GivingTuesday raises $3.1B for charities in tough economy

U.S. $100 bills are seen on July 14, 2022, in Marple Township, Pa. Giving Tuesday raised $3.1 billion in 24 hours for charitable causes in the U.S. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, as the event that started as a hashtag in 2012 celebrated its 10th anniversary and its status as a staple of fundraising for nonprofits. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

GivingTuesday raised a record $3.1 billion in 24 hours for charitable causes in the U.S. earlier this week, as the event that started as a hashtag in 2012 celebrated its 10th anniversary and its status as a staple of fundraising for nonprofits, the group’s leader said Wednesday.

Despite the difficult economic year that many households have experienced, with inflation in the costs of basic goods, gas and housing, people were still willing to give, said GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran.

“That’s really what we saw yesterday,” she told The Associated Press. “That whatever it is that people are experiencing, they were as generous as they had the capacity to be.”