April 7, 2025 | Savannah Espiritu
What exactly is giving season?
While giving season is generally considered to be the end of the year, there is a specific time frame that it entails. To many, giving season technically starts on Giving Tuesday—the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Giving Tuesday is a movement focused on promoting generosity. It was started in 2012 as a way to shift the mindset from the consumerism of Black Friday to that of helping those in need. In 2022, Giving Tuesday is on November 29th.
After celebrating Thanksgiving, millions of people get into the giving spirit by taking part in Giving Tuesday. In 2021, there were over 35 million people who participated in Giving Tuesday. There was also $2.7 billion given in the United States alone on that day. But Giving Tuesday is just the start.
After Giving Tuesday, giving season continues through the rest of the year. While the statistics from Giving Tuesday are a great example of the generosity that giving season involves, December takes things a step further, especially toward the end of the month. In fact, around 10% of all giving occurs in the final three days of the year.
The increase in charitable contributions is even more dramatic when it comes to online giving. Nearly 50% of all online year-end revenue comes after December 25th, with 20% coming on December 31st alone. Compare that to the 4% of online year-end donations that occur on Giving Tuesday and it’s clear that giving season truly lasts until the new year. This all helps to explain what giving season is and why it’s been named that, but why is it such an important time of the year?