How to celebrate Giving Tuesday in Denver

It's Giving Tuesday — a global campaign to promote "radical generosity."

Why it matters: The annual event, which falls on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, inspires individuals to give to charities that serve the causes and people most in need.

Zoom in: The local edition — Colorado Gives Day — falls on Dec. 6. But you can donate now.

• By the numbers: Last year, 73,000 Colorado donors gave over $55 million to the 3,151 local nonprofits that raised money through the Gives Day website.

Get started: Find a local nonprofit with this search tool, and be sure to review these smart-giving tips. Here are just a few favorites in Denver:

• The Center on Colfax has provided resources and a safe space for Denver's LGBTQ community for 46 years.
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1984, works to prevent homelessness and provide support to unhoused people across the state.
• Struggle of Love Foundation empowers kids and keeps them safe through one-on-one mentorship, mental health services and social activities.
• MaxFund Animal Adoption Center is a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter and adoption center first established in 1988.

The big picture: While donating to nearly any charity beats not giving at all, a growing number of studies indicate that giving to charities that funnel as much cash as possible to the very poor gets the most value per philanthropic dollar, Axios' Bryan Walsh writes.

• Americans donated a record $2.7 billion last year, up 9% since 2020.