In the midst of all the holiday chaos, Giving Tuesday is a day centered around philanthropy. Last year alone, people in the United States donated a whopping $3.1 billion to charity on Giving Tuesday (a 15 percent increase from 2021), with over 35 million participants. But while the generous ethos of Giving Tuesday is clearly understood, it can still feel overwhelming to pick the right place to donate your time and money, especially when there are so many great nonprofits to choose from. To make the decision easier, we rounded up some of the best organizations to give to on Giving Tuesday 2023 and beyond.
When picking a place to donate to, look for organizations that align with your personal values. This could mean funding resources for LGBTQ+ youth via an organization like The Trevor Project, or maybe supporting therapy for Black women and girls through The Loveland Foundation. Don’t forget to check out local charities that understand the specific needs of your community and are invested in creating long-term solutions.
If you’re trying to find the right charity on Giving Tuesday, GiveWell – a nonprofit that helps people decide where to donate – has some important recommendations. For starters, always do your research and seek out charities with evidence proving that they actually help those in need (feel free to use Givewell’s thorough reviews as a resource). Givewell also recommends looking into the charity’s cost effectiveness and level of transparency, which includes public discussion of past work.
Monetary donations are the most common, as reported by Vox, but there are plenty of ways to participate in Giving Tuesday for free (and many people do both). Find volunteer work that can be done entirely remotely based on your passions with VolunteerMatch. Otherwise, you might consider donating blood through the Red Cross, helping animals at a shelter, or signing up for an environmental cleanup. Sites like Feeding America can also find local food banks where you can donate items or volunteer your time. Giving back can even be as simple as supporting small businesses or shopping from brands like Hanes, which is donating socks to homeless shelters with every purchase made from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.
The numbers indicate that most nonprofit organizations rely on consistent monthly donations to stay afloat, which means Giving Tuesday shouldn’t be the only day of the year we dedicate to giving back. It is, however, a welcome reminder that altruism matters, and community support – big or small – can make a real difference. Read on to find some of the best places to donate to on Giving Tuesday, and keep the generosity going all the way into the new year.
