American donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, more than in the past two years, according to the nonprofit’s estimates. Giving Tuesday.
Tuesday after Thanksgivingnow known as GivingTuesday, has become a prime day for non-profit fundraising organizations and otherwise engage their fans every year since the 92nd New York St Y started as a hashtag in 2012. Since then, GivingTuesday has grown into an independent, nonprofit organization that connects a global network of leaders and organizations that promote giving in their communities.
“It really shows the generosity and willingness of American citizens to show up, especially collectively,” said Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday. “We just see the power of collective action and especially collective giving over and over and over again.”
This year, GivingTuesday estimates that about 18.5 million people have donated to nonprofits and another 9.2 million have volunteered. Both the number of donors and the number of volunteers increased by 4% compared to the group’s 2023 estimates.
“For us, it’s not just about the number of dollars,” Curran said. “It’s about the number of people who feel they have a say in how their communities move forward into the future.”
The nonprofit GivingTuesday estimates the amount of money and goods donated, as well as the number of participants, using data from donor management software companies, donation platforms, payment processors and donor-advised foundations. Curran said they are deliberately conservative in their calculations.
Nonprofit organizations in the United States raised $3.1 billion in both 2022 and 2023 on Shrove Tuesday. What a mirror great gifting trends where is the total amount donations decreased in 2022 and mostly remained stable in 2023 after accounting for inflation.
It’s not easy to predict current trends in philanthropy, but Una Asili, associate dean of Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, says economic forces are working both ways.
“At the same time, there’s a lot of uncertainty, especially around prices, the cost of living, the supermarket bill, which people expect will continue even though inflation has come down,” she said.
Donation or volunteering with non-profit organizations it is not the only way people participate in their communities. Many to give to crowdfunding campaignspolitical causes or support people directly in their networks. But tracking charitable giving is one way researchers use to understand people’s civic engagement.
“This country is undeniably in a lot of pain and very divided right now,” Curran said. “And so a day that felt as hopeful and as optimistic as yesterday was comforting not just for me, but for many, many millions of people.”
