What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that takes place each year on the first Tuesday after American Thanksgiving.
Launched in 2012 as a response to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it encourages people to come together in the spirit of radical generosity.
Once a grassroots initiative, this movement has grown into fundraising's biggest single-day event of the year, shattering donation records in 2022 by raising $3.1 billion for nonprofits.
This year, Giving Tuesday takes place on November 28th. With proceeds expected to surpass $3.5 billion, this is a crucial opportunity for your nonprofit to raise funds and awareness.
Set Your Goal
Wherever you are in your planning process, there’s still time to make the most of this generous day of giving.
Start by setting your Giving Tuesday goal. Choosing a single clear and realistic goal will help you focus your time and efforts in the right place.
To save you precious time, here are some key objectives to choose from:
Be SMART
Once you've chosen your goal, narrow it down using the SMART method. This will give you a clear objective to aim for and a clear message to communicate to donors:
- Specific - What do I want to accomplish?
- Measurable - How can I measure the goal's success?
- Attainable - How can the goal be accomplished?
- Relevant - How does this goal align with my broader objectives?
- Timely - What is the time frame to accomplish this goal?
Print out our SMART template below to create your own Giving Tuesday goal:
Get The Word Out
With your goal set, it's time to spread the word. An email campaign is a powerful last-minute fundraising idea that works well on its own or paired with other strategies.
If you’re still several weeks out, start building excitement by teasing your Giving Tuesday participation. If you're truly down to the wire, email supporters as soon as possible. Your messaging should include:
- The goal of your campaign
- The impact donors will have by participating
- How and when to take action
- Your gratitude to your supporters
- A clear call to action button
✨ Quick Tip
Add a calendar link to your email to trigger an automatic reminder for readers. Make sure it contains clear instructions and a donation link for donors to access easily on the big day.
When To Send
Frequent communication is key to reaching your audience. Send ongoing emails about your Giving Tuesday campaign in the weeks and days leading up to the event:
- End of October: Announce your participation by email
- 1 - 2 Weeks Out: Schedule emails reminding donors of the big day
- Holiday Weekend: Send out communications on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Giving Tuesday: Send your appeal with a clear call to action like DONATE NOW
- The Day After: Thank donors for their support
✨ Quick Tip:
Use Out-of-office auto-replies to highlight your Giving Tuesday efforts. Be sure to include donation links or any relevant instructions for readers.
Make it Match
Want to take your Giving Tuesday to the next level? Matching gift campaigns are one of the most successful ways to incentivize donations and can be pulled off effectively even on a tight schedule.
According to the data, 84% of donors are more likely to contribute to a matching gift campaign than a regular one. They also donate 50% more on average because they feel they’re making twice the impact.
How to Run a Matching Gift Campaign:
- Announce your matching gift campaign by email, social media, and web
- Make sure you provide a clear link to DONATE in each call to action
- Emphasize the impact that matched gifts will have
- Use powerful and emotional language like “double your impact”
✨ Quick Tip:
No time to plan a matching gift campaign from scratch? No problem. Fundraising Expert Alyssa Conrardy suggests getting approval from your board to use any existing donation pledges as the basis for your Giving Tuesday match:
If you have 10 board members and each is committed to giving $5,000 this year, you can say your board will match every donation made on Giving Tuesday, dollar-for-dollar, up to $50,000. Some boards even get so excited about these match campaigns that they agree to increase their match during the day on Giving Tuesday if the match cap is met.
Buy-Now, Raise More
Buy-Now items are impactful fundraising ideas that work great in a pinch. This fundraising strategy lets donors buy auction items at a set price while your organization keeps the profits.
Take our Magic of Mexico experience for example. For an NPO cost of just $1,650, you can offer your donors a luxurious getaway to a AAA Four Diamond Resort. Set the buy-it-now price at $2,700 to raise an easy $1,000+ for every trip sold!
