As the need for help increases, Giving Tuesday 2025 takes on greater meaning for charities
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Whether it's natural disasters like Hurricane Helene or house fires displacing families, the American Red Cross is ready to respond.
"We serve over 10 million people across the state," said Ellen Gorham, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Greater Triangle Area Chapter.
As the state continues to see a fast-growing population, support for services increases.
"This past year, we had over 300,000 blood products donated across the state. In the prior year, it was a little higher. Especially at this time of year, during the holidays, we tend to see a decrease in people coming out to give, so we're hopeful that this Giving Tuesday will inspire others to give blood and support that area," Gorham said.
Similar to other charitable organizations, who and how much people are donating has changed.
"When you look at the aggregate data, it shows giving is up. But for the average nonprofit and for the average gift given to them by your average taxpayer, like you or me, it's actually down," explained Rick Cohen, the Chief Operating Officer for the National Council of Nonprofits.
Cohen explained that this shift has particularly affected smaller nonprofits.
"Those larger donors tend to provide funding to larger established institutions and that money doesn't trickle down. It doesn't get passed from the large institutions to smaller organizations. A lot of the groups that are providing food, providing job training, your local animal shelter or your local community theater, they're not seeing any of those large-scale gifts," said Cohen.
Another factor affecting nonprofits is less government support.
"Overall, one third of the nonprofit sector's revenues come from delivering services on behalf of federal, state and local governments," Cohen said.
According to Giving USA, 2024 was the first time in three years that total giving outpaced inflation. Breaking it down further, charitable giving hit $592.5 billion, a 3.3% inflation-adjusted increase year-over-year. Individual donations increased by 5.1% adjusted by inflation, while corporate donations increased by 6% adjusted by inflation. Donations from foundations were largely flat, while donations through bequests fell 4.4% when adjusted by inflation.
For those unable to donate financially, Gorham highlighted the importance of volunteers.
"We always need volunteers to help support people impacted by home fires and other disasters. We need volunteers to help support our blood services, work either at the front desk or even driving our blood supply around. We do a number of preparedness activities too, (such as) installing smoke alarms and ensuring people are trained in basic CPR," said Gorham.
This past, Gorham noted the American Red Cross had around 6,500 volunteers across the state, including over 1,000 in the Greater Triangle area.
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