Giving Tuesday is an initiative that began in 2012, with its purpose to encourage people to commit to acts of kindness and generosity, both globally and within giving back in their own communities and personal circles. Giving Tuesday began as the stylized “GivingTuesday” and “#GivingTuesday” at New York City‘s 92nd St. Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and grew into a global phenomenon of simply just doing good, whether that means helping out a neighbor or becoming a major philanthropist. In July 2019, GivingTuesday became its own organization. The day itself is most commonly known as simply “Giving Tuesday.”
There are over 200 local GivingTuesday in the United States and 60 country campaigns worldwide. As of 2019, GivingTuesday has raised over $1 billion online in the United States alone.
In just seven years, the Giving Tuesday movement has raised more than $1 billion online for charitable causes in the U.S. alone.
When is Giving Tuesday 2019?
Giving Tuesday is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year. Giving Tuesday 2019 is on December 3, 2019. It seems later than usual this year because Thanksgiving fell closer to the end of November than it has in recent years.
What are some Giving Tuesday ideas?
Participating in Giving Tuesday 2019 can be done a number of ways. Though the most popular way to participate is through donating to charitable causes, you don’t necessarily need to spend a dime to show your kindness and generosity this season.
Additionally, a new app called ALMA allows users to create funds (similar to index funds) where groups of people can get together and give small amounts of money to create big change toward an issue. You can use existing funds like the California Wildfires Fund and Protecting Choice Fund or start your very own fund for nonprofits you support and get it out there to your friends using ALMA to design and launch it.
You can also simply raise awareness and speak out in favor of causes you support (whether on social media or in real life!), check in on a neighbor who’s having a tough time or volunteer your time and services (Volunteer Match and Amava have great opportunities if you’re not sure where to start!). You can also donate goods you’re no longer using to local causes (clothing drives, books to the library) or even just write letters—I See Me and Macy’s Letters to Santa are great places to get creative and inspire others for a great cause, and many local children’s hospitals will welcome some happy mail as well.
Possibly the easiest way to give back for free? Bookmark these sites from Greater Good and click to give each day to support hunger relief, veterans, displaced animals, rainforests, breast cancer research, children’s literacy and more.
One of the most important aspects of charitable giving, on Giving Tuesday and everyday, is giving to organizations you can trust. You can use services like Charity Navigator and GuideStar to determine whether a charity will spend your hard-earned dollars in a way that you deem appropriate.
We’ve compiled a small list of available charities and causes that have four-star ratings and national outreach, but you can also look into specific causes you support through local, state and regional groups and religious organizations, such as your nearby food bank, animal shelters, women’s and homeless shelters, to support. And if you donate funds, be sure to check with your employer to see if they’ll match it!
Charities Supporting Animals
The Animal Legal Defense Fund files high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, provides free legal assistance and training to prosecutors in their fight against animal cruelty, supports animal protection legislation, and provides resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the field of animal law.
Animal Place provides refuge to hundreds of neglected farmed animals.
The Animal Welfare Institute is an American, non-profit, charitable organization founded in 1951 with the goal of reducing pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans.
Friends of Animals supports the end of animal cruelty and exploitation and provides spaying and neutering services to animals.
Humane Rescue Alliance provides direct rescue and care of animals in need, cruelty investigations and local animal control services, robust regional community support programs that allow pets to stay with their families and transportation services in partner communities to solve pet overpopulation.
Last Chance for Animals supports animal rights legislation and is known for its investigations into animal testing.
The NOAH Center is dedicated to stopping the euthanasia of healthy, adoptable, and treatable homeless cats and dogs through our adoption and low-cost spay/neuter programs.
Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife, shelters homeless cats and dogs for adoption and educates people to make a better world for animals.
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center rescues and cares for thousands of animals each year and has local and long-distance outreach partnerships with other animal welfare organizations. In addition to housing animals and their adoption programs, they offer a behavior and training center, pet assisted therapy, pet loss support and humane outreach to assist pet owners in need.
Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) rescues more than 42,000 cats and dogs and expanded its national outreach and education programs.
Charities Supporting Children
A Kid Again helps families who care for a child or children with illnesses enjoy their lives and embrace the moment.
Action for Healthy Kids provides education and tools to communities to encourage children to be active and have healthy eating habits.
Alliance for Children’s Rights protects the rights of impoverished and abused children and youth so that they have safe, stable homes, healthcare and the education they need to thrive.
Boys and Girls Clubs of America provides mentors, enrichment activities and a safe space for children to grow and develop.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids supports anti-smoking, chewing and vaping efforts for children.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (Aparaxia Kids) provides speech therapy for kids in need.
