Whether it’s the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or food insecurity closer to home, one thing remains constant: A lot of people are in need.

While that need is year-round, December is the time when Americans are most inclined to reach into their pocketbooks and donate to the causes they care about.

But this year, donations are mostly flat.

What You Need To Know

  • Charitable donations are mostly flat this year, according to Charity Navigator, but nonprofits supporting humanitarian aid are seeing more support

  • Last week’s GivingTuesday yielded $3.1 billion in charitable donations — an increase of 0.6%, or $20 million, compared with 2022

  • Giving so far this year is down about 20% across the board, according to Charity Navigator chief executive Michael Thatcher

  • The nonprogit GlobalGiving said its Israel-Palestine Crisis Relief Fund has received $1.1 million in donations

Last week’s GivingTuesday yielded $3.1 billion in charitable donations — an increase of 0.6%, or $20 million, compared with 2022. Giving so far this year is down about 20% across the board, according to Charity Navigator chief executive Michael Thatcher.

“A lot of that’s due to uncertainty around the economy. Giving tends to follow what the economy is doing,” Thatcher told Spectrum News.

It also tends to follow the news cycle, he said. This year, “there’s a lot of giving that’s going to humanitarian aid given the conflicts that we have in the world right now,” Thatcher said.

Charity Navigator is a website that evaluates nonprofit charities based on their financial health, accountability and transparency and helps donors figure out which organizations are the best fit for their charitable dollars. This year, the site is highlighting dozens of organizations providing emergency housing, medical supplies and other forms of support in Israel and Gaza.

The nonprofit GlobalGiving told Spectrum News it is seeing a dramatic rise in donations “responding to the dire needs in Gaza and increasingly across the West Bank” and has surpassed $1.1 million in individual donations to its Israel-Palestine Crisis Relief Fund.

On GivingTuesday, the nonprofit crowdfunding platform for grassroots charitable projects raised a record $3.7 million from over 15,500 donations to 1,279 nonprofits worldwide.

“Despite a general trend of flat donation levels this year, our organization has been overwhelmed by the response to this and other crises from our global community,” GlobalGiving chief executive Victoria Vrana said in a statement.

Other popular causes this giving season include disaster relief and recovery for the wildfires in Hawaii and the earthquake in West Afghanistan, followed by animals and the environment, Thatcher said.

Giving season, as it’s known, kicks off with GivingTuesday, the week following Thanksgiving, and spikes over the last three to five days of the year as people rush to make donations for tax purposes.