Giving Tuesday Offers Worthy Ways To Give

Just in time for the holidays, Giving Tuesday -- Black Friday and Cyber Monday's more generous relative -- is in town not just for a visit, but to stay.

The Giving Tuesday initiative was launched by New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation to urge charities, businesses, schools and religious and community groups to give back around the holidays.

For the initiative's first year, organizers dedicated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as the day to spread the word and have galvanized more than 2,000 groups to each commit to a project that will benefit at least one registered 501c3 nonprofit.

The Giving Tuesday site suggests ways anyone can give back: Corporations could establish a matching donation system; families could help kids set up a percentage of their allowance to give back to charity each month; small businesses could start planning a fundraising drive among employees.

As a founding partner of the movement, HuffPost Impact's Giving Tuesday editorial series offers stories and ideas about ways to give.

Read about humanitarian volunteers making a difference in incredible ways. Check out worthy causes fighting global disease and supporting veterans. Learn about alternative ways of giving, such as providing a goat and a livelihood for a family in need.

You can also find tips for giving smart and teaching kids the value of philanthropy, and ways to rediscover that giving doesn't have to be material.

Let us know in the comments below how you're taking part in Giving Tuesday.

And check out our slideshow below for worthy ways that some of our partners and bloggers are getting involved and what you can do (In partnership with InterAction:).