It's Giving Tuesday 2024: Should you donate to that charity?

NEW YORK ? On a recent November afternoon, Sister Marie Sorenson made the tough decision to cut off the line outside St. John's Bread & Life food pantry at closing time. It had been a "particularly busy day" and more than a dozen people would have to come back tomorrow, Sorenson said, her face a mix of bewilderment and discouragement.

As the final shoppers filled their carts with boxes of macaroni and cheese, Sorenson said she could not wait for Giving Tuesday, when the food pantry gets a surge in donations each year.

"We're immensely grateful that on that particular day, people will really focus on those out there who are in great need," said Sorenson, who is the pantry's associate executive director.

More than a decade after launching, Giving Tuesday continues to help millions of Americans pause and reflect amid hectic holidays, while also connecting them to broader movements for good. Nonprofits say Giving Tuesday is the top day of the year for donations because it brings in massive waves of brand-new donors ? many of whom end up sticking with the organization long-term.

A staggering $3.1 billion was raised on Giving Tuesday in 2023, even as year-round charitable donations have declined overall since the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit leaders across the country told USA TODAY. In contrast, Giving Tuesday has grown each year since launching over a decade ago, providing more people with a moment to zero in on causes they want to support, said Ruth Ann Daily, chief development officer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"I love Giving Tuesday," said Daily, who has worked in nonprofit development for more than 25 years. "I'm old enough to remember things before Giving Tuesday, and it created such an opportunity for awareness."

Many people may feel like they get bombarded with emails from nonprofits asking for donations during the annual event, but it's key to reflect on where you want to give, said Ben Miller, a data analyst and senior vice president with the fundraising software company Bonterra Tech.

"We're all primed to give on that day, and so people that are connecting with a cause will give," Miller said.

Here are tips to keep in mind as you consider how to make an impact through Giving Tuesday, according to experts.

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Take a couple minutes to research, reflect

It's natural to care about how your hard-earned money is spent. Think of donating as making an investment in a group you care about, Daily said.

"I want to know there's a return on that investment, that the mission I care about is really being being helped," Daily said.

You can use online sites Charity Navigator, Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, GiveWell, GreatNonprofits and Candid (formerly called GuideStar) to see how much of a nonprofit's budget goes toward its mission and its overhead costs before contributing.

It's also just as important to invest in your own neighborhood and give to local social service providers who may be too small to have listings on those platforms, said Asha Curran, one of the founders of Giving Tuesday and CEO of an international nonprofit with the same name.

"Even if it doesn't have a platinum rating or published impact reports, it's trying to do good work in the place you care about most, and that's a wonderful place to direct a donation," Curran told USA TODAY.

You could also put yourself in someone else's shoes ? like a relative who cares a lot about a particular cause, Curran suggested. If someone in your life is excited about donating to a certain nonprofit, doubling their contribution becomes an expression of your love for them as well as a donation. Also think about where your loved ones volunteer, Curran said, and consider giving that $50 to the animal shelter where your niece volunteers walking dogs, for example.

How much money is raised on Giving Tuesday?

In 2023, people collectively donated $3.1 billion during the 24-hour period on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Curran said. The number was only nominally smaller on Giving Tuesday in 2022, also rounding to $3.1 billion, according to Curran.

And that number is far from the full picture, because many people give during the two to three days leading up to Giving Tuesday and the days following it, data shows.

"$3.1 billion is the amount given in 24 hours, but we know the total amount is actually significantly higher," Curran said.

The large amount raised on Giving Tuesday shows it can be "a mistake to sit on the sidelines" during the annual day of giving, said Miller, who is also the former chair of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, a research initiative launched in 2006 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a decades-old group with over 30,000 members.

"Everyday people might be feeling dissuaded, maybe you're feeling like 'what is the point?,'" Miller said. "But Giving Tuesday is getting bigger and bigger and it's a way to make your voice heard."

Since launching in 1950, Daily's Muscular Dystrophy Association has focused its work on funding research to find drug treatments for the rare neuro-muscular diseases, which historically have greatly lowered people's life spans. Recently, the association also opened a scholarship fund.

"It's incredibly exciting to see all of these drugs that are in development," Daily said. "And in years past, we didn't have scholarship programs because people didn't live long enough to go to college."

St. John's Bread & Life in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood exceeded their fundraising goal on Giving Tuesday last year, reaching $8,200 after aiming for $5,000. This year, that number could soar higher because the pantry is hoping to work with an outside donor to match the first $4,000 raised, said Director of Development James Poisal.

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Giving Tuesday is 'not a gimmick'

Getting emails and text messages from nonprofits all at once can be annoying. However, evidence collected by Miller's Bonterra Tech shows the communication blasts work, proving the holiday "is not a gimmick" he said.

Data shows people who donate on Giving Tuesday continue to do so at higher rates, likely because the annual day's inundation of donation requests kick-starts a complex selection process in the mind of the giver, Miller said.

"In order to pick that mission, you're doing it amongst a catalogue of people asking you, so there's a reason you picked it over others," Miller said.

There's also overwhelming evidence that giving makes you healthier, mentally and physically, said Curran, pointing to studies showing young children feel happier after giving than after receiving.

At St. John's Bread & Life, a handful of people who receive food from the pantry also give modest donations around this time of year, Sorenson said, which "speaks volumes to how they feel about us."

"This coming Giving Tuesday is a beacon for us," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giving Tuesday 2024: How to help charities with donations