$46 million raised on ‘Giving Tuesday’

WASHINGTON – The national fundraising drive known as “Giving Tuesday” is having a growing impact for nonprofit groups, with nearly $46 million raised for charity over a 24-hour period, according to initial numbers released Wednesday.

The Giving Tuesday effort is driven largely by social media and online giving campaigns. It was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City and the United Nations Foundation to kick-start the critical holiday giving season after Thanksgiving.

Research from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Case Foundation provided to the Associated Press shows the amount donated on Giving Tuesday increased by 63 percent over 2013, with an average gift of $154. Last year, about $28 million was raised. In 2012, about $13.5 million was raised on the first Giving Tuesday.

The number of organizations participating has grown dramatically over three years from about 2,500 the first year, said Una Osili, director of research at the philanthropy school. This year, more than 15,000 nonprofit groups participated and raised funds for Giving Tuesday.