By The Herald Editorial Board
Whatever sour mood festers among American consumers because of tariffs, inflation and stubborn high prices it appears they aren’t taking it out on their holiday shopping plans, as an estimated $11.8 billion was spent online Friday, marking a 9.1 percent increase over last year’s Black Friday numbers. Nor have they tired of in-store shopping, which saw a 1.7 percent increase over the year prior for the day.
We can hope that generous attitude extends beyond shopping for family and friends to charitable support within the community at home and across the nation and globe for Giving Tuesday, the global charitable effort started in 2012 to encourage people to support worthy organizations and efforts with financial gifts and volunteer hours.
Adding to the optimism for that charitable mood, such giving did increase in 2024 to $592.5 billion, according to the National Philanthropic Trust, a 6.3 percent increase over the year before, with the largest source of charitable giving coming from individuals, who donated $392.45 billion, more generous than the $44.4 billion from corporate donations.
That generosity is well-timed as need continues to grow, as was seen most recently during the 43-day federal government shutdown and its suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to some 42 million Americans. Answering pleas across the country, including in Snohomish County, to support food bank and food pantry programs, Americans increased their donations to community hunger relief efforts nearly six-fold during the SNAP suspension, according to Charity Navigator (more about that organization in a moment).
“A lot of food banks are getting a tremendous increase in donations,” Charity Navigator’s CEO Michael Thatcher told CNBC. “Knowing that your neighbor is going hungry is not OK.”
Continued support of Snohomish County community food banks, especially as they budget for the same increased costs for food and other household staples that families are confronting, is a worthy beneficiary for your generosity. You can find links to all of the county food assistance programs — seeking financial, food and volunteer donations — at the Snohomish County Food Coalition’s website at snocofood.org.
But similar nonprofit organizations are working to meet the full range of needs in our community, state and across the globe. The following suggestions provide just a sample of the groups working here and elsewhere to connect needs with your benevolence:
Washington Gives, wagives.org, is the state-based Giving Tuesday program that distributes donations to nonprofit groups and programs across the state.
The United Way of Snohomish County, uwsc.org, provides resources for children and families throughout the county, such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Snohomish County.
LiveWell Local, pihchub.org, run by the Providence Institute for a Healthier Community, offers a searchable listing and links to charitable organizations and assistance programs in the county.
Providence General Foundation, foundation.providence.org/wa/everett, supports the mission and work of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
SC Give, scgive.org, is Stanwood-Camano’s Giving Tuesday website, supporting efforts in that community.
The Community Foundation of Snohomish County, cf-sc.org, partners with families, nonprofits and community groups, assisting with grants, innovation and action.
Cocoon House, cocoonhouse.org, provides short- and long-term housing, street outreach and prevention services to prevent and end youth homelessness in Snohomish County.
Vision House, www.wagives.org/organization/visionhouse, provides short-term housing, food and services to families with children and men and women in Snohomish and King counties.
The Everett Gospel Mission, egmission.org, provides meals, addiction recovery, job training, life skills training and shelter and housing assistance to men, women and children experiencing homelessness.
Housing Hope, housinghope.org, with 652 affordable housing units at 24 locations throughout Snohomish County, uses financial support and volunteer hours to build permanent housing and provide emergency shelter as well as social support programs, while its HopeWorks affiliate provides job training and support.
Volunteers of America Western Washington, voaww.org, is an Everett-based organization, providing food bank programs, short- and long-term housing, fair housing services, early learning and preschool classes, behavioral health support, tribal services for the region’s Native American and Alaskan Native communities, personal support services for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, dispute resolution services and mediation, supported by financial donations and volunteer hours.
Assistance League Everett, www.assistanceleague.org/everett, provides clothing and financial assistance, scholarships and other assistance to the region’s children, youths and adults, such as its Operation School Bell, providing new clothes to Everett students at the start of the school year.
Donations to these and other established charitable programs typically are safe bets for your donations, but care still is necessary with donations.
People should be especially wary of phone calls, texts and emails requesting donations, as those often are used in scams. A donation to a charity that you contact is often safer, as it allows more control and an opportunity to review where your money is going and even direct how it will be used.
The Washington Secretary of State’s website offers tips and links on a number of charity watchdogs, that rate and review charities.
Among the most useful are:
The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, www.give.org, which accredits charities and offers reports to donors on hundreds of charities, rating them on governance, effectiveness, finances and fundraising practices; and
Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, also offers ratings and information on individual charities, scoring most on the percentage of donations that go toward programs rather than overhead and on the charity’s accountability and transparency. For those uncertain of where to direct their donations, Charity Navigator offers lists of charities and their ratings for specific issues, regions, disasters and other humanitarian concerns.
It also offers tips on smart giving, such as setting up monthly donations, giving to established charities and how to verify crowd-funded campaigns, as well as advice on charitable giving and taxes.
U.S. shoppers, based on early estimates, could spend a record $1 trillion this holiday season. At a time of growing need in our communities, we can spread some of that generosity toward those efforts and organizations striving to meet those needs.
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