Pasadena nonprofits marked Giving Tuesday with sharply different strategies, reflecting national debates over timing and donor engagement in the global generosity movement that generated an estimated $3.6 billion in donations from about 36 million U.S. participants in 2024, a 16% increase from the previous year.
Locally, Club 21 Learning and Resource Center treated the day not as a standalone appeal but as the finale of a monthlong fundraising window tied to its October Together is Better Walk during Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The campaign timeline explicitly continued through Dec. 2, making Giving Tuesday the final fundraising day.
Event coordinator Linda Lohmeyer said aligning the October walk with Giving Tuesday “leads to greater success.”
Club 21 emphasized program breadth, noting its Pathway of Programs includes 16 offerings from prenatal to young adult, such as First Steps early intervention, Every Child A Reader literacy supports, transition and employment preparation, and adult social groups.
“We are WITH YOU every step of the way, with community, with education and with support,” Lohmeyer said.
Friends In Deed leaned on business partnerships, continuing its tradition with Lavender & Honey Espresso Bar, which pledged 50% of all sales on Dec. 2 to support the nonprofit’s programs.
Development manager Dani Vinokurov said Giving Tuesday complements a year-round fundraising calendar, citing the February 2025 Giving Day that drew 264 donors, surpassing its 225-donor goal and unlocking a $20,000 matching grant from the Lawrence A. Appley Foundation.
Friends In Deed framed Giving Tuesday within urgent winter needs, saying Pasadena’s homeless population rising 4% to 581 in the Feb. 19–20, 2025 Point In Time Count, with unsheltered individuals up 7% to 342. 2024 program statistics showed the Food Pantry served 29,331 client visits averaging 575 households weekly, with October 2025 demand peaking at more than 800 households in one week — the highest in program history. The Bad Weather Shelter provided 3,404 emergency shelter nights to 205 individuals over 43 nights, while Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance prevented 97 households from homelessness at an average cost of $3,551 each,
AbilityFirst structured its appeal around program tiers, asking donors to fund items ranging from $50 community excursions to $500 monthly job coach transportation and $1,000 annual public transportation passes.
Marketing manager David Ortiz said donations also support adaptive technology and employment opportunities through programs such as Project SEARCH.
“By facilitating participation in local events, social gatherings, and volunteer opportunities, we enable [participants] to build relationships, explore new experiences, and feel valued,” Ortiz said.
Many other nonprofits in Pasadena’s field of nearly 1,500 are issuing emails and social media appeals today.
Giving Tuesday, launched in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, itself became an independent nonprofit in 2019.
If you’d like to support any of the organizations mentioned in this article, here is further information:
Club 21 Learning and Resource Center
https://clubtwentyone.org/
The organization’s homepage notes that donations are open through December 2, 2025 (Giving Tuesday). This page allows donors to make general donations, recurring monthly donations, contributions to the SHINE Fund (Sarah Hinojosa Innovative New Endeavors Fund), or gifts in memory/honor of someone.
Friends In Deed
https://friendsindeedpas.org/
Friends In Deed accepts one-time and recurring monthly donations through this page. The organization is also partnering with Lavender & Honey Espresso Bar for Giving Tuesday 2025, with the coffee bar donating 50% of its Giving Tuesday sales to Friends In Deed.
AbilityFirst
https://www.abilityfirst.org/
AbilityFirst has a dedicated Giving Tuesday page that allows donors to contribute at specific impact levels: $50 funds a community excursion, $100 funds an art project for 20 participants, $250 funds a cooking project, $500 covers a job coach’s transportation, and $1,000 provides one year of public transportation for a participant.
Pasadena Humane
https://give.pasadenahumane.
Pasadena Humane’s 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign features a “5x the impact” matching opportunity. Thanks to a generous gift from the Sterling Pile Trust, every $1 donated becomes $5 for animals in need, with matching funds capped at $100,000 through midnight on December 2.
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