Here Comes Giving Tuesday!
Giving Tuesday is on 3 December, 2024.
We aim to raise $25,000 to give the gift of speech this Christmas.
What is Giving Tuesday?
As the holidays approach, we all gird ourselves for the consumerist avalanche that has come to be associated with Christmas. But it’s not just an excuse to buy, buy buy; this is also a period of giving and generosity.
Giving Tuesday is a movement all about these impulses, encouraging generosity and support for organisations transforming our communities. It takes place on the first Tuesday of December, following the retail madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 3, and UpsideDowns is on a mission to raise $25,000 in order to give the gift of speech to as many Kiwi kids living with Down syndrome as possible this Christmas.
How You Can Help
There are three simple ways you can help us give the gift of speech to Kiwi kids this Giving Tuesday:
One: Donate
You don’t have to wait until December 3 to donate to our Giving Tuesday total. Every donation from now until December 3 will count towards hitting our goal!
Two: Fundraise for Us
Be a fundraising superstar for us in the weeks leading to Giving Tuesday by tapping into the generosity of your family, friends, and colleagues. Using the Givealittle platform, you can start your own fundraising page to help us raise money!
Just go to www.givealittle.co.nz, click ‘Raise Funds’, and search for UpsideDowns Education Trust in the ‘Beneficiary Details’.
If you’d like help setting up or running a page, we’re happy to host it through the UpsideDowns account. Just email us and we’ll get it sorted.
Three: Spread the Word
Help get the word out about UpsideDowns and our Giving Tuesday campaign!
Below you can send a template email to your contacts letting them know about UpsideDowns and Giving Tuesday. And there are images you can use to share on social media to help spread the word.
We Need Your Generosity
UpsideDowns is a small charity with a huge national reach.
Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition in the world, it occurs in around 1 in 1000 newborns in New Zealand. Research is very clear that the single best thing to support these kids’ physical and mental development is speech and language therapy — this will empower them to learn to speak, read, write, and communicate with the world around them.
Despite how essential this life-changing therapy is, it is not publicly funded. And the cost of private therapy is far too much for many families, especially during a cost of living crisis. UpsideDowns exists so no family has to make the decision to deny their child a voice due to economic circumstances.
We currently support around 1 in 3 children with Down syndrome throughout Aotearoa, from Northland to Southland. That’s over 300 whānau in need of costly therapy. UpsideDowns receives no government funding for our work and relies on fundraising activities to ensure our kids get the support they need.
That’s why hitting our $25,000 Giving Tuesday goal is so crucial!
