Tips for Donating on Giving Tuesday (Plus 3 Matching Gift Opportunities)

It's impossible to forget Giving Tuesday is today because of the flood of emails from every nonprofit organization you've ever donated to (and more). This year, we're sharing Giving Tuesday tips and highlighting three charities doing matching gifts — these are always great opportunities to make your dollars go further. (Sure, there's usually a corporation or wealthy person getting a nice tax break, but still.)

First, some general tips:

1. Find your country's Giving Tuesday hub with this map. GivingTuesday.org offers lots of info and ideas.

2. Check charity directories to see ratings of nonprofits: Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org), and CharityWatch. (ProPublica has guidance on evaluating charities.)

3. As we mentioned, many of nonprofits have a particular donor matching people's donations up to a certain amount, so look for those opportunities on individual charities' websites to double or triple your contribution. You can also google “Giving Tuesday matching gifts.”

4. Find out whether your employer has an employee matching program. Ask HR, use Charity Navigator's search tool, or check the website of the organization you want to donate to.

5. Think about lending a hand more “casually” and/or in person. You can help local mutual aid groups, for example. To find them, use this search tool from Mutual Aid Hub or google “[Your City] mutual aid network.”

GivingTuesday.org includes lots more options to lend a hand, such as giving blood (here's what it's like, in case you've never donated) and personally distributing food or toiletries to unhoused people.

3 Charities Doing Matching Gifts on Giving Tuesday

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

Charity Navigator profile (Four-Star Charity)

Donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and your gift will be doubled as part of the foundation's $4 Million Match. The organization's goal is to find a cure for the disease, and it works to “identify and accelerate those ideas with the greatest potential to solve field-wide problems, accelerate the pace of research, and make a tangible impact on patients’ unmet needs.” The foundation features its key research initiatives on its website.

FYI, you can even donate to the foundation with cryptocurrency, if you're a crypto person. (Also, I once donated to them in memory of a loved one, and they haven't bombarded me with emails or mailings.)

Feeding America

Charity Navigator profile (Four-Star Charity)

Donate to Feeding America today (and through Dec. 31, 2025) to take advantage of the double impact of the retailer BoxLunch‘s $750,000 donation. Every dollar received will help provide 20 meals to families across the country.

Feeding America works with a network of thousands of food banks, food pantries, and meal programs in the U.S. to help tackle food insecurity. The organization coordinates with farmers, manufacturers, retailers, and government agencies to obtain donated grocery items and keep unwanted food from landfills.

Related tip: As Feeding America explains, when you help local food banks, it's best to donate money rather than food. Not only can the organizations buy exactly what their clients need, for example, but they can often take advantage of retailers' bulk discounts.

Doctors Without Borders

If you give to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today, your gift will be triple-matched through a matching grant from Worthington & Margaret Mayo-Smith. The match is up to $1 million and is in effect through midnight on Giving Tuesday.

As the organization's website explains, Doctors Without Borders' mission is “providing lifesaving care to people enduring conflict, displacement, disease outbreaks, and more in over 75 countries [and territories].” Teams have performed more than 16 million medical consultations and admitted more than 1.5 million patients to MSF hospitals and clinics worldwide.

Bonus TiPS

Shop at Amika today (I'm a huge fan of their Normcore shampoo) and 20% of the proceeds from your purchase will support their Friend to Hair program, which gives six aspiring stylists cosmetology school scholarships, with a goal of increasing equity in salons. They have one of those spin-the-wheel-for-a-discount things right now, as well as free shipping on orders $30+.

Also, today when you shop at Cuyana, which is having a big — and rare — sale (up to 30% off!), 10% of the proceeds will be donated to H.E.A.R.T., a Cuyana partner. The nonprofit is “dedicated to making a thoughtful impact on the lives of abused children and the caregivers who strive to keep them safe through supporting the Violence Intervention Program.”

Veronica Beard, which is providing an extra 30% off sale styles with code, is today donating $10 from every online order to the Pete Frates ALS Foundation. The organization financially supports people with ALS to help them continue to receive home care.

Readers, are you donating to any charities today? Do you have any other tips on organizations with matching gifts?

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