The key is to offer highly sought-after and exclusive items that appeal to everyone. Luxury auction travel packages are a perfect last-minute pick as they’re risk-free and easy to place. Not to mention the allure of lavish accommodation and upscale amenities.
An added benefit? The money donors would typically spend on travel will now benefit a great cause.
Year-End Launch
Has all your time and effort been focused on your end-of-year fundraising campaign? Take advantage of Giving Tuesday as the perfect kick-off for your holiday appeal.
Rather than treat each event separately, a year-end launch strategy combines the hard work you’ve already done with the unstoppable momentum of a global day of giving.
How to Launch Your Year-End Appeal
- Announce the launch of your holiday fundraising campaign across all platforms on Giving Tuesday
- Add Giving Tuesday logos and branding to your existing communications and web pages. Swap them for holiday branding after the event
- Rally supporters around a one-day goal by treating it as the first step in your larger holiday appeal
- Tweak your website and donation copy to highlight how Giving Tuesday gifts will impact your year-end goal
- Use a single campaign name to unify both events, like “30 Days of Giving”, “The Season of Generosity”, or “Hope for the Holidays”
Be More Social
Giving Tuesday grew out of an online movement, so social media plays a crucial role in this event. TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are powerful ways to share your campaign and make valuable impressions (20 billion to be exact).
Set Up Direct Donations
Facebook: Take advantage of Facebook’s fundraising feature. Facebook Donation Account lets your supporters donate directly to your cause via your Facebook page. And there are zero processing fees!
Instagram: With a Facebook Donation Account, you can also fundraise directly through your Instagram profile, stories, or live stream.
What to Post
While sharing your fundraising goal is important, social media is all about connecting deeply with your audience.
Create positive, fun, and shareable posts—your donors are more likely to repost engaging content than direct donation appeals. Remember, not everyone can give. But having your message shared across hundreds of pages can have a huge impact!
Giving Tuesday Social Media Campaign Ideas
Here are some fun and easy ideas to jumpstart your campaign:
- Support: Ask your followers to post an Unselfie sharing why they support your cause. Reshare their photos with the hashtag #unselfie!
- Impact: Show how donations make an impact with inspiring stories, photos, and videos of your cause in action
- Appeal: Use social media to run a fund-a-need. Create urgency to reach that goal in 24 hours and share updates on your progress
✨Quick Tip
Start posting on your social channels at least one week before the big day. This creates momentum and helps you reach a broader audience.
Members of the LuxGive team share their Giving Tuesday #unselfies in support of local causes
Free Giving Tuesday Graphics
Don’t have time to create high-impact visuals from scratch? Use Giving Tuesday graphics to create beautiful images in no time:
Giving Tuesday images and templates
Take advantage of Giving Tuesday Instagram stickers to make your posts pop. To use, create a new Instagram story, click the sticker icon, then type @GivingTuesday in the search bar!
Harness Hashtags
Hashtags help spread your posts to a wider audience, including those who may be new to your cause. Take advantage of these powerful words to magnify your message and drive engagement!
We’ve included some of the most popular Giving Tuesday hashtags to copy and paste:
#GivingTuesday #UNselfie #socialgood #makeadifference #nonprofits #dogood #fundraising #globalmovement #givingseason #supportacause
Check Your Tech
With only 24 hours to make the most of this event, your donation platform must run smoothly. Page crashes or processing delays can mean a loss in critical donations. To prepare for the big day:
- Make sure the DONATE button is clear and visible on your page
- Verify that your donation page is working on computer and mobile
- Test payments to confirm they’re going through
- Check your backend for proper tracking of donor records
- Ensure donors are getting donation receipts
Need More Giving Tuesday Help?
- Browse a huge collection of free Giving Tuesday resources
Take Action
Planning a fundraiser for your nonprofit? LuxGive offers a wealth of resources to help you plan and execute a successful benefit event.
- Browse our free fundraising guides for powerful how-to's, fundraising strategies, and the best auction items.
- Get a free consultation with our fundraising specialists to learn how luxury auction vacation packages can amplify your event proceeds.
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