Think about what the end of the year feels like. Families gather around the table, friends catch up over coffee, and communities show up for one another in big and small ways. It’s a season of thankfulness, and thankfulness has a way of turning outward. When people take stock of everything they have to be grateful for, many of them want to share it.
Giving is also something people do together and pass down. Many people want to set a good example for the ones they love, and for many families, giving at the holidays is a tradition as much as the favorite meal or the well-worn song. In our experience, the biggest reason people give is a strong connection to a cause they already care about. And when that cause reaches out at year end, it feels like an invitation to be part of something good.
So why do people choose to give to charity at the end of the year?
Of course the holidays turn our attention to gratitude and to the people around us, and the close of the year invites people to look back at what mattered most, but also, gifts made by December 31 count toward that tax year. For many people, it’s also the season when a cause they love asks for their help, and they’re ready to say yes. Let’s dive into what that can look like.
Giving Together, and on a Big Scale
Some people give together as a community, the way members of North Point Community Church have through Be Rich for 13 consecutive campaigns. Millions more join in on GivingTuesday (which falls on December 1 this year). Last year, 38.1 million Americans gave $4.0 billion on that single day towards initiatives around the world!
By coming together to give, the impact can grow substantially. One gift can change a day for a child. Thousands of gifts given in the same season can build a school, bring clean water to a community, or keep a kitchen stocked for a whole year. Some employers and generous donors even match what people give, which multiplies what each gift can do even further.
When a community gives together, a mission or organization can plan bigger, build more, and care for more people than any one of us could on our own.
What This Season Means for the Organizations You Give To
Did you know that roughly 40% of online one-time giving happens in December? For a nonprofit, the last few months of the year are the busiest and most important stretch of the calendar, because that’s when so many gifts arrive.
It’s true for us at Heart for Africa too. On average, about 49% of Heart for Africa’s annual giving arrives in the last quarter of the year. That’s why year-end gifts matter so much to how we plan the care of more than 470 children at Project Canaan for the year ahead, from meals and school to healthcare and the aunties and uncles who raise them.
How to Make Your Year-End Giving Count
The end of the year is a time to come together: friends and families, neighbors and communities, hearts full of thankfulness and holiday celebration. It’s also a time people choose to give back, and a few simple habits can help your giving feel as meaningful as the season itself.
Give where you feel connected. The causes you already care about are the ones you’ll want to stay close to, and that connection makes giving more meaningful for you and more useful to the organization.
Ask questions first. Our guide to the five questions to ask before donating to a charity working in Africa is a good place to start, and the same questions apply to any organization.
Think about the whole year. A year-end gift is welcome, and regular giving through the year helps an organization plan with more confidence. If you give in December, consider staying connected in the months that follow.
Keep your receipt. It’s your record of the gift, and note that a gift has to be made by December 31 to count toward this tax year. We’re not tax advisors, and this isn’t tax advice, so a quick conversation with your own advisor is worth having.
What a Year-End Gift Does at Project Canaan
Project Canaan is a 2,500-acre sustainable development project in Eswatini where more than 470 children live in family-style homes with aunties and uncles who stay for years, attend school on site, and eat food grown on our own farm. A year-end gift to our general fund supports the whole village at once: the homes, the school, the employment of people from our local community and so much more. Because most of what we do is long-term, steady giving helps us plan for the years ahead as well as the season in front of us.
If you’d like to give this season, you can reach us at info@heartforafrica.org, or give to our general fund by clicking below. We’d be glad to talk it through with you.