GivingTuesday: Alexandria Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

ALEXANDRIA, VA — There’s no single way to show generosity on GivingTuesday, which falls on Tuesday, Nov. 28, but some nonprofits in Alexandria 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 GivingTuesday to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes, according to the nonprofit of the same name behind the movement.

Local nonprofits are having another tough year. The donor pool shrunk by 3.8 percent and the total amount raised through philanthropy was down 0.7 percent, according to a first-quarter 2023 fundraising report.

GivingTuesday is locally led in more than 240 U.S. communities, networks and coalitions. GivingTuesday communities in Alexandria include Act for Alexandria, which is a foundation serving as a coordinator and funder to organizations serving Alexandria. Act for Alexandria also organizes Spring2Action, another day of giving specific to Alexandria.

Here are several nonprofits in Alexandria that depend on community support (donations should be made directly to each of the nonprofits below):

• ALIVE!: A nonprofit providing safety net programs like food assistance to Alexandrians in need
• Carpenter’s Shelter: A homeless shelter in Alexandria helping its clients transition to independent living
• Animal Welfare League of Alexandria: A nonprofit that runs the animal shelter and coordinates adoptions for pets in need and services for pet owners in Alexandria
• Rebuilding Together: A nonprofit helping to repair homes for families with children, older adults, people with disabilities and veterans
• The Child & Family Network Centers: A nonprofit providing free preschool for low-income families.
• The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria: A fund providing scholarships to Alexandria students with a financial need.
• Community Lodgings: A nonprofit working to help homeless and low-income families with transitional and affordable housing.
• The Campagna Center: A nonprofit providing programs to serve Alexandria youth and adults.
• Senior Services of Alexandria: A nonprofit providing Meals on Wheels and other services for seniors in Alexandria.

Another way to help nonprofits is through volunteering. Check Volunteer Alexandria's website to find volunteer opportunities during the holiday season and throughout the year.

The GivingTuesday 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.

GivingTuesday 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.