--- title: "GivingTuesday: what it is, when it is, and how to make it count" url: https://magnanimo.us/giving-tuesday/ description: "GivingTuesday 2026 falls on December 1. Its history, the record 2025 results, ways to give beyond money, and how to avoid the scams that spike that day." type: article section: "Giving smart" published: 2026-10-20 updated: 2026-10-20 author: The Magnanimous Editors publisher: Magnanimous (https://magnanimo.us/) --- Giving smart # GivingTuesday: what it is, when it is, and how to make it count The global day of generosity lands on December 1, 2026. Here's where it came from, what 2025 raised, and how to give without getting scammed. Updated October 2026 · 5 min read · 9 linked sources GivingTuesday is the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving, a day set aside to give after a weekend built around buying. In 2026 it falls on **Tuesday, December 1**. This guide covers where it came from, what the latest numbers show, and how to take part well, whether you have money, time or just a voice. $4.0Bdonated in the US on GivingTuesday 2025, up 13% — [GivingTuesday](https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/2025-results) 38.1Mpeople in the US who took part in some way in 2025 — [GivingTuesday](https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/2025-results) 11.1Mpeople who volunteered, up 20% — [GivingTuesday](https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/2025-results) Try the free tool [Charity Checker](https://magnanimo.us/charity-checklist/) — tick off each check as you go, flag anything suspicious, and get a readiness score with links to the official lookups. ## What GivingTuesday is GivingTuesday started in 2012 as a simple idea: after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, set aside a day to do good. According to its own [About page](https://www.givingtuesday.org/about/), it was "born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City," and is now an independent nonprofit. [Wikipedia's history of the movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GivingTuesday) credits Henry Timms at the 92nd Street Y as founder and the United Nations Foundation as a co-founding partner, with the first GivingTuesday held on November 27, 2012, and the organization spinning off from the Y in 2019. It isn't a single charity or a fund. Nobody collects the money centrally. It's a shared date and a shared nudge: nonprofits run campaigns, companies announce matches, neighborhoods organize drives, and individuals give wherever they like. The organization also runs a year-round research effort, the GivingTuesday Data Commons, which produces the national estimates quoted on this page. ### When is GivingTuesday? The rule is easy: it's always the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving, which means it lands between November 27 and December 3. | Year | US Thanksgiving | GivingTuesday | |---|---|---| | 2025 | Thursday, Nov 27 | Tuesday, Dec 2 | | 2026 | Thursday, Nov 26 | **Tuesday, Dec 1** | The [GivingTuesday website](https://www.givingtuesday.org/) lists the 2026 date as December 1. ## What the 2025 numbers show The GivingTuesday Data Commons estimated that GivingTuesday 2025 was a record. Its [2025 results release](https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/2025-results) reports, for the US: | Measure (US, GivingTuesday 2025) | Estimate | Change vs 2024 | |---|---|---| | Dollars donated | $4.0 billion | +13% | | Total participants | 38.1 million | +6% | | People who gave money | 19.1 million | +3% | | People who gave goods | 13.5 million | +4% | | Volunteers | 11.1 million | +20% | | People who spoke out for a cause | 20.9 million | +26% | The same release puts cumulative GivingTuesday giving since 2012 at $22.5 billion. Two things stand out. First, the fastest growth wasn't in dollars at all. It was in volunteering and in people speaking up for causes. Second, the total counts many people giving modest amounts. Its size comes from breadth. **Quick take:** One day of $4 billion is a lot, but it's a small slice of the year. For context on total US giving, see our [charitable giving statistics](https://magnanimo.us/charitable-giving-statistics/) page. ## Ways to take part (money is only one) GivingTuesday describes generosity broadly: giving some of what we have, helping a neighbor or stranger, and "showing up for an issue or people we care about," in the words of its [mission page](https://www.givingtuesday.org/about/). Here's a menu. ### Give money, thoughtfully - Pick one or two organizations you already know and trust instead of reacting to whichever email arrives first. - Look for an announced match. Many nonprofits line up a matching donor for the day, and your employer may match too. See [how workplace matching gifts work](https://magnanimo.us/matching-gifts/). - Consider making it recurring. A monthly gift started on GivingTuesday keeps working all year. - Give unrestricted if you trust the group. It lets the charity spend where the need is greatest. - Budget ahead. Setting money aside through the year makes December giving painless. A sinking-fund tracker like [SinkJar, a free offline savings-jar app](https://allthingsn.com/apps/sinkjar/), works for a "giving jar" the same way it does for car repairs. ### Give time or goods - Sign up for a volunteer shift that starts in December or January, when many groups see sign-ups drop. Our [volunteering guide](https://magnanimo.us/volunteering/) covers how to find a good fit. - Run a mini drive at work or school. Our guide to [organizing a food drive](https://magnanimo.us/organize-a-food-drive/) has