources to help build this movement.
To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:
Website: www.givingtuesday.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GivingTues
