The overview
The online giving event, hosted by the Communities Foundation of Texas, is held annually in September to support local nonprofits and causes. The official day of the event is Sept. 21, but donors were able to give starting Sept. 1.
North Texas Giving Day is the largest community event of its kind in the U.S., according to its website. Since it began in 2009, the event has raised more than $500 million for thousands of nonprofits across North Texas.
Notable quote
“When all of us come together and do something as part of a big communitywide movement, all those small donations really add up into something very significant,” said Monica Christopher, senior vice president of the Communities Foundation of Texas. “Even if you have $20 to give or $5 to give, you can be part of this movement.”
A closer look
In 2022, more than 94,000 donors contributed about $62.6 million through the event. This year, Communities Foundation of Texas’ goal is to reach 100,000 donors, Christopher said.
The participating organizations from 20 North Texas counties represent 27 cause areas, including:
- Arts, culture and humanities
- Housing, shelter and homelessness
- Racial equity
- LGBTQ topics
- Mental/behavioral health
Christopher said she hopes to see an increase in total donations this year as charitable giving has seen a national downward trend.
In 2022, the number of people making donations as well as the amount donated decreased across the country, according to Giving USA. North Texas Giving Day saw this decline with nearly 10,000 fewer donors and about $3.4 million less raised in 2022 than 2021.
Christopher said the trend wasn’t surprising as people are dealing with inflation and feel “donor fatigue” from giving increased donations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But nonprofits across North Texas are impacted by inflation this year as well while seeing an increased demand for their services, she said.
“More than ever, [nonprofits] are relying on charitable support from generous people across our community to be able to serve the people that they’re serving, to be able to fulfill their missions and to be able to do that really important work to make our community a great place to live,” Christopher said.
Get involved
Those interested in donating can choose a nonprofit to support on the North Texas Giving Day website. Donations can be made of $1 or more to any participating organization via Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo or a credit card.
Communities Foundation of Texas and partnering nonprofits are also hosting several events around North Texas to celebrate the official day. The events include:
- A kickoff event at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas at 4:30 a.m. Sept. 21
- A concert by country singer Jessee Lee at the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21
- A balloon festival at Oak Point Park in Plano at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21
- A family resource fair at Grauwyler Park in Dallas at 10 a.m. Sept. 21
