Colliers takes the lead on global giving charity drive

By Larry Schlesinger
Thursday, 23 February 2012

Real estate group Colliers is urging Australians to take part in its eight-day global giving campaign, which launched yesterday in Australia and more than 60 countries around the world.

Colliers is the founding sponsor of Everyone Gives, which asks that participants make a small donation to a charity of their choice through the Everyone Gives website and then use their social networks to invite friends, co-workers, clients and family to give.

Real estate group PRD Nationwide tweeted that it had already pledged $112,235 and urged others to "Come on, PLEASE get involved! Spread the word".

“It’s exciting because it’s never been done before,” says John Kenny, Australasia Chief Executive of Colliers International.

“This isn’t another one-off charity donation,” he says. “This is about enabling individuals to engage their personal connections to give more to the charities they are passionate about, and watch as the power of one donation multiplies.”

Participants make a small donation – such as $5 – to a charity that’s important to them, tell five friends and ask those friends to each tell five more.

“One donation becomes five, five becomes 25 and 25 can become hundreds,” Kenny says.

Those who make donations can track their giving “tree” and that of their friends’ via on the Everyone Gives website.”

Hundreds of charitable organisations have joined Everyone Gives in advance of the launch including United Way, the Property Industry Foundation Youngcare, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and OzHarvest.

The entirety of each donation will go directly to the charity a participant selects. If participants are passionate about a particular charity not currently listed on the Everyone Gives website, they can submit this charity by emailing info@everyonegives.org.

Charities can email info@everyonegives.org to add themselves to the website.

Those interested can pre-register on the Everyone Gives website or follow the event on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for updates.