Children In Crisis provides counselors help children and families cope with unsafe situations, family conflicts, substance abuse, mental health issues and school problems. The organization also provides outreach programs and therapeutic emergency shelters for kids.
Children’s Scholarship Fund provides educational K-8 scholarships for children in need.
DonorsChoose provides funds for teachers to enrich their students’ educations—and like the name says, you can pick exactly which projects you want to fund.
GirlsInc gives girls the tools and education to grow up to be strong, independent, confident women.
Global Kids provides educational and enrichment programs for children in disadvantaged communities to become civic and global leaders.
INMED Partnerships for Children creates pathways for disadvantaged children and families around the world to achieve well-being and self-reliance.
Marathon Kids supports kids’ running clubs to keep children healthy and active.
One World Children’s Fund funds grassroots organizations that provide food, health, shelter, safety, education, and opportunity for children living in poverty around the world.
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids provides education and rehabilitation programs to prevent and treat childhood and youth drug use.
Prevent Child Abuse America prevents child abuse and provides families with resources to have healthier relationships.
Ronald McDonald House Charities create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
Royal Family Kids stops cycles of neglect, abuse and abandonment of children in the foster care system with programs preventing academic failure, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, sex trafficking, homelessness and incarceration.
Safe Alliance supports children and women who’ve been impacted by domestic violence and/or sexual assault and human trafficking.
Shriners Hospitals for Children provides specialized care to children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lips and palates.
StandUp for Kids fights child and youth homelessness.
Starlight Children’s Foundation provides aid to seriously ill and hospitalized children and their families.
The Sunshine Kids Foundation improves the quality of life to children with cancer by providing them with group activities.
Teammates for Kids,founded by Garth Brooks, provides numerous services to children in need, including therapeutic play areas in hospitals. The organization’s overhead is entirely privately funded, meaning all donations go to helping children.
WE Charity provides sustainable domestic and international youth empowerment and education programs to help end the cycle of poverty.
WINGS for Kids provides social and emotional learning and development to children through after-school activities and partner organizations.
Charities Supporting Disaster and Emergency Relief
CitiHope Relief and Development provides humanitarian aid to poverty and disaster-stricken areas.
Direct Relief is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization providing essential medical resources in disaster-stricken and emergency areas.
Heart to Heart International strengthens communities through improving health access, providing humanitarian development and administering crisis relief worldwide.
Helping Hand for Relief and Development provides aid to those in need around the world, especially those living under the poverty line.
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation trains and supports dogs to work with first responders to search for buried persons after disasters.
International Relief Teams works to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty and disaster around the world (including right here in the U.S. of A.).
World Medical Relief provides medical supplies, equipment and prescriptions to those in need.
World Relief provides both disaster relief and ongoing aid to areas stricken by poverty, violence and displacement.
Charities Supporting Environmental Causes
The Acadia Center promotes clean energy initiatives.
Clean Air Task Force aims to curb and remedy air pollution to help everyone breathe a little easier around the world.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute promotes environmentally sustainable societies and seeks to be a catalyst moving society away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future.
Environmental Defense Fund uses science to find solutions to climate change and other threats to the environment.
The Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) supports research and education to find environmentally friendly waste management solutions.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) uses the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.
The Ocean Conservancy helps formulate ocean policy at the federal and state government levels based on peer reviewed science.
Oceana helps to keep oceans and the life within them safe, clean and sustainable.
Charities Supporting Healthcare, Medical Research and Patients
A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure, a subsidiary of the PLGA Foundation, promotes research and relief to childhood brain cancers.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is a pediatric cancer charity founded by Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who lived in Connecticut and suffered from neuroblastoma. It supports families affected by pediatric cancers and fundraises research into cures and treatments.
The American Heart Association provides heart health education, research and support for patients of heart disease, cardiovascular conditions and strokes.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America provides support, services and education to individuals, families and caregivers affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias nationwide and funds research for better treatment and a cure.
The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) is a community of patients, caregivers, survivors, advocates, medical and research professionals united in support of people touched by bladder cancer.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation provides funding for research for a cure for breast cancer, as well as raises awareness of the disease.
Can Do Canines trains and provides service dogs for patients with numerous physical and psychological ailments, disabilities and conditions.
The Cancer Research Institute supports cancer immunotherapy research—the most promising cancer treatment of our time—giving patients a new path, a new norm and a new chance at life.
