#GivingTuesday can be a big boost for local charities. Here’s how to donate smartly.

Your inbox is probably flooded with requests for Giving Tuesday, a relatively new international day of charity. This is followed by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber ​​Monday, where local and online deals can be found.

Giving Tuesday is a day to escape the spending spree and instead dedicate time and resources to an organization you care about, whether by donating your time or money.

The International Day of Giving was created in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York and the United Nations Foundation. Since then it has developed into an organization in its own right, but also a movement. Fundraising and volunteer efforts now span nearly 100 countries.

Last year alone, donors in the U.S. gave a total of $3.1 billion, 8 million people volunteered, and 10 million donated needed goods or items. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area alone, $34.5 million was donated online for the 2023 holidays.

Celeste Flores is the US and Canada Hub Director for GivingTuesday. She said it’s not just large nonprofits that benefit. Flores said the data shows that many donations are locally concentrated and that medium-sized nonprofits have benefited the most.

“During Giving Tuesday, most people try to donate locally,” she said. “And as they look locally, they pay attention to what is immediately around them, to the needs of the community and their neighborhoods, and to the organizations that support this work.”

Rebecca Riccio, founding director of the Social Impact Lab at Northeastern University, said Giving Tuesday builds on the established “seasonal mindset” to encourage giving. However, she added that while the donations can really help a nonprofit, the need is typically year-round.

“There’s so much need that we can’t address through government programs, that we can’t address through revenue-generating or business models, that we just have to fill those gaps through charity and philanthropy,” she said.

Tips for smart giving

As always, scams are a cause for concern. Attorney General Andrea Campbell on Monday issued guidance and codes of conduct for consumers to help them spend charitable donations wisely. Flores of GivingTuesday also recommends doing your homework.

Her tips include:

• Do not use cash for donations.
• Write checks to charities, not to specific fundraisers who may call you.
• To check if an organization is legitimate, search search engine results and check their social media channels. You can also reach out to friends or family members who may have donated.
• Call the Attorney General’s Nonprofit/Public Charities Division at 617-963-2101 to find out if the charity and its fundraiser are registered to operate in the state.