The Giving Doll was created and copyrighted by Jan Householder in March 2006, as a community volunteer project. As other needs became apparent, the program expanded to include children in a variety of settings worldwide. In 2009 The Giving Doll, Inc. became a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. In January, 2020 The Giving Doll reached a milestone of 55,000 dolls being given to children worldwide..