Giving Tuesday arrived later than usual this year (December 2) amid considerable apprehension about its success. On the previous day, three national organizations – the Generosity Commission, Giving USA and the Giving Institute – held a webinar titled “Reviving Generosity: The Heartbeat of Civil Society.”
Their concern was understandable. Over the past few years, the dollars contributed to charitable organizations in the United States have increased, but there has been considerable decrease in the number of households making gifts and decline in the number of Americans volunteering. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project Quarterly Report of June 30, 2024 was a stark reminder the trend was continuing.
With more charitable dollars coming from foundations and wealthy individuals and families, smaller, community-based charities are likely to see donations decreasing, and the December 1 webinar discussed the varied reasons for the decline in the number of smaller donors:
- Economic precarity and uncertainty
- Declining religiosity
- Changes in tax incentives with fewer taxpayers utilizing the charitable deduction
- Declining trust in organizations
- Social disconnection
- Demographic and generational shifts
- Rechanneling of giving (different issues, new/different vehicles)
Despite these concerns, Giving Tuesday 2024 broke its 12-year record for revenue, bringing in an estimated $3.6 billion, 16% higher than last year’s total of $3.1 billion. Dollars were not the only good news. An estimated 36.1 million Americans participated in the event in some way, a 7% increase over 2023. And the number of participants who volunteered – estimated at 9.2 million – marked a 4% increase.
Giving Tuesday has changed considerably since it was launched in 2012 as a program of New York City’s 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. It is now an independent nonprofit organization with a staff of 40 and a board that includes prominent business executives, philanthropists, philanthropic advisors and nonprofit leaders.
It was originally intended to serve as an online counterpoint to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but it now goes well beyond a one-day event focused primarily on spurring financial gifts. It is a “global network [collaborating] year-round to inspire generosity around the world, with a common mission to build a world where generosity is part of everyday life.”
This year’s efforts began more than a week before Thanksgiving with email blitzes from a growing number of national and local organizations. Some nonprofit leaders are circulating solicitations even after the official event day. Where it once stood as a standalone fundraiser, it has increasingly been integrated into the overall development program of nonprofits, and as an attractive way to kick off year-end giving. It fosters not only financial gifts to charitable causes but also in-kind donations and miscellaneous gifts of time. And there are now nearly 100 other countries with official national Giving Tuesday movements.
Giving Tuesday’s results offer the potential to re-engage those donors who have fallen away from the habit of giving and whose return is critical to maintain a thriving civil society sector. Building lasting relationships with donors at all levels of giving is the key. Given the challenges bulleted above, the burden of that undertaking cannot fall on fundraisers alone. As we prepare to celebrate the many holidays of this season, we should also remember and celebrate our nation’s long heritage of generous giving and volunteering – a heritage essential to our identity and future.
