A D.C. guide to Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global campaign to promote “radical generosity.” Last year, American donors gave almost $2.5 billion.

Why it matters: As we come out of our second pandemic year, non-profits, small businesses, and other groups need more support than ever before.

• An estimated 100 million people worldwide have fallen into extreme poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DMV area has no shortage of worthy organizations that could use support. Here’s a quick list to get you started:

• CASA for Children of DC is a nonprofit that connects specially-trained volunteers with kids in foster care and the juvenile justice system.
• Coalition for the Homeless provides temporary housing and other services to unhoused people in D.C. 
• The Humane Rescue Alliance supports animals that are looking for their forever homes. The organization is matching Giving Tuesday donations up to $100,000.

Be smart: No matter where you give your time or resources this holiday season, know that cash is king when it comes to donations. 

• While donating to nearly any charity beats not giving at all, a growing number of studies find that giving to charities that channel as much cash as possible to the very poor gets the most value per philanthropic dollar, Axios’ Bryan Walsh writes.

Of note: Giving money directly to people in need via sites such as GoFundMe and PayPal has also increased in popularity, especially in the DMV.

• GoFundMe’s 2020 annual report named Silver Spring, Maryland as the most generous city in the country based on the number of donations per capita in cities with populations over 50,000. Alexandria and Rockville were also top ten most-generous cities.

Worthy of your time: Join Axios co-founder Mike Allen and Axios Today host Niala Boodhoo for The New Era of Philanthropy, a conversation spotlighting innovations in philanthropy and charitable giving, Tuesday at 12:30pm.