Since 2011, YouGiveGoods has steadily grown and disrupted (in a good way) the practice of goods donation drives and in-kind giving. Then came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Work and school closures immediately translated to increased need in every community in the U.S. Our contactless, transparent virtual drive platform was uniquely qualified to help, but amidst the fear and uncertainly, would drives and donations happen?

The answer was a resounding “yes”. We are pleased to report that in 2020 YouGiveGoods delivered food, toys and supplies to over 1300 nonprofits supporting individuals and families in every state in the U.S. plus Washington D.C and Puerto Rico. We delivered to NPOs large and small, in inner cities and remote rural locations. Despite their differences they all share the same passion and devotion to help those in need in their communities.

And at a time when food pantries were tasked with feeding more people than ever before while donation streams were limited due to COVID and social distancing, YouGiveGoods was able to help by delivering over one half of a million pounds of food (roughly 550,000 lbs.).

We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support to the COVID relief food and supply drives but as the holiday season approached we wondered whether potential donors would be able and willing to purchase a “non-essential” item like a toy? We filled our warehouse with toys just to be safe but in early November our phones started ringing off the hook. Corporations, groups, schools, nonprofits and individuals wanted to keep their toy drive traditions alive by moving to our virtual drive platform.

In the end, the compassion and generosity of the YouGiveGoods community and their supporters translated to 1,012 holiday toy drives with 111,939 toys donated to kids in need. Due to our early partnership with Toys for Tots there were 546 drives benefiting Toys for Tots alone.

For the 6th year in a row our most popular gift was the basketball followed by a new item for our holiday gift selection, Bluetooth earbuds. In addition to toys, generous donors also purchased wonderful books, warm coats, socks, diapers, food and more during the busy 2020 holiday season.

Our deliveries were met with relief and joy and we were thanked over and over again. “[Our holiday toy drive] was a huge success and our children and families were incredibly happy! I could not have done this without you and this amazing platform,” wrote Angie from Children’s Home Society of NJ.

We are grateful for the kind words but the real thank you goes out to you, our YGG community. If it wasn’t for the efforts of our team captains none of this would be possible. We are thankful for each and every one of our team captains and drive sponsors, from the largest corporate sponsors to the youngsters in the boy/girl scout troops.

And, to every donor, we extend a heartfelt thank you from YouGiveGoods and from the charities that you supported. Know that your donations got into the hands of those in need and made a tangible impact. We continue to be inspired by every donor’s decision to reach out and help someone they will never meet with the very personal gift of donated items through YouGiveGoods.

As we start off a new year and hope for the days that COVID-19 is behind us, we will continue to move forward with innovating the field of in-kind giving and expanding our reach and do even more good. We look forward to all the great things our YouGiveGoods community will accomplish in 2021.