This GivingTuesday planning information accommodates 10 steps your nonprofit can take to set objectives and develop a fundraising technique for GivingTuesday. When you haven’t already, register now for #GivingTuesday on Mightycause to entry fee-free fundraising on your nonprofit, together with free webinars and fundraising sources. When you’ve registered, you’ll be able to shift your focus to begin #GivingTuesday planning for the large day on December 1st, 2026.
We’ve developed this useful #GivingTuesday planning information that can assist you get began!
1. Construct your GivingTuesday staff
Choose a workers member or volunteer as a degree particular person — somebody who has sturdy management and organizational expertise and may decide to your entire marketing campaign timeline and course of. This particular person doesn’t need to do the entire Giving Tuesday planning themselves, however might be organizing your workers and volunteers to ensure all the pieces will get finished, so select somebody who understands what steps should be taken to get the job finished at each stage. You’ll wish to be certain that this particular person is snug delegating work and multitasking. A Growth Coordinator or volunteer with fundraising expertise could be nice picks for this position!
2: Decide your fundraising priorities
Earlier than you begin setting fundraising objectives or creating marketing campaign supplies, take a step again and outline what success appears like on your group.
Whereas many nonprofits focus solely on how a lot they wish to elevate, GivingTuesday can even enable you to strengthen donor relationships, appeal to new supporters, and construct momentum for year-end fundraising. Begin by reviewing your fundraising knowledge from the previous yr. Search for developments, determine your greatest alternatives, and take into consideration the place your group can develop.
Ask your self:
- Did we retain donors from final yr’s GivingTuesday marketing campaign?
- Are we making an attempt to amass new donors?
- Can we wish to develop our recurring giving program?
- Are there company companions or main donors we should always have interaction?
- What suggestions have we acquired from donors, volunteers, or workers?
By figuring out your priorities first, you’ll create a GivingTuesday marketing campaign that’s aligned along with your group’s broader fundraising objectives – not only a one-day occasion.
3. Determine on a GivingTuesday aim
How a lot are you trying to elevate on your GivingTuesday fundraising marketing campaign? Make certain your monetary aim is achievable – when you have an amazingly profitable day, you’ll be able to all the time set a stretch aim to maintain donations coming in, however you wish to set your self up for achievement. Think about the dimensions of your current base of donors when setting your aim.
4. Select a transparent marketing campaign focus
One of many greatest errors nonprofits make is making an attempt to boost cash for all the pieces. As an alternative, construct your GivingTuesday marketing campaign round one clear, compelling focus.
Your marketing campaign ought to reply one easy query:
“What are we asking donors to make attainable?”
Somewhat than asking supporters to “assist our group,” join their reward to a selected consequence.
For instance:
- Broaden your meals pantry.
- Fund 500 meals for native households.
- Present scholarships for youth packages.
- Rescue and look after shelter animals.
- Restore a neighborhood park.
- Assist one month of emergency companies.
A centered marketing campaign makes it simpler to inform a compelling story, create constant messaging, and assist donors perceive the influence of their reward. When you’ve chosen your focus, carry it all through each a part of your marketing campaign, out of your donation web page and fundraising emails to your social media posts and thank-you messages.
5. Craft a GivingTuesday message that evokes motion
Your marketing campaign messaging must be centered round motivating your supporters to offer. The strongest GivingTuesday campaigns mix 4 important parts:
Relevance
Why does your work matter proper now? Assist donors perceive why this second is vital.
Authenticity
Share actual tales from the individuals, animals, or communities you serve. Genuine tales create emotional connections and construct belief.
Urgency
GivingTuesday is simply in the future. Clarify why donors ought to act now as an alternative of ready.
Influence
Present donors precisely what their reward will accomplish.
As an alternative of claiming: “Please assist our group.”
Strive: “A present of $50 as we speak supplies a household with groceries for a complete week.”
Every time attainable, make your donor the hero of the story. Deal with what their generosity makes attainable reasonably than your group’s wants.
6. Put together your marketing campaign property
Creating content material on the final minute results in rushed messaging and pointless stress. Getting ready your marketing campaign emails, social posts, movies, and photographs forward of time permits your staff to remain centered on participating donors as soon as GivingTuesday arrives.
Earlier than your marketing campaign launches, collect all the pieces you’ll want to advertise your fundraiser, together with:
- Influence tales and testimonials
- Photographs and movies that seize your work
- Group statistics and key details
- Social media graphics
- Electronic mail banners
- Marketing campaign logos or branded graphics
- Donor thank-you graphics
Creating these property upfront additionally helps preserve a constant look and message throughout your web site, emails, and social media channels.
7. Construct your communications plan
Even the very best GivingTuesday marketing campaign received’t succeed if supporters by no means hear about it.) A communications plan helps you attain donors a number of instances with constant messaging earlier than, throughout, and after GivingTuesday. Establish the channels you’ll use and begin engaged on a method to have interaction your donors main as much as and on Giving Tuesday.
Think about creating content material for:
- Electronic mail advertising and marketing
- Social media
- Your web site homepage
- Weblog posts
- SMS or textual content messaging
- Board member outreach
- Volunteer communications
- Company companions
See Creating an Efficient Communications Plan for Your Nonprofit for ideas that may enable you to be certain that your key messages come throughout on all channels! Somewhat than sending one fundraising e-mail, plan a collection of communications that construct pleasure all through your marketing campaign.
A easy schedule would possibly appear to be this:
| Timing | Message |
|---|---|
| Two weeks earlier than | Save the date |
| One week earlier than | Share your marketing campaign story |
| Day earlier than | Reminder to offer tomorrow |
| GivingTuesday morning | Marketing campaign launches |
| Noon | Progress replace |
| Remaining hours | Final likelihood to offer |
| Following day | Thank supporters and share outcomes |
Consistency builds familiarity, and a number of touch-points assist guarantee your marketing campaign stays high of thoughts.
