#GivingTuesday Sweeps Social Media

First there was Black Friday. Then we had Cyber Monday. Now, there's Giving Tuesday, a day designed for giving back to charities after the intial buying spree of the Christmas season. 

The Giving Tuesday website states that, like Black Friday opens the shopping season, Giving Tuesday will kick off the giving season:

It’s a simple idea. Find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to join in acts of giving. Tell everyone you can about what you are doing and why it matters. Join a national celebration of our great tradition of generosity.

The #GivingTuesday hashtag took over Twitter on Tuesday with groups tweeting links to donate to their cause.

A blog from the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Affairs, Tara Sonenshine, discusses the need for continued generosity:

American generosity has always been robust, particularly at the individual level. In 2010, for example, the collective giving abroad of American foundations, corporations, private and voluntary organizations, individual volunteers, religious organizations, and universities and colleges reached $39 billion. That total exceeded the U.S. government's foreign aid for that year by almost $9 billion.

Follow the links below to lists of charities and organizations to donate to on Giving Tuesday. Keep in mind, these are not the only charities taking donations, they're just a few to get you started!

• Carolina Wildlife Care treats sick, injured and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning the animals back to their natural habitat.
• Pawmetto Lifeline
• Harvest Hope serves food to individuals and families in the Midlands, the Pee Dee and the Greater Greenville areas. 
• At the UNICEF website, you can donate $5.72 and buy measles vaccinations for 20 children. 
• World Food Program USA
• Sunshine Foundation and Make a Wish offer help to terminally ill children. 
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Trees for Troops sends live Christmas trees for military families. 
• Pure Water for the World sends clean drinking water to underserved areas.
• The Sierra Club is devoted to protecting and preserving nature and wildlife. 
• Mercy29 rescues children in India and other countries from sex slavery.
• World Bicycle Relief gives bikes to people in rural Africa so they can get to work and drinking water. 

Did you donate on Giving Tuesday? Tell us in the comments.