Giving Tuesday means more in 2020, and Mainers heed the call
Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1, is an international appeal for charity. Information about many Maine nonprofit groups is found in the Mainebiz Giving Guide. (See story for link to download the digital version.)
Today is Giving Tuesday, celebrated since 2012 five days after Thanksgiving as an international appeal for charity amid the commerce of the holiday season.
This year, that appeal may mean more than ever, as the pandemic cripples the health and financial well-being of millions of people.
Mainers well understand the importance of giving — not just today, but throughout the year.
The state has consistently been named among the country’s most generous. A study released last week by financial website SmartAsset ranked counties in Maine high among the more than 3,100 evaluated nationwide for their level of philanthropy.
The study took into account charitable contributions as a percentage of net income and the proportion of taxpayers that made a charitable contribution of any amount. Based on those factors, Cumberland County ranked No. 448 nationally, and the highest in Maine. Knox County was No. 858 in the country, and second-highest in the state. Lincoln County was third, at No. 981 nationally.
In addition, a state-by-state comparison released earlier this month ranked Maine No. 9 among the most charitable. That study, by another financial website, WalletHub, showed generosity in the state increased from 2019, when Maine ranked No. 10.
The analysis, which considered over a dozen metrics including percentage of residents who donated food and the portion of their income given to charities, also placed Maine among the top 10 states for volunteerism.
But since the start of the pandemic, the need for such generosity has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, many Mainers have found it more difficult to support the nonprofit organizations that work to fill that need.
Nonprofits employ 1 in 6 Maine workers and contribute $12 billion annually to the economy. Their vital role is one of the reasons Mainebiz has compiled our 2020 Giving Guide, which includes insights about charitable giving and profiles of 37 nonprofit institutions.
To view a digital edition of the Mainebiz Giving Guide, click here.
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