The Importance of Year-End Giving

For people all around the world, the end of the year is full of celebrations. With several different religious holidays and new year festivities, it is a time for many to gather with their loved ones and celebrate. However, the end of the year is also an important time for nonprofit organizations and charities. This is because of year-end giving. In this article, we’ll explain what year-end giving is and why it’s so important.

What Is Year-End Giving?

Year-end giving—also referred to as end-of-the-year giving—refers to all of the donations and charitable contributions that are made during the last two months of the year. This is a particularly consequential time for giving, as nearly 30% of all charitable contributions during the year come in November and December. In 2021, there was nearly $485 billion donated throughout the entire year in the United States, with around $145 billion coming in the final two months. That’s why the end of the year has become known as giving season.

Giving season begins with Giving Tuesday, which is the first Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It is a day with the specific focus of spreading generosity, particularly to contrast the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In 2021, Giving Tuesday donations totaled $2.7 billion.

However, Giving Tuesday is just the beginning of giving season and year-end giving. The month of December is just as impactful—if not more—for giving. December holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and others serve as a time to spend with loved ones and to be grateful for what we have. These celebrations also remind us to help those who are less fortunate, and charitable contributions are a great way to do so.

The final week of the year is another vital time for fundraising, as nearly 30% of all year-end donations occur in the final three days of the year. This trend is even more significant when it comes to online donations, as 47% of online year-end revenue comes after December 25th, and 20% of online year-end revenue comes on December 31st.

The main reason why year-end giving is so incredibly important is that it makes up a large portion of a nonprofit’s annual funding, allowing the organization to carry out its vital work throughout the entire year. On average, nonprofits raise around 20% of their annual revenue from year-end giving. Raising these funds at the end of the year allows nonprofits and charities to sustain their missions and help those who need it most. This giving season, consider making a year-end contribution to the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) to help migrant and refugee families rebuild their lives with dignity and hope!

ICMC advocates for the rights of all uprooted people, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and all migrants. ICMC and its members remain committed to supporting immigration policies that produce more sustainable solutions.

ICMC’s efforts include protecting internally displaced children in Burkina Faso, providing assistance to Afghan refugees with our partner agencies, providing support to survivors of gender-based violence in Malaysia, aiding Ukrainian refugees, and more.

We rely on donations to fund our critical humanitarian work and continue changing lives. Find out how you can make a difference and help migrants, internally displaced persons, and refugees in need today!