Giving back was trending this holiday season to judge by the dozens of TikTok creators who went viral for donating gifts to Angel Tree, a Salvation Army program. With some videos racking up millions of views a piece, creators have taken advantage of their platforms to spread awareness for a charitable cause at a time when shopping content dominates social media.
“I feel so touched by every single video,” said Ashley Wells, who received donated gifts through a similar program at age 16. Now a 30-year-old phlebotomist, Wells told Fortune, “I’ve cried more tears in the last three days than I have in a really long time.”
Angel Tree provides Christmas gifts to children and teenagers in need. Shoppers visit an Angel Tree—a physical Christmas tree in select stores—and choose a hanging tag that lists what each child wants for the holiday, then purchase gifts for donation. The program serves more than 1 million children across the U.S. It has been around since 1979 but has received new attention this year with the help of TikTok.
The videos generally follow the same format. Creators film themselves choosing the wish lists from Angel Trees and filling their shopping carts with gifts—from hygiene essentials and clothes to Barbie dolls and bicycles.
Social media feeds increasingly seem geared toward buying and selling products, especially since the September launch of TikTok Shop and during the holiday season, creators and social media users who spoke with Fortune agreed. There’s more room on the app for content with real-world impact and for creators to inspire others to do good, they said. “I see a lot of clothing hauls and skin care hauls on TikTok, but a ‘helping people’ haul—that’s a trend I’ll get behind,” said Wells.
‘Influence should not be taken lightly’
Creators have posted about their Angel Tree shopping experiences in the past, but it hasn’t caught on with such vigor as this season. Clara Peirce, a 24-year-old living in Charleston, S.C., was one of the first to go viral with an Angel Tree video last year. She has been participating in the program since she was young but feared posting about it would feel performative, she said. Since she has in the past created content around donating blood and giving to Goodwill, she felt a video would be received well among her followers, but had no idea how far it would travel and what the larger response would be. A video of picking out gifts for four children received more than 30 million views and 6 million likes last year.
Peirce repeated the shopping trip this year, and her videos have amassed a total of 10 million views. Other creators have tagged her in their videos, crediting her as the trend’s godfather of sorts. She hopes her videos can get other people involved in the charity, especially other creators with influence over people’s purchasing decisions, she said. “If I can convince a thousand people to buy a shampoo, that influence should not be taken lightly,” she told Fortune.
Serena Neel, a Nevada-based TikToker with 3.3 million followers, couldn’t stop going back for more. After shopping for Angel Tree for the first time this year, she returned three more times, donating gifts to 17 children and amassing 40 million views for her videos about the experience. She had always been inspired by creators like “Just Knate,” whose platforms revolve around helping people, and she wanted to contribute in her own way, she told Fortune. She didn’t expect to go shopping more than once, but she enjoyed the experience so much and wanted to spread awareness after some users commented they didn’t previously know what Angel Tree was. She also received such a positive response from adults who were given gifts through the program as children, which made her want to donate more, she told Fortune.
Salvation Army commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder sounded elated about the viral videos: “Aren’t these just wonderful?” he said over email. While it’s too early to determine whether the videos have had any material impact on the number of donations, he told Fortune, “To those who are using their platforms to help bring awareness to this wonderful program, I say thank you. Your actions go far in bringing help and hope during what can be a difficult time for many.”
While TikTok does pay creators for some long-form content like this, which muddies the true intentions behind posting, the response has been largely positive online. The overwhelming majority of comments applaud their efforts rather than question their intentions. When creators can post about anything, said Wells, it’s nice to see them inspiring others to do good.
“I believe that the spirit of giving we’re seeing now is not simply a trend, but a snapshot of the love and support we have for one another,” said Hodder. “My hope is that people creating or seeing these videos will continue to carry that spirit of generosity and love with them all year long, whether we see it online or not.”
