Nothing But Nets Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement with ‘Gift a Net’

The United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign has joined #GivingTuesday, a global effort that brings together the collective power of charities, families, businesses and individuals to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Following the so-called Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday retail milestones that kick off the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to give back in better, smarter ways to the causes they celebrate and help create a better world.

Beginning today and running through the holiday season, Nothing But Nets has launched its “Gift a Net” campaign. It allows those who want to protect families in sub-Saharan Africa from malaria with the opportunity to gift an insecticide-treated bed net, in honor of their loved ones.

“The #GivingTuesday movement provides a wonderful opportunity for millions of Americans and those around the world who want to make philanthropy a part of their holiday traditions,” said Chris Helfrich, director of Nothing But Nets. “I can’t think of anything more worthy than helping to save a child’s life from a preventable disease like malaria.”

Malaria is a deadly disease, transmitted by a single mosquito bite. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year and claims the life of a child in Africa every 60 seconds. But bed nets provide a simple, cost-effective solution and can reduce the spread of malaria by 90 percent in areas with high coverage rates.

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funds to fight malaria, a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with its UN partners, the Nothing But Nets campaign has delivered more than 7 million bed nets since 2006.

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 92nd Street Y, came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. The concept gained steam, and by bringing together a group of founding partners – including the United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Global Giving, Groupon, Unilever and more – a nationwide series of discussions about how to make #GivingTuesday a success is already underway. There are more than 10,000 partners that have joined the movement worldwide.

Gift a Net. Save a Life. www.NothingButNets.net/GiftaNet

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Contacts

Rachel Henderson

Communications Manager, Nothing But Nets

[email protected]

570.259.2205

About Nothing But Nets

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Since then, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $45 million to send more than 7 million bed nets to families across sub-Saharan Africa. Campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The people of The United Methodist Church, and Major League Soccer’s MLS W.O.R.K.S. It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About The United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

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, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collective 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 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. Leaders in philanthropy, social media, innovating 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 www.givingtuesday.org. Contact: Rachel Henderson Senior Communications Officer, Nothing But Nets [email protected] 202.739.2782