WHEELING — People have the opportunity to give back to nonprofits serving people throughout the Ohio Valley this Tuesday during the annual national event, Giving Tuesday.

With Giving Tuesday approaching, people can start thinking of ways to give back to the nonprofit organizations that serve the Ohio Valley in many ways.

Giving Tuesday is a movement celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving that pursues “radical generosity,” defined by the transformational powers of empathy and solidarity, not a series of transactions or discrete interactions, according to the event’s website, which notes radical generosity creates a world in which the collective recognition of humanity fundamentally respects what each of us can give, receive and learn from one another.

People do not only have to give to nonprofits, anyone can be a part of the movement and give to anyone or anything from making a stranger smile to helping a friend.

“Anybody can participate in Giving Tuesday,” said Susie Nelson, Executive Director of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, “anybody with a giving heart and a desire to help their community.”

The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley facilitates philanthropy for people, by people going to the Community Foundation with a larger gift that will last a lifetime and set it up in a fund that will give back to a specific organization or place of interest.

It is a great time for people to reflect on all of the gifts they have and those who are less fortunate and take that opportunity to pay it forward, Nelson said.

She described Giving Tuesday as an initiative to encourage people to be charitable during this time of year. As the initiative has evolved over the last 12 years, people can now give monetary donations online, whereas before they had to write checks or put cash in the kettle. Ohio Valley residents can give to nonprofits in the area that they feel are worthy of their donation by finding an organization that aligns with what they like.

Nelson said there are many nonprofits in the area that are serving a variety of charitable causes, so someone can choose what their values are and give to them, such as being interested in animal welfare, helping children or food security.

On Giving Tuesday, people can donate what they feel is necessary to the nonprofit they are giving to.

“It’s an opportunity for the nonprofit community to raise awareness just for charitable giving,” Nelson said. “And we’re entering into the last month of the year when people are considering how a charitable gift will benefit them from a tax perspective, so it’s really just an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to remind folks it’s that time of year.”

When thinking about which organization someone would like to give to, Nelson said to first think about the where and geography of the nonprofit, and then what’s important to the person, and someone will be able to find what they’re looking for.

Most nonprofits rely on the giving rush that happens at the end of the year, so Giving Tuesday is a time to help those organizations by donating something to keep the organization going.

Nelson said monetary gifts at this time of year are most needed for nonprofits, whether that comes in the form of cash or stocks by having the benefit of not having to pay capital gains tax.

She said “cash is king” on Giving Tuesday.

A lot of big national organizations, such as St. Jude’s Children Hospital and American Red Cross participate in a big way on Giving Tuesday, and although these organizations are wonderful, Nelson wants to promote people to think about giving to the smaller local nonprofits who are struggling to make ends meet.

The United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley’s mission is to improve health, education and financial stability in the community.

Giving Tuesday is important to nonprofits because during the holiday season, there are many people who aren’t able to spend time with families or afford to buy Christmas gifts and dinners, said Staci Stephen, Executive Director of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley.

United Way’s annual campaign throughout the year called “Raised Here, Stays Here” means 100% of what it collects stays local in the Ohio Valley.

United Way is doing online fundraising for social media and signing up for the Salvation Army to ring the bell. A lot of the time, nonprofits are understaffed, underfunded and trying to raise money for the people in the community that are in need, such as being homeless or living paycheck-to-paycheck so donating to a nonprofit is helping the people they serve.

“These are the people serving the greatest needs, so they’re the ones serving the children, serving these families that may not have any place to go, any place to live or have a roof over their head, these are the agencies that are serving the biggest need in the Ohio Valley,” Stephen said. “I think it’s crucial for movements like Giving Tuesday tha sheds some light on some of the issues in the Ohio Valley that we don’t think about that don’t affect us.”