GivingTuesday Is Dec. 1: How to Build a Family Giving Plan Your Kids Will Remember

Every year, right after the big shopping days, comes a different kind of day. GivingTuesday falls on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It began in 2012 as a simple idea: after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, set aside a day to give back. It has grown into a worldwide movement.

Last year the response in the United States was remarkable. According to GivingTuesday’s own data team, an estimated 38.1 million Americans took part on GivingTuesday 2025. About 19.1 million gave money, 13.5 million donated goods, and 11.1 million volunteered. Together, Americans gave an estimated $4 billion in a single day.

Those numbers are inspiring, but the most lasting gift may be what happens around your own kitchen table. With about two weeks to go, here is how to turn GivingTuesday into a family giving plan your children will remember.

Talk About It, Do Not Just Do It

Many of us give quietly, and that is good. But research suggests children learn generosity best when parents explain it out loud. A study from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy followed more than 900 children and found that kids whose parents talked with them about giving were about 20 percent more likely to give to charity themselves. Talking made a difference across boys and girls, ages, races, and family incomes. Role modeling helped too, but the researchers found talking was even more effective and encouraged parents to do both.

So invite your children into the “why.” Share a cause close to your heart and the story behind it. Ask what breaks their hearts or makes them hopeful. A child who loves animals, a teen who worries about hungry classmates, a grandparent who remembers a church that helped in hard times: each one gives you a place to start.

Build a Simple Family Giving Plan

Try a family meeting this week, maybe over dessert, and work through these steps together:

1. Pick one or two causes. Let each person nominate one. Narrow it down together so everyone feels heard.
2. Set an amount you can truly afford. Generosity should never put your family in a bind. Even a few dollars from each child’s allowance, or loose change saved in a jar, counts.
3. Add time and talents. Not every gift is money. Sort cans at a food pantry, write cards for nursing home residents, shovel a neighbor’s walk, or bake for a family going through a tough season.
4. Give goods with care. Before a closet clean-out, call the shelter or charity and ask what they actually need right now.
5. Mark the day. Put December 1 on the calendar and decide together when and how you will give.

Give Wisely: A Quick Check Before You Donate

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers sensible advice for families who want their gifts to count:

• Confirm the charity’s exact name. Many groups have similar names but no connection to each other.
• Look up the charity on Give.org or your state charity office. About 40 states require charities to register, though registration is not an endorsement.
• Do not let pressure or a heart-tugging appeal rush you. A good charity can explain clearly what it will do with your gift.
• Give directly through the charity’s own website rather than through links in social media posts.

This is a wonderful job for an older child. Let them do the research and report back to the family.

A Note on Taxes in 2026

There is a change worth knowing about this year. Starting in 2026, people who take the standard deduction can deduct cash gifts to qualifying charities, up to $1,000 for most filers or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly, as Kiplinger has reported. The gifts must go to a 501(c)(3) public charity, and gifts to donor-advised funds do not count for this deduction. Keep receipts, and get a written acknowledgment for any single gift of $250 or more. Check with a tax professional about your own situation. The best reason to give has nothing to do with a tax form.

Keep the Joy in It

After December 1, gather again and talk about it. What did it feel like? Who did we help? What would we like to do next year? Some families keep a “giving journal” and add a page each year. Over time, it becomes a record of a family learning to love its neighbors.

Scripture reminds us that giving is a matter of the heart, not pressure or guilt.

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

— 2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV)

Whatever your budget, your family has something to offer. Through every storm, we rise together.

What cause would your family choose to support together this GivingTuesday?

Sources: GivingTuesday, “Generosity Sweeps the Globe: Participation and Donations Rise on Another Record-Breaking GivingTuesday” (Dec 3, 2025); GlobalGiving, “GivingTuesday 2026” campaign page (accessed Nov 13, 2026); Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy via IUPUI News, “How parents teach children about charitable giving matters, new study finds” (Sep 12, 2013); BBB, “BBB Tip: Donating on Giving Tuesday” (Oct 21, 2025); Give.org, “How to Donate with Confidence on GivingTuesday” (Nov 20, 2024); Kiplinger, “3 Major Changes to the 2026 Charitable Deduction” (Feb 21, 2026); KJV 2 Corinthians 9:7.