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NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - What has become an international day of givng time and money to charities began five years ago as a simple idea at the YMCA on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Henry Timms, who is the executive director at the 92nd St. Y, came up with the idea.
"My wife and I had our first child so we were thinking, as you do with your first child, you get a bit sappy. so we were thinking about the goodness of the world more than usual."
Latching onto the Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday theme, Timms started Giving Tuesday as a day of service.
Timms' mission exploded thanks to a team of social media strategists who've spread the message across the world. Last year it raised $117 million online in one day.
"Today people of all different backgrounds political views all different economic situations, they're all coming together to recognize that we do share some things," Timms says. "And one thing we share, especially in this country, is our capacity to give."