a step-by-step plan. - Ask your local food bank what it actually needs before you buy anything. See [what food banks need most](https://magnanimo.us/donate-to-food-banks/). ### Give your voice - Share why you support a cause, in your own words. A personal note travels further than a reposted graphic. - Write a review or a thank-you to a local nonprofit, or tell a volunteer what their work meant to you. - Offer a skill: a résumé review for a job-training program, photos for a shelter's adoption listings, a spreadsheet for a tiny PTA. Or do something unplanned and kind. We keep a long list of [random acts of kindness ideas](https://magnanimo.us/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas/). ## How to avoid GivingTuesday scams Any day when lots of people give is a day scammers show up. The Federal Trade Commission's [GivingTuesday consumer alert](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/11/donate-charities-not-scammers-giving-tuesday) offers four core tips, summarized here: 1. **Confirm the charity is real.** Get its exact name and research it. Check ratings from groups such as the [BBB Wise Giving Alliance](https://give.org/) or [CharityWatch](https://www.charitywatch.org/), and confirm registration with your state charity regulator (find yours through [NASCO](https://www.nasconet.org/)). Watch for names that sound like well-known charities. 2. **Check where your money goes.** Call the charity directly and ask how much of your donation will support the programs you care about. 3. **Pay safely.** Credit card or check is safest. The FTC says that if someone insists you can only pay by cryptocurrency, a payment app, gift card or wire transfer, it's likely a scam. 4. **Double-check links.** Look at who is asking and who receives the money, even when a friend shares it. Crowdfunding money goes to the organizer, who may not be closely tied to the cause. **Red flag:** a text or email with a "donate now" link and a countdown clock. Go to the charity's website by typing its address yourself. Our [charity vetting guide](https://magnanimo.us/how-to-vet-a-charity/) walks through ratings, Form 990s and other red flags, and this explainer on [how to spot a scam text before you tap](https://allthingsn.com/blogs/how-to-spot-a-scam-text-before-you-tap/) covers the tells in detail. If you think you've found a fake charity, report it at [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) and to your state charity regulator. ## Frequently asked questions **When is GivingTuesday 2026?** Tuesday, December 1, 2026. GivingTuesday is always the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving, so it falls between November 27 and December 3. **Who runs GivingTuesday?** GivingTuesday is an independent nonprofit that grew out of the 92nd Street Y in New York, where it started in 2012. It doesn't collect donations itself. Charities, companies and individuals take part on their own. **How much was raised on GivingTuesday 2025?** The GivingTuesday Data Commons estimated $4.0 billion in US donations, up 13% from 2024, with 38.1 million people taking part in some way. **Are GivingTuesday donations tax-deductible?** Donations to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations can be deductible if you itemize, and the day itself doesn't change the rules. Check the organization in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, and see our [tax-deduction basics](https://magnanimo.us/charitable-tax-deductions/). This is general information, not tax advice. **Is a GivingTuesday match worth waiting for?** A match can double your gift's reach, so it's worth checking for one. But a charity you trust is better than a match from one you don't. Also check whether your employer will match your gift. ## Sources 1. [GivingTuesday — GivingTuesday 2025 results (Data Commons estimates)](https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/2025-results) 2. [GivingTuesday — About / mission](https://www.givingtuesday.org/about/) 3. [GivingTuesday — Home page (2026 date)](https://www.givingtuesday.org/) 4. [Wikipedia — GivingTuesday (history, founders, date rule)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GivingTuesday) 5. [Federal Trade Commission — Donate to charities (not scammers) on Giving Tuesday](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/11/donate-charities-not-scammers-giving-tuesday) 6. [Federal Trade Commission — ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) 7. [BBB Wise Giving Alliance — Give.org](https://give.org/) 8. [CharityWatch](https://www.charitywatch.org/) 9. [National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO)](https://www.nasconet.org/) ## Keep reading Giving smart ### [How to vet a charity in 15 minutes, and spot the scams](https://magnanimo.us/how-to-vet-a-charity/) A 15-minute checklist: confirm IRS status, read the ratings, skim the Form 990, and learn the red flags the FTC says signal a charity scam. 6 min read Giving smart ### [Workplace matching gifts: the easiest way to double what you give](https://magnanimo.us/matching-gifts/) Many employers will match your donations, often dollar for dollar, and some pay charities for your volunteer hours. Most people never ask. 5 min read Everyday generosity ### [75 random acts of kindness ideas, from free to five dollars](https://magnanimo.us/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas/) Seventy-five small, specific kindnesses sorted by budget and setting, plus what research says about why they land harder than you expect. 7 min read [All giving smart guides →](https://magnanimo.us/giving-smart/)