GivingTuesday facts for kids

GivingTuesday is a special day that happens every year. It's often called #GivingTuesday online. This day is all about giving back to others. It takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States.

It's a huge worldwide movement. People and groups come together to help their communities and make the world a better place. The organization behind GivingTuesday is a nonprofit group. They help support this global effort to encourage generosity.

GivingTuesday started in 2012. It was created by Henry Timms at the 92nd Street Y in New York. The United Nations Foundation also helped to start it. The idea was to have a day focused on giving after all the shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The date for GivingTuesday is always between November 27 and December 3. It's always five days after Thanksgiving. For many years, GivingTuesday was part of the 92nd Street Y. But in 2019, it became its own independent organization.

Many big groups have supported GivingTuesday. These include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PayPal, and the Ford Foundation.

How GivingTuesday Works

GivingTuesday believes that generosity is about everyone helping each other. It's not just about those who have a lot giving to those who have less. It's about working together and supporting one another.

A Global Movement

GivingTuesday is active in over 75 countries around the world. Each country has its own team of leaders. These teams work with local communities, charities, schools, and businesses. They all work to encourage more giving and connection.

Hundreds of local GivingTuesday groups exist. These groups are led by different people, like community foundations or social activists. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 240 such groups. They help people connect and give based on where they live or what causes they care about.

Understanding Generosity with Data

The GivingTuesday Data Commons is a special project. It works with partners from many different areas and countries. Their goal is to understand why people give and how it helps. They look at giving behaviors and patterns. This helps them use information to inspire more giving worldwide. It's the biggest project ever to collect data about giving.

Young People Leading the Way

The #GivingTuesdaySpark program used to be called GivingTuesdayKids. This program helps young people, aged 8 to 22, share their ideas. It spreads the idea of generosity around the world. It connects young leaders and helps them see their power to make a difference.

Supporting Grassroots Organizers

Starling Collective is a program that helps grassroots organizers. These are people who work directly in their communities to make change. Often, these organizers don't get much support. Starling Collective helps them learn and grow.

GivingTuesday's Journey

GivingTuesday has grown a lot since it started. Each year, more people and organizations join in.

2012: The Beginning

The idea for GivingTuesday was first announced in October 2012. The first GivingTuesday was on November 27, 2012. Many technology websites and companies helped spread the word. These included Mashable, Skype, and Microsoft. News outlets like the Washington Post and ABC News also covered it.

2013: Growing Bigger

In 2013, GivingTuesday continued to grow. Mashable and Google+ worked together for a special online event. Many charity websites also shared information about GivingTuesday. Major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times covered it too.

In 2013, the amount of money donated on GivingTuesday nearly doubled compared to 2012. More than 7,000 charities took part that year.

2014: Going Global

In 2014, the #GivingTuesday movement launched the #GivingTower. This was a virtual tower where each donation added a "brick." By 2014, GivingTuesday became a global event. Organizations and people from 68 countries participated.

2015: More Awareness

A study in 2015 showed that many people knew about Black Friday. But fewer people knew about GivingTuesday. Even so, organizers were hopeful that more people would learn about it. Many companies and payment processors offered ways to encourage donations.

On GivingTuesday 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced their plan to donate most of their wealth to charity. This big announcement happened on GivingTuesday.

2016: Breaking Records

In 2016, GivingTuesday broke records. People donated an estimated $168 million to $177 million worldwide. This was a big increase from 2015. Online donations grew a lot, and more charities received donations. In the U.K., many adults participated or knew about the movement.

Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offered to match some donations. This meant they would add money to what people donated, making the gifts go further.

2017: Matching Donations

For GivingTuesday 2017, Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offered $2 million in matching funds. Facebook also removed its fees for U.S. charities that day. This helped more of the donated money go directly to the causes.

2018: Fast Matching

In 2018, Facebook and PayPal offered to match up to $7 million in donations. This matching started at 8:00 AM EST. The matching funds ran out very quickly, within seconds of starting. People donated a lot through Facebook that day, raising $125 million. Overall, donations on GivingTuesday in the U.S. were estimated to be nearly $400 million.

2019: Becoming Independent

In July 2019, GivingTuesday became its own separate nonprofit organization. GivingTuesday 2019 took place on December 3. For the first time, the GivingTuesday Data Collaborative tried to estimate both online and offline donations. They estimated $511 million in online donations and nearly $2 billion in total donations.

Facebook again offered to match $7 million in donations. The matching funds ran out very quickly, similar to the year before.

2020: A Special Giving Day and Record Giving

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an extra GivingTuesday was held on May 5, 2020. It was called GivingTuesday Now. On this special day, people in 145 countries participated. Over $500 million was donated online in the U.S. alone.

For the regular GivingTuesday on December 1, 2020, even more people participated. The number of people giving increased by 29% from 2019. Total giving in the U.S. reached $2.47 billion, a 25% increase from 2019. Many new countries officially joined the movement that year.

Facebook changed its donation matching for 2020. They matched the first $2 million at 100% and then 10% of the next $50 million. The 100% match ran out in just two seconds!

See also

• Random Acts of Kindness Day
• World Giving Index