Colorectal Cancer Alliance provides funding for research into potential cures, prevention and treatments for colorectal cancers.
Emergency Medicine Foundation provides continued and further education in emergency medical care.
The Epilepsy Foundation provides aid to families affected by epilepsy, as well as to research into treatment, cares and a cure.
Globus Relief provides medical supplies and healthcare throughout the world to those in need.
The Lustgarten Foundation funds pancreatic cancer research and treatments.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse provides assistance to families affected by substance abuse and addiction.
The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation fund raises for research into pediatric cancer prevention, causes, treatments and potential cures.
NEADS World Class Service Dogs trains and provides service dogs for people with disabilities.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders is an American non-profit organization aiming to provide support for individuals with rare diseases by advocating and funding research, education, and networking among service providers.
The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance provides funding for research into potential cures, prevention and treatments for ovarian cancer.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network provides support to pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers, as well as raises awareness of the illness.
The Skin Cancer Foundation provides education and research into skin cancer prevention and treatments.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital provides pediatric cancer care free of charge to families.
Take Control of Your Diabetes provides educational programs and services to diabetes patients.
ZERO—The End of Prostate Cancer advances research in prostate cancer and improves the lives of men and families affected by the disease.
Charities Supporting First Responders, Military, Veterans and Their Families
The Air Force Aid Society offers financial help to Air Force members and their families to reach educational goals.
Army Emergency Relief provides interest-free loans, scholarships and grants to army soldiers, veterans and families.
Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation provides educational aid and scholarships to children who’ve lost a parent in the line of duty.
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance provides financial assistance to Coast Guard members and their families in times of need.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust provides physical and psychological rehabilitation to ill, injured and disabled veterans.
Freedom Service Dogs of America trains and provides service dogs for veterans.
Homes for Our Troops provides mortgage-free homes for injured veterans.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation provides aid to families of firefighters who died in the line of duty.
The National Military Family Association aims to improve the quality of life for families of military personnel.
The National Veterans Foundation grants aid to veterans and their families in times of crisis.
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society provides emergency financial assistance, be it interest-free loans or scholarships or even just financial education, to active duty and retired Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families.
Operation First Response serves wounded and disabled American veterans.
Operation Support Our Troops-America provides comfort and care packages to troops as well as support for families of active duty, retired and fallen military personnel.
Our Military Kids provides educational opportunities, sports, art and enrichment activities to children of deployed military personnel.
Paralyzed Veterans of America gives support to veterans who’ve lost mobility in the line of duty.
Patriot Paws Service Dogs trains and provides service dogs to veterans and others with PTSD and limited mobility.
Soldiers’ Angels benefits VA hospitals, provides aid to military personnel and families and and hosts adopt-a-soldier and adopt-a-family programs.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation provides unique and urgently needed services for veterans, military personnel and their families all the while supporting positive citizen involvement for the betterment of local communities.
Ways to support Giving Tuesday while doing holiday shopping:
One fantastic way to support Giving Tuesday is to sign up for Giving Assistant ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It will earn you cash back, provide coupons and promo codes, and donates to 1.7 million nonprofits—all free to you! You can combine your use of Giving Assistant with the rest of your online shopping. Check out these retailers who will give back on Giving Tuesday:
Encourage lively dinner conversation without arguments with Authentic Agility Games. All proceeds from How Do You See the World? go toward organizations that advance education and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Akola provides life-changing job opportunities to women with an average of 10 dependents living in extreme poverty in Uganda. These women make every piece of Akola jewelry. For every piece gifted on Giving Tuesday, Akola will gift customers a surprise Akola piece to pass along to a loved one for the holidays, furthering the message and mission to bring dignified employment to women.
Pet lovers rejoice! BARK, the company behind monthly subscription service BarkBox for dogs, will donate one BarkBox for each pup adopted from Fear Free Certified Rescues and Shelters and is offering customers their first box for just $5. On Giving Tuesday, customers who buy a BarkBox dog bed from Amazon get free bed sheets and BARK will donate 5 percent of profits to Fear Free Certified Rescues and Shelters.
Get organized for a good cause! For every one of their planners sold, BestSelf donates a meal through Feed America (over 200,000 meals donated so far!)—and all of their products are printed on 100 percent recycled paper.
Let’s hear it for the girls in STEM! Ten percent of proceeds from each Boolean Box, a build-it-yourself computer engineering kit, sold from Boolean Girl Tech, benefits Boolean Girl, a nonprofit teaching girls to code.
