LivingSocial gives back to local communities

From now until Dec 24, 1% of each deal purchase will go to local communities

Daily deals site and Groupon arch-nemesis LivingSocial kicked off its second annual 12 Days of Giving event, whereby one percent of every daily deal purchased on the site will go DonorsChoose.org and GlobalGiving.  The promotion lasts until December 24 and LivingSocial users from around the world can participate.

The actual deals themselves are the same.  You can buy coupons for 50-70% off of unique packages like travel adventures, wine-of-the-month subscriptions, spa treatments, cooking classes, and the like, and keep them for yourself or give them to friends.  And users still only have 24 hours to purchase the deals.  But in the 12 Days of Giving promotional event, a portion of the proceeds goes back into the communities with which LivingSocial works. 

DonorsChoose.org is an organization committed to improving public education at the local level by encouraging people to donate materials and resources, such as microscopes, musical instruments, and basic school supplies.  The organization works with public schools in a wide range of communities, and the proceeds from shoppers’ purchases go directly to their own community schools.  For example, if you are from San Francisco and you purchase a 6-month wine-of-the-month subscription for $150, $1.50 will go to support a school in San Francisco.  The organization was recently named one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Favorite Things.”

GlobalGiving also focuses on local charity, but operates worldwide.  Users can get a little more creative, also, as the social giving platform allows users to determine exactly how much they want to give and what cause they want to give to.  For example, a user might decide to up his or her 1% donation to give $15 to a clown visit to children in a UK hospital.

This is the second year that LivingSocial has held the 12 Days of Giving promotional event, and this year even more shoppers have an opportunity to participate.  While the event reached five markets last year, this year it will cover 120 markets.

“We’re excited to partner with DonorsChoose.org for 12 Days of Giving. Just like our mission is to help connect exciting local merchants with new and loyal customers, DonorsChoose.org links donors with classroom projects in local communities,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial, in a prepared statement.

The company currently reaches more than 10 million subscribers.  With the company’s growth, as well as the expansion of the promotional event, DonorsChoose.org said in a prepared statement that it is “able to generate more awareness for students and teachers nationwide at this crucial fundraising time of the year.”