Giving Tuesday: 5 Arlington Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

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

1. Arlington Food Assistance Center provides community members in need with dignified access to free, supplemental groceries.
2. Arlington Thrive provides integrated support to neighbors in need so they can develop the capacity to be stable, secure, and thrive in their community, according to the organization's mission statement.
3. Aspire! Afterschool Learning's mission is to expand learning opportunities that help historically underserved students fulfill their potential through afterschool and summer learning programs that support and connect families, schools, and communities.
4. Animal Welfare League of Arlington seeks to improve the lives of animals and people by providing resources, care, and protection.
5. Kitchen of Purpose empowers people by providing culinary training, job placement, entrepreneurial opportunities, and nourishing meals to underserved communities.

To find additional nonprofits to support on Giving Tuesday, visit the Community Organizations page on the Arlington County government website.

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.