Fueled by social media and online-giving campaigns, donations on the latest Giving Tuesday surged to an estimated $45.7-million, more than double the amount raised in 2012, when the event began.

“Giving Tuesday has gone from a simple idea to a purpose-driven global phenomenon,” Blackbaud President Mike Gianoni said in a news release from Indiana University.

The figures suggest that Giving Tuesday is becoming an increasingly important part of many charities’ crucial year-end fundraising efforts.

The data come from the “Giving USA Spotlight” report by Giving USA Foundation and Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Tracking the donation data is inexact. The latest tally is based on estimates by the Lilly school and online contributions tracked by five gift-processing platforms—Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, GlobalGiving, Network for Good, and Razoo. The figure includes $10.8 million in reported offline donations.

In the third year, participating nonprofits were more effective in getting their message across to supporters, according to the new report, which examines the event’s role in social media and online philanthropy. Both awareness and participation in the event are growing. The report also found that the number of donations increased an estimated 53 percent from 2013 to 2014. The total number of participating organizations increased an estimated 55 percent.

“Nonprofits did a good job of getting their message out to their supporters,” Keith Curtis, Chair of Giving USA Foundation, said in the release. “This is especially evident in the increased number of donations. Not only is awareness of Giving Tuesday growing but so is participation.”

The full report is available for purchase online at givingusa.org.

ADVERTISEMENT