A 'silver lining': Giving Tuesday supporters donate tens of thousands to local nonprofits

QUINCY – After receiving a $5,000 donation from an anonymous donor, Quincy-based Manet Community Health set out on Tuesday to raise another $5,000 to match it. By the afternoon, the nonprofit had met that goal.

“It seems like people who are able to give recognize that other people in the community may be struggling, so they step up even more,” said Sandra McGunigle, the organization’s director of marketing and communications. “One of the silver linings (of the COVID-19 pandemic) is that people who are able to give are feeling philanthropic.”

Giving Tuesday – a day to encourage people to do good and support their communities on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – has become an important day for organizations to turn to donors for support, nonprofit leaders said.

McGunigle said Manet, which provides preventive health care at facilities on the South Shore and Greater Boston area, views Giving Tuesday as its kickoff for year-end giving efforts.

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“We’ve never looked at it as the end-all-be-all for fundraising efforts, but it’s another awareness piece of the good people can do,” she said. “We can’t say enough how appreciative we are of the folks who support us because, at the end of the day, it helps us help our patients.”

From food pantries to animal rescues, many organizations on the South Shore took to social media seeking donations Tuesday. Facebook announced it would match up to $8 million in donations made to eligible fundraisers.

The New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth and the Cape Wildlife Center got creative in their request for support and showed live footage of an Eastern screech owl receiving care at the center after it was hit by a car. Zak Mertz, executive director of the center’s Cape branch, said the owl will get up to 100 hours of care by the time it’s ready for release.

“This level of care is what we provide to thousands of patients at our hospitals in Weymouth and in Barnstable. From owls to foxes to squirrels to opossums to otters, they all come in with injuries like this and it takes a lot of care to make sure they all get a second chance in the wild,” he said. “If you believe in this work, want to help with science education in the community and conservation, and protect all of the animals living in your backyard, we ask that you make a pledge."

Katrina Bergman, chief executive officer of New England Wildlife Center, said Giving Tuesday is a great tool for fundraising. This year, she said the organization raised about $13,000, the most to date on Giving Tuesday.

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“For us, we need every penny, so we’re so grateful for the folks to step up,” she said. “Giving Tuesday has really gained momentum in the last few years.”

Beth Ann Strollo, chief executive officer of Quincy Community Action Programs, said the organization has made a push for donations on Giving Tuesday for several years. She said, if nothing else, it’s a chance for nonprofits to share the work they do.

“I think it’s a great way to highlight the work that goes on in nonprofits and have the community understand the valuable role that nonprofits play,” she said.

Strollo said QCAP is still seeing a "very generous" level of support, but it's dropped off a little since the height of the pandemic in 2020. At the same time, she said applications for fuel assistance are up 10% and more people are turning up at food pantries.

“The needs are still great even though the unemployment rate is down,” Strollo said. “People have dropped out of the workforce and they’re not working or collecting unemployment, they’re not in that number and they’re coming to us for help.”

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Pamela Denholm, executive director of the Weymouth Food Pantry, said Giving Tuesday isn’t a critically important day because they try to stay engaged all year long. She said the Tuesday after Thanksgiving can be a competitive time to get donations, but that it does help in getting people thinking about giving back during the holiday season, which can be especially challenging for many families.

“It’s really wonderful to have it on the calendar and at the top of people's minds that local charities need support,” she said.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Local nonprofits feel strong support from donors on Giving Tuesday