On GivingTuesday Study Says Arizona is One of the Least Giving States

In this busy hustle bustle of holiday preparations, it is important to remember to be thankful and generous. Through coordinated efforts, today unites the world in the celebration of generosity. GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes.

GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, it has grown into a movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give. The effort is brought to life through a network of leaders who lead national movements in 80 countries and hundreds of communities worldwide, including nearly 300 community campaigns across the U.S. alone. At the grassroots level, people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday in every single country in the world.

Anyone can participate in GivingTuesday, no matter who or where they are. There is a wide variety of organizations that participate and benefit from this annual day of celebration. Many local and national non-profits have platforms set up to accept the generous donations.

The last annual GivingTuesday celebration, December 1, 2020, generated $2.47 billion in giving, just in the United States.

While many Arizona residents take part in this special day to reach out and help charities in need during this time of year, the latest World Giving Index shows that the United States is falling behind, dropping to 19th place among the most generous countries after years at the top of the list.

However, money isn’t everything. Americans do step up and give more than just cash. They also contribute their time. It is estimated that over 77 million people volunteer in the U.S., serving a combined total of 6.9 billion hours per year, the equivalent of $167 billion of service.

As the world works today to inspire others on GivingTuesday, WalletHub determined the most charitable of the 50 states by comparing them across 19 key indicators of charitable behavior. Their data includes ranges from the volunteer rate to the share of income donated to the share of sheltered homeless.

According to a study done by WalletHub, it shows that Arizona isn’t very giving, in fact, it’s nearly the least giving in the U.S. Arizona is ranked No. 49 of 50 states on the list, with New Mexico being No. 50. The study detailed that the most giving state is Utah.

To determine the state rankings, the study looked at two factors: Volunteering and service, and charitable giving. Within those two factors is a point system where states earn points for their responses to questions such as, would you lend money to a neighbor in need? Or, who would do a favor for a neighbor?

Most Charitable States in America

 How Can You Participate in GivingTuesday?

It is important to remember that not all charities are created equal. Deciding whether to give money, time or both and how much can be a challenge. To help donors we asked a experts on their best advice on how people should determine where to donate their time and money to:

Find A Cause First: What work does the charity do? Donors should make a list of the causes they care most about and then dive into researching specific organizations in that area.

Ask For Recommendations: Ask friends, family, coworkers, and your social network for some charitable suggestions. People in your circle who are involved in specific fields may be a good resource as they can offer their expert opinion or first-hand experience.

Research: Do your research before deciding to send money to any company, professional or nonprofit for the first time. Visit the charity’s website and look into their financials. Review how much of the organization’s funds are used for its cause compared to marketing and administrator salaries.

Share: Have more than one charity you want to contribute to? You can share the love, don’t just one charity. Any donations, even in small amounts are appreciative and make an impact in overall. It is alright to give small amounts to more than one charity in order to help the various issues that you care deeply about.

Experts say if you want to donate on GivingTuesday, you can visit the website set up where you can select your charity from a long list of charities located throughout the world or you can visit your selected specific nonprofit’s website and donate directly to their organization. Click here to learn more about GivingTuesday.