Soapbox Engage Blog

In 2012, nonprofit organization 92nd Street Y, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, created Giving Tuesday. Strategically placed days after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the event with the hashtag #GivingTuesday was meant to bring something that has always been part of the holidays back into the fore: the spirit of giving. Many organizations sought to use Giving Tuesday to reach out to regular and infrequent donors alike to boost their support.

Yes, I heard about Giving Tuesday. How did it do this year?

It actually did incredibly well. The program brought in more than 20,000 partners for 2014, including more than 15,000 nonprofit organizations. According to USA Today, there is a lot of success to be had from Giving Tuesday: $45.7 million was donated in the 24-hour period on Dec. 2. This was a 63 percent increase from 2013's total contributions of around $28 million, which had half as many partner organizations involved. This year's number is also nearly quadruple the amount that was given in its first year.

"The average Giving Tuesday donation was $154. That's a lot of money to give."

Wow, that's actually a lot!

You're definitely right. In fact, according to information provided to The Associated Press by the Case Foundation, the average gift was about $154 on Giving Tuesday. That's a lot of money to donate over for the holidays. With the season already representing a significant portion of any nonprofit's fundraising over the course of the year, it's not impossible to imagine that a lot of these donations will greatly improve the position of an organization and help them complete their intended goals.

Will my nonprofit benefit if I join next year?

It certainly will. The event has been growing in numbers as well. Analysts that looked at the data to see how it affected overall donations noted that 295,000 people donated on Giving Tuesday. That represented a 53 percent increase. Because this is the time of year to be thinking of friends and family, there's a lot of good coming out of this event. It's quickly becoming a holiday tradition of the same stature as Black Friday. People care a lot about various causes and support many advocacy groups. Sometimes, they just need a little reminder to donate. By creating an event centered around it, supporters of organizations like yours will feel compelled to give out of the spirit of the day and the season, which will help your mission in the long run. Besides, after giving thanks, why shouldn't they give more as the holidays approach?