Donors Gave $503 Million Online on GivingTuesdayNow, Early Tally Shows

Donors gave $503 million in online gifts on GivingTuesdayNow, according to GivingTuesday’s preliminary analyses of the May 5 giving event it organized in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The group expects this total will grow as more nonprofits report their results.

GivingTuesday leads an annual end-of-year giving campaign for nonprofits but added the extra day to help charities meet profound financial needs brought on by the public health crisis. Online giving on May 5 tracked with the volume of gifts made online during the charity’s regular end-of-year giving day on December 3, 2019, according to the analysis. That event raised an estimated $511 million online.

Some nonprofits have seen giving surge as donors respond to unprecedented societal needs. Among many of the charities that participated on May 5, the day marked the zenith of online giving to their cause since the pandemic began, according to GivingTuesday.

People in more than 145 countries participated in GivingTuesdayNow by making gifts, volunteering, or advocating for a cause. Some donors also gave offline, but GivingTuesday has not yet tallied those contributions.

These initial findings come ahead of a report, to be released by GivingTuesday and technology and gift-processing companies next month, on giving in response to Covid-19. The report will provide findings on what motivates donors to contribute and whether they prefer to give online, offline, or through other means.