Giving Tuesday: 5 Ridgefield Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

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

• Meals on Wheels of Ridgefield, located at 25 Gilbert Street, provides nourishment to those who can’t prepare meals on their own.
• The mission of SPHERE, Inc., at 421 Main Street, is to "enrich and enhance the lives of adults with developmental disabilities through education, recreation and the arts while fostering and nurturing relationships between our members and our communities."
• The Founders Hall Foundation, at 193 Danbury Road, provides a "vibrant educational campus where adults 60+ explore academic pursuits, wellness programs, artistic expression and meaningful connections."
• The Garden Club of Ridgefield operates as a non-profit organization "working toward the beautification of Ridgefield and educating our members and the community on good gardening practices and the conservation of our environment."
• Prospector Theater, at 25 Prospect Street, "integrates performers with and without special needs and provides high-quality productions delivering social impact."

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.