8. Recruit fundraisers and marketing campaign ambassadors
You don’t need to run your GivingTuesday marketing campaign alone. Recruiting supporters to assist unfold the phrase can dramatically broaden your attain and introduce your group to new donors.
Think about inviting your:
- Board members
- Volunteers
- Workers
- Loyal donors
- Neighborhood companions
- Company supporters
These advocates can share your marketing campaign with family and friends, publish about your mission on social media, and even create their very own fundraising pages via a peer-to-peer marketing campaign. Peer-to-peer fundraising is very efficient as a result of individuals are extra doubtless to offer once they’re requested by somebody they know. It additionally helps small nonprofits attain totally new audiences with out growing their advertising and marketing price range.
Need to be taught extra? Learn our information, The whole lot You Ought to Know About Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, and discover ways to launch a profitable peer-to-peer fundraising marketing campaign.
9. Get your board concerned
Your board will be one in every of your biggest fundraising property on GivingTuesday, however provided that you give them a transparent position. Somewhat than merely asking board members to donate, invite them to actively take part in your marketing campaign. They can assist broaden your attain, encourage new donors, and construct momentum all through the day.
Listed here are a couple of methods to have interaction your board:
- Create a Board GivingTuesday fundraising staff.
- Ask every board member to make a private fundraising ask to family and friends.
- Flip fundraising right into a pleasant competitors with prizes for probably the most donors or {dollars} raised.
- Encourage board members to share your marketing campaign on social media and e-mail their networks.
- Ask a board member to offer or assist safe an identical reward.
Offering board members with ready-to-use e-mail templates, social media posts, and speaking factors makes it a lot simpler for them to take part and will increase the probability they’ll really do it.
10. Safe an identical reward
An identical reward is without doubt one of the best methods to encourage donors to offer on GivingTuesday. When supporters know their donation might be matched, they’re extra doubtless to offer and sometimes give extra generously.
Begin by figuring out people or organizations which may be prepared to sponsor your marketing campaign, similar to:
- Main donors
- Board members
- Native companies
- Company sponsors
- Foundations
When you’ve secured a match, make it a central a part of your marketing campaign messaging. Point out it in your emails, social media posts, and donation web page to create urgency and encourage supporters to maximise their influence whereas the match is offered.
In search of sponsors? Our information, Securing Company Partnerships for Your Nonprofit, shares sensible ideas for constructing relationships with native companies and company companions.
Need to dive deeper? Obtain our free GivingTuesday Matching Grants Information to discover ways to safe, promote, and maximize matching presents on your marketing campaign.
11. Put together for GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday can transfer shortly, so having a plan for the day itself helps your staff keep organized and responsive. Earlier than launch day, assign duties so everybody is aware of their position.
Your GivingTuesday plan ought to embody:
- Who will monitor donations?
- Who will reply to feedback and messages on social media?
- Who will publish marketing campaign updates all through the day?
- When will fundraising emails be despatched?
- How will you rejoice fundraising milestones?
- Who will thank donors in actual time?
Don’t neglect to check your donation web page earlier than the marketing campaign begins. Make certain all donation hyperlinks work correctly, your web page shows appropriately on cell gadgets, and any matching presents or fundraising objectives are clearly communicated.
12. Steward your donors after GivingTuesday
Your GivingTuesday marketing campaign doesn’t finish when the donations cease coming in. Following up with donors is without doubt one of the most vital steps in constructing long-term relationships and inspiring future giving.
Begin by thanking donors as shortly as attainable, ideally inside 24 to 48 hours. Then proceed the dialog by sharing the outcomes of your marketing campaign and demonstrating the influence their generosity made attainable.
A easy follow-up plan would possibly embody:
- A right away thank-you e-mail
- A marketing campaign recap with fundraising outcomes
- Photographs or tales exhibiting donor influence
- A customized thank-you for main donors and fundraisers
- An invite to remain concerned via volunteering, recurring giving, or your year-end marketing campaign
One of many greatest advantages of an enormous giving occasion like Giving Tuesday is that you simply’ll have the chance to select up new donors and unfold your message to new audiences. Develop a method for making certain that the brand new donors you choose up on Giving Tuesday keep engaged in your nonprofit’s work and are available again to donate to your group once more! Considerate stewardship helps flip one-time donors into long-term supporters.
When ought to nonprofits begin planning for GivingTuesday?
The very best time to start planning your GivingTuesday marketing campaign is 3 – 4 months earlier than GivingTuesday. Beginning early provides your staff time to set fundraising objectives, recruit supporters, create advertising and marketing supplies, and safe matching presents.
What makes a profitable GivingTuesday marketing campaign?
Profitable GivingTuesday campaigns have:
- A transparent fundraising aim
- A compelling story
- An optimized donation web page
- A number of e-mail appeals
- Quick donor thank-yous
How a lot ought to a small nonprofit attempt to elevate?
Somewhat than evaluating your self to bigger organizations, set a aim primarily based in your donor base and former fundraising efficiency. A practical, achievable aim builds momentum and retains supporters engaged.
Do we’d like an identical reward?
No, however matching presents can considerably enhance donor participation by creating urgency and inspiring bigger donations.
Can a nonprofit take part with out a big price range?
Completely! Many profitable GivingTuesday campaigns depend on genuine storytelling, e-mail advertising and marketing, social media, peer-to-peer fundraising, and volunteer ambassadors.
Need extra ideas for #GivingTuesday planning? Make sure you register for GivingTuesday on Mightycause to entry fee-free fundraising on your nonprofit and different useful sources.
