The Westmoreland Museum of American Art Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Claire Ertl
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
724.837.1500 x128
certl@thewestmoreland.org
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
GREENSBURG, PA, November 25, 2015 – The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
The Westmoreland joins #GivingTuesday for the second consecutive year as a partner and is spreading word about this day of giving to members, donors and other constituents through email and social media communications. With the $38 million Imagine What’s Possible capital and endowment fundraising campaign underway as well as an annual fund, the Museum is encouraging individuals to give on #GivingTuesday to either of these initiatives by visiting thewestmoreland.org/donate.
“We are proud to be a part of the #GivingTuesday movement along with so many other nonprofit organizations across the country and around the world. It is a wonderful opportunity to help foster generosity and gift giving in ways that strengthen communities and inspire investment in nonprofits,” said Judith H. O’Toole, The Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO of The Westmoreland.
92Y − a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around its core values of community service and giving back − conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. In 2014, the third year of the movement, #GivingTuesday brought together 30,000 partners in 68 countries and registered 32.7 million impressions on Twitter, with its eponymous hashtag mentioned 698,600 times. Since 2012, online giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has increased more than four-fold, based on findings by Blackbaud and the Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, produced in partnership with the Case Foundation.
“We have been incredibly inspired by the generosity in time, efforts and ideas that have brought our concept for a worldwide movement into reality,” said Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and executive director of 92Y. “As we embark on our fourth year of #GivingTuesday, we are encouraged by the early response from partners eager to continue making an impact in this global conversation.”
Those who are interested in joining The Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit thewestmoreland.org/donate. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.
About The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, located at 221 N. Main Street in Greensburg, PA, recently completed a major renovation and expansion with its grand reopening having taken place on October 24 and 25, 2015. The Westmoreland’s collections include works by major American artists from four centuries, including its newest collection of post-1950 artwork. As part of a multi-year business plan tied to the renovation and expansion project, the Museum launched Imagine What’s Possible: The Westmoreland Capital and Endowment Campaign. To date, over $28 million has been raised towards the $38 million campaign goal. More information is available at thewestmoreland.org.
About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2015 iteration will be held on December 1, 2015. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits, businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires 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 harnesses the power of social media to create a global moment dedicated to giving around the world.
To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:
Website: givingtuesday.org
Facebook: facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues

1. Case Foundation: casefoundation.org/blog/givingtuesday-moves-campaign-tradition/

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