The Precious Gifts of Giving Tuesday
More than $100k raised for former research chimpanzees in 2018
Editor’s Note: Giving Tuesday 2019 is December 3, 2019. Seventy nine former research chimps now have a forever home at Project Chimps, but nearly 130 more are waiting for their chance to leave the lab and join them. You can help by donating today for Giving Tuesday 2019.
Project Chimps now has 79 chimpanzees Two dollars. That was all she had to spare but she went out of her way to make the online donation for Precious and the chimpanzees on Giving Tuesday anyway. Actually, it was $2.26 because this kind-hearted person didn’t want us to have to pay for the processing fees.
That donation was just one example of the outpouring of love and support we received yesterday on #GivingTuesday 2018. As I savored my morning coffee and recapped the day, here’s what I took away from yesterday’s flurry of activities:
You donated what you could
People frequently message us saying, “This is all I can give right now…I wish it were more,” but the gift is always enough. We are touched by the fact that people do what they can. Yesterday, the smallest gift was $2 and the largest was the $50,000, which was used to match your generosity all day long from a founding donor. That $50,000 gave us the momentum that propelled us to a little over $100,000! And donations are still coming in for the 59 former research chimps now living at Project Chimps. The average donation was about $170, but what mattered most is people gave what they could.
You helped by telling our story
Hundreds of thousands of people met 28-year-old former research chimpanzee Precious yesterday as celebrity supporters shared her picture on their social media channels. Many of these supporters help us in so many ways already. And we were thankful for this extra consideration on Giving Tuesday. Precious’ story was told on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter because of their posts and because you shared and engaged with our content. When you share our social posts or email a friend, you increase our reach and our impact. You introduce us to new friends and the conversation grows. These conversations helped us to exceed our goal for Giving Tuesday, one of our most important fundraisers of the year.
You come from all over the world
Supporters from more than 35 countries clicked to donate online. Our social posts were shared in multiple languages including Italian, Portuguese and Japanese. While most of our supporters come from the U.S., we saw contributions from countries including the Netherlands, England, Canada, Brazil and New Zealand. We learned yesterday that Precious and the chimps have supporters around the world!
You have a huge heart for the chimps
Throughout the day, one of our staff members or volunteers would share one of your caring comments that came in via phone, email or social. A handful of people shared that they too suffer with kidney disease, like Precious, and wanted to support her for that reason. Others said they already sponsor one of our chimpanzees and wanted to donate in that chimp’s honor. Then at around 5 p.m. the owners of a local gift shop, “gather,” shared that they wanted to donate six fresh pumpkins that had been used as fall décor in their store. We were so touched.
Their gift was just another reminder that people have huge hearts for the chimps and support them in so many ways. For Giving Tuesday we said that “All Chimps are Precious.” We know that our supporters and their many gifts are just as precious too.