Giving Tuesday: Palm Desert Nonprofits That Could Use Your Donations

PALM DESERT, CA — There’s no single way to show generosity on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Tuesday, Dec. 2, this year, but several nonprofits in Palm Desert are counting on end-of-the-year donations and support.

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all focus on consumerism, while the idea behind GivingTuesday is to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Since 2012, nonprofits, community and grassroots groups, and mutual aid networks worldwide have used the #GivingTuesday hashtag to encourage fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes, according to the nonprofit of the same name behind the movement.

Local nonprofits remain heavily dependent on donor support. Charitable contributions increased 2.9 percent from June 2024 to June 2025, according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Report analysis.

Notably, although total dollars raised have increased, year-to-date performance among supersize donors has been softer than in 2024, making small contributions more important than ever.

In the United States, Giving Tuesday is led by hundreds of communities, networks and coalitions.

Here are a few nonprofits near Palm Desert that depend on community support (donations should be made directly to each of the nonprofits below):

• The Living Desert Nonprofit: The Heritage Society: Join a community of forward-thinkers who’ve included The Living Desert in their estate plans. Your legacy can shape the future of conservation and education. If you would like to report a gift or are considering a gift of any size and would like more information, please contact us.
• Voices for Children (VFC) transforms the lives of abused, neglected, and abandoned children in foster care in San Diego and Riverside Counties by providing them with trained, volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). In 2025, an estimated 5,900 Riverside County children will need advocacy and support. Giving Tuesday donations this holiday season will greatly help VFC recruit, train, and provide CASAs for more kids in need.
• The Father’s Heart Ranch: In Desert Hot Springs, Father’s Heart Ranch is a group home for abused and neglected boys. We care for children by providing a safe and stable home environment for them so that they can heal from the abuse they have endured. These children have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services and placed at the ranch. The ranch is 11 acres and is still growing. Learn more about how to volunteer or donate.
• Desert Best Friend’s Closet collects interview attire for those who need to put their best foot forward. This innovative, community-based organization is the only agency providing this service in the greater Palm Springs area.
• The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission serves the people of the desert communities who are experiencing homelessness, hunger and life challenges. The mission provides emergency services, recovery programs and community outreach. There are many ways to serve and donate this organization through planned giving, sponsorships, vehicle donations and community partners.
• Martha’s Village and Kitchen is one of the largest providers of homeless and impoverished services in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County. We offer unique, life-changing programs based on the nationally recognized “continuum of care model,” breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. There are many impactful ways to help those who help others in need.
• Loma Linda Children’s Hospital Foundation is dedicated to supporting Loma Linda University Children's Hospital's mission to bring whole-child care to the region and beyond. There are a variety of ways to get involved with our Foundation through guilds, birthday club donations, personal and corporate giving, plus annual events are a great way to come together and give to a good cause.

The Giving Tuesday movement encourages “radical generosity,” the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement’s website.

Giving Tuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

Last year, Giving Tuesday participants raised a record-breaking $3.6 billion from 36.1 million participants, bringing the total raised on the day since 2012 to $18.5 billion.