Coolibar, maker of sun protection you wear, became the Official Apparel Sponsor of the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) this year. Proceeds from their This Is Brave shirt go directly to the MRF as part of an ongoing campaign with the support of other survivors including Norah O’Donnell and Holly Rowe.
Illusion Photograph will donate $5 from every Have a Heart phone case purchase to Living Heart, a charity bringing medicine, school supplies, and sustainable agriculture to remote villages high in the Andes Mountains where the poverty rate is over 55 percent, and the children suffer from malnutrition.
This Giving Tuesday, Jemma Sands will donate 100 percent of profits from her NAMASTE bracelet to the Surfrider Foundation.
Feel beautiful inside and out! Juice Beauty will match donations to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners this Giving Tuesday up to $5,000.
Calling all herbivores! Plant-based nutrition service Kencko partnered with Givz, a secure online platform that makes it easy to donate to 1.6 million different registered U.S. charities. Kencko will give every new customer up to $50 to donate to causes in line with the brand’s vision, including Action for Healthy Kids, Plastic Oceans and Mercy for Animals.
Shout it from the rooftops: A portion of every purchase of Loud—written by 13-year-old Charlotte Anthony—will benefit DonorsChoose.
Give the young feminist in your life a gift from Look What She Did and support the mission of inspiring women and girls to greatness by bringing to light stories of remarkable women who have changed the world. The organization films, produces and shares short video content of female storytellers telling the stories of the women trailblazers who inspire them.
Love Your Melon offers several ways to give back this Giving Tuesday: Giving Adventures, Request a Hat, Send a Smile, Campus Crews and Love Your Melon Day programs are all in full effect. In addition, 50 percent of net profit from all Love Your Melon products benefit nonprofit partners in the fight against pediatric cancer, creating therapeutic experiences and funding charitable programming initiatives for children and families battling cancer.
Melissa Joy Manning, the founder and designer of her eponymous conscious collection of handmade jewelry, has a special #GivingTuesday program she has created. For #GivingTuesday, 25 percent of gross sales will be donated to Feeding America.
Minted, the design marketplace known for bringing unique design from the best independent artists to consumers everywhere, is proud to partner and contribute to Every Mother Counts (founded by Christy Turlington Burns). This holiday season, shoppers can visit Minted’s Every Mother Counts collection and purchase art and notebooks to benefit the organization.
Honor your pets and give back at the same time—all while making your home smell holiday-ready. Nelli Designs candles support animal shelters and rescues.
Old Navy will offer select styles of Cozy Socks at the doorbuster price of $1 per pair, both in-store and online, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 and Black Friday, Nov. 29. For every $1 Cozy Sock purchased during the sale, Old Navy will donate $1 to Boys and Girls Clubs, up to $1 million.
When you take your lunch break from all your holiday shopping at the mall, grab a Coca-Cola beverage at Panda Express. For each drink purchased, the brands will donate holiday gifts and cheer to local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the nation (up to $250,000).
Prāz Naturals is donating one percent of all 2019 sales to non-profit organization No Kid Hungry.
Whether for a sailing aficionado or just someone who needs to lug groceries home, you’ll find find a cool gift from Sea Bags, a line of bags and accessories all made from recycled sail cloth. Through the end of the year, Sea Bags will donate 20 percent of proceeds from the Cure Ribbon Anchor Collection to the Maine Cancer Foundation.
Shaya, the first line luxury handbags created for people and their pets, partnered with Disco Dogs, a non-profit that gives inmate volunteers the opportunity to train service dogs for underprivileged and special needs children.
Thorlo Socks’ First Nation Collection is a celebration of Native Americans, featuring designs from the Cherokee and Sioux tribes. Thorlo donates 5 percent of profits before expenses to the American Indian College Fund. The collection is available at HipSilver.
As if you needed another excuse to redecorate! This Giving Tuesday, Wayfair will contribute up to $25,000 in total matching customer donations to each of Habitat for Humanity and Homes For Our Troops.
The World Vision Gift Catalog features gifts providing opportunities to better the lives of children, adults and communities in the U.S. and around the world with items spanning across different areas of need: hunger relief, access to education, child protection, empowerment for girls and women, animals and agriculture, access to clean water, economic empowerment , access to medicine and poverty in the U.S. There catalog also features handcrafted, fair trade gift items starting at just $16. They’ve even sorted them out as the best gifts under $50, gifts for her, for him, for educators, for foodies and for fashionistas.
With each FOR A CAUSE purchase made on Giving Tuesday, Wren + Glory will donate a $10 gift card to the charity of the customer’s choice via Givz.