Giving Tuesday. Keep giving.

Today is Giving Tuesday. A day when we are encouraged to reach into our hearts and share with those less fortunate. It is a noble request, and a humanitarian act, as well.

It is also the start of the end-of-year giving season, when most organizations receive donations that will hopefully carry them through most of the following hear.

According to GivingTuesday.org, this day of giving was founded in 2012 by New York's 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, as a day that encourages people to do good. It is also placed in the calendar on the heels of all-out ‘deals’ day Black Friday,  followed by Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and voilà, Giving Tuesday.

I have already received numerous request on email, seen appeals on Instagram and Twitter, ok X, starting not only this morning, but for days. Matching gifts, fundraising goals and other efforts are all part of the quest to rake in some funds. They originate from human rights organizations, animal shelters, political groups and advocacy entities. All branches of nonprofits and foundations are mobilizing on this day to benefit and to share.

In recent years, I have created and supported fundraising campaigns for several nonprofits on Giving Tuesday. My work has been a labor of love for the causes that I care for, reflecting the heart as an enduring emblem of this sector. And this day.

The campaigns have also almost always included an inordinate amount of work. Yes, creating digital campaigns take a lot of time, and usually the amount of work that go in to producing them are constantly underestimated. I cannot count how many times I’ve heard, “can’t you just post a few images and add some text?” Sure, but it won’t have the desired outcome, in the near term or further down the road. Still, despite a lot of work, the post or message is sent out in space without anybody noticing.

After a slow-down in giving during and after the pandemic, fundraisers and organizations are hoping to increase income to finance programs and staff – to regain the momentum that was lost. For now, it looks like the sector is on track, albeit slowly. This is in light of massive amounts of donor dollars being diverted to other entities, in particular, to Donor Advised Funds, and not directly to organizations that will distribute collected funds to needy recipients, post haste.

Instead, recent reporting from the three largest U.S. nonprofits, which are (surprise, surprise!) Schwab Charitable, Fidelity Charitable, and Vanguard Charitable, reveal that these institutions sit on over $3TR, as in three trillion dollars.*

The heart represents what’s at the core of this day, but it is easy to forget when cold-hearted fiscal management, focusing on fees and return on investments, is getting in the way.

There are currently no substantive laws or requirements in place for how these funds are being spent, i.e. distributed for charitable purposes. Giving from these entities are in essence self-regulated, while the donors already have received their tax deduction.

In this fiscal and donor environment, what’s a nonprofit to do? How will small and medium-sized, ever large nonprofits, who are participating in this annual, global, day of giving, compete with such behemoths?

Keep going. That’s the answer. Keep posting. Keep talking. Keep promoting and argue for more equitable distribution of charitable dollars. Keep pressuring lawmakers and others in power to ensure that programs are funded. Not just on a random Tuesday. Every Tuesday. Every day.

Give today, to a charity of your choice. Or sign up for monthly giving.

 Tuesday matters.

*A blog on DAFs will be posted shortly.

Photo: Official logo of 2023 Giving Tuesday.