MEDIA CONTACT: Charlotte-Anne Lucas calucas@nowcastsa.org 210.859.

2359 For Immediate Release:

NOWCastSA joins the national #GivingTuesday movement to encourage spending with a purpose
Pledges to invest in the future of the San Antonio community SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 2, 2013 / NOWCastSA has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partnerscharities, families, businesses and individualsto transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities - to give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world. Taking place Dec. 3, 2013 the Tuesday after Thanksgiving #GivingTuesday harnesses 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. NOWCastSA's nonprofit mission is to facilitate civic engagement, empower the community with information, and democratize data. At NOWCastSA, #GivingTuesday is about an investment in the future of this community, says managing director Charlotte-Anne Lucas. We just celebrated our fourth birthday, and #GivingTuesday will be the launch of our year-end fundraising and membership campaign so we can do even more good for the world in 2014. NOWCastSA has joined the CrowdRise #GivingTuesday Challenge, which begins at 10 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, Dec. 3: the first $60,000 donated through the CrowdRise challenge will be matched by the challenge sponsors, and the first five campaigns to recruit 20 donors will receive a bonus grant. NOWCastSA is one of more than 60 nonprofits across the nation competing for matching funds and other prizes with CrowdRise (more at http://www.crowdrise.com/givingtuesday2013). #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 NOWCastSAs #GivingTuesday initiative can visit http://nowcastsa.com/giving-tuesday. ### About NOWCastSA NOWCastSA is a nonprofit community journalism organization in San Antonio. Its mission is to promote and facilitate an inclusive civic conversation by empowering neighbors to identify common issues and share information through education, training, community news, events and multimedia. It is like public television on the Internet, but better. Using streaming and on-demand video technology, NOWCastSA creates online forums for community conversations, expanding the room for public events. Viewers can watch live or after the fact and can share the video around the world. NOWCastSA is a grassroots project of CI:NOW (http://cinow.info/), a San Antonio confederation formed in the 1990s to democratize data. It is located on the 6th floor of San Antonios Central Library. Learn more at www.NOWCastSA.com.

About #GivingTuesday #GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on Dec, 3, 2013. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners charities, families, businesses and individualsto transform how people think about, talk 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 influencers, initially convened by leaders of 92nd Street 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 media, 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: http://twitter.com/GivingTues