Giving Tuesday: Mendham-Chester Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

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

• Chester-Mendham Angels: A nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the Chester and Mendham communities through outreach and fundraising. The Angels lend their time and resources to assist and support local residents in need.
• Chester Mendham Food Pantry: This nonprofit’s purpose is to provide supplemental food, toiletries, household supplies, and other assistance to neighbors in need in Chester and Mendham.
• The Sisters of Christian Charity: This Mendham-based nonprofit is inspired by the life of Pauline Von Mallinckrodt. The Sisters work in a variety of ministries, including education, healthcare, pastoral work, retreat and spiritual centers, and social work.
• Platinum Minds: This Chester-based nonprofit’s mission is to collaborate with other community organizations to assist academically motivated young boys from environmentally challenged neighborhoods with achieving their full academic potential and becoming leaders who alter the trajectory of their communities to affect positive change.
• The Senior Resource Center of NJ: Based in Chester, this nonprofit provides North Jersey residents 55 and older with physical activity, mental stimulation, camaraderie, and fun, to guide and support them in their twilight years.

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.