Giving Tuesday: 5 Guilford Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

GUILFORD, CT — There’s no single way to show generosity on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Tuesday, Dec. 2, this year, but several nonprofits in Guilford 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 five nonprofits in Guilford that depend on community support (donations should be made directly to each of the nonprofits below):

• Guilford Interfaith Volunteers aims to promote the well-being of the homebound, sick, elderly, and disabled through its programs such as Guilford Meals on Wheels, Friendly Visiting, and Charlie's Closet.
• SARAH-Foundation has a goal to help individuals with intellectual and other disabilities live fulfilling, productive and engaged lives within the community.
• The Guilford Foundation aims to improve the quality of life in town by using invested donor funds to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations, scholarships, and sponsorships.
• Sound Life Connections has a mission to create an inclusive community in which people with disabilities feel welcomed and valued through employment and social opportunities.
• Guilford Preservation Alliance has a mission to preserve and protect the built and natural heritage of the town of Guilford.

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.