Acts of charity and giving back, like everything else, have been impacted by COVID-19. Though, the overall impact is not necessarily negative. With so much turmoil in the world, people are looking for ways to help â on both a national and local level â and statistics are showing increases in charitable donations. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project â made up of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute â found that charitable giving was up 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2020, as shown by a study released in October. Additionally, Giving Tuesday â the 8-year-old campaign designed to encourage people to donate money annually to charities on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving â saw a 25 percent increase in donations over last year.