Giving Tuesday (https://www.givingtuesday.org/) is the day that keeps giving year-round.
The international day of giving encourages people to give time, talent and treasure — both monetary and in-kind donations — to nonprofits in order to “transform the world through radical generosity.”
More than 1,000 nonprofits statewide are participating in the day-long event on Tuesday, Dec. 2, including the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. It will funnel Giving Tuesday funds into its Community Impact Fund to support areas of greatest need.
“There’s something truly powerful about donating on Giving Tuesday — your generosity becomes part of a collective effort that lifts entire communities," said Melissa D’Auria, United Way of Tucson's vice president and chief advancement officer "Every gift joins others to create real, lasting change for our neighbors. That sense of coming together, of caring for one another, is what makes Tucson home,”
United Way Tucson programs impact more than 250,000 children, families and older adults annually. D’Auria emphasized that monetary donations of all sizes are particularly meaningful this year since many families feel behind on payments for rent and utilities during the government shutdown.
“This is a really difficult and critical time for many families, more so than a couple months ago. Anyone on the fence who hasn’t participated in Giving Tuesday or given monetarily to a nonprofit locally might want to consider it now given just how difficult it is for so many,” said D’Auria.
We Care Tucson (https://www.wecaretucson.org/) is also working to make life easier for local children and families by raising $10,000 during Giving Tuesday.
“This is a fundraiser for our Youth Initiatives Program that has just exploded,” said MeMe Aguila, executive director of We Care Tucson (https://www.azgives.org/wecaretucson).
The organization is dedicated to removing barriers to information, education and wellness by restoring donated technology and medical equipment. The Youth Initiative Programs offer summer tech and robotic camps for students in grades four through 11. The camps served more than 250 youth this year.
Aguila said the free programming will expand in 2026 to provide career-oriented opportunities for teens to learn tech, leadership and conflict resolution skills as camp counselors.
“We are planning an expansion into workforce development with a pilot program that will hard launch in February. It will teach soft skills like resume writing and interview techniques and have a track to learn computer repair,” said Aguila.
Aguila said We Care is filling a vital need in up-skilling technology throughout Tucson.
“Our mission is to remove barriers. We don’t ask questions and there are no forms to fill out, so are programs are accessible: We give people the ability to experience things like robotics camp and building robots without it costing anything,” said Aguila.
Tucsonans can offer real-time Giving Tuesday support for the Living Streets Alliance during a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 2) at Tap & Bottle, N. 6th Ave. The event will feature door prizes, and 10% of proceeds from food and beverages sold (including take-out) will be donated to the Living Streets Alliance.
“This campaign kicks off our end-of-year giving and is an invitation to the community to come join us and learn about our work and celebrate our benchmarks in 2025,” said Vanessa Cascio, executive director of Living Streets Alliance.
The local nonprofit is dedicated to transforming the streets of Tucson into vibrant public spaces that bring people together while providing safe, accessible and attractive transportation options.
Cascio said the alliance hosted two Cyclovia events in 2025—each one of which attracted 50,000 participants. It is also celebrating a year of fare-free transit, which is among its platforms as a transportation advocacy organization. Other programs include Safe Routes to School in partnership with the City of Tucson.
“These programs show how streets can be safe and joyful. Cyclovia closes several miles of streets so people can walk and bike and the whole event is free and open to everyone in the community. It is a great way to demonstrate how our streets can be pubic spaces,” said Cascio.
The organization seeks to raise $25,000 during Giving Tuesday; funds will be used to support Cyclovia, advocacy and programming.
If you can’t make the happy hour but want to support the cause, you can donate online at https://www.livingstreetsalliance.org/.
