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Giving Tuesday is a new opportunity for nonprofits to attract, engage, and retain donors every year. Charitable organizations that plan early and get creative have more fundraising potential to look forward to.
So, how do you find creative Giving Tuesday ideas this year? What will make your campaign memorable? How can you have the most successful giving day yet?
Our list of 12 Giving Tuesday ideas for nonprofits is your go-to resource for everything you need to stand tall as we approach the holiday season. Let’s dive in!
The transformative power of a robust Giving Tuesday campaign
Since its launch in 2012, Giving Tuesday has grown from helping nonprofits raise $10 million to over $3.1 billion in nearly 100 countries on a single day of generosity in 2023. According to the official GivingTuesday organization, 2024 giving levels have held steady since last year’s impressive giving levels.
Aside from an exciting season ahead of donations, Giving Tuesday gets people talking and thinking about giving back, a concept referred to as radical generosity. Nonprofits see people take action in various ways beyond just donating money.
With more creative ways to interact with supporters and invite them into campaigns, Giving Tuesday has the potential to fulfill annual fundraising goals and fuel giving into the following year, too.
Refresh your strategy with creative Giving Tuesday ideas
When you consider your Giving Tuesday strategy, it’s not enough to think about those final fundraising goals. Today’s donors want to feel highly involved in the charitable organizations they support, making donor engagement, community, and meaningful relationship building a key focus for nonprofits.
It’s essential to consider a donor’s experience from their first impression of your nonprofit to confirmation of their first completed donation. At the same time, you can’t forget to be proactive about ways to nurture those donors into the new year.
There are so many ways to get supporters (new and old) involved with your cause and keep them excited about giving to your nonprofit long after Giving Tuesday is over. How? Well, we’re glad you asked.
Get ready to dive into our list of 12 new Giving Tuesday ideas and successful campaign examples for your best year yet.
Social media is where Giving Tuesday thrives. Donors are more commonly heading to their TikTok and Instagram feeds to learn about new causes and engage in fundraisers that their peers or influencers share.
It’s one thing to promote a Giving Tuesday campaign on social media and another to create one from the start. You can (and should) use social media to post your nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday goals and encourage people to participate, but you can also get a bit more creative.
Depending on your goals and ideal donors, there are many ways to use social platforms. Below are a few ideas to inspire you.
Creative Giving Tuesday social media campaign ideas
Host a fitness, art, or cooking challenge that invites participants to share what they create through a personal post encouraging others to donate.
Highlight volunteer stories and profiles to introduce them to new donors.
Educate followers about your nonprofit's work and the importance of being radically generous with short videos and images leading up to Giving Tuesday.
Make a countdown to Giving Tuesday series of posts that reiterate how soon the big day will be here, and remind followers to check back in to give.
Spotlight donors with testimonials about their involvement and ideas for others who want to do the same.
Live stream a Q&A session about your cause, projects, and new ways to get involved this Giving Tuesday to build relationships before a campaign launch.
Leverage interactive polls that reiterate learning and quiz your audience about essential stats that fuel your mission and cause awareness.
Turn to user-generated content that reposts supporters, team members, and volunteers who share your Giving Tuesday campaign from their point of view and style.
Thank donors in real-time with appreciation posts that share updates on fundraising totals and their impact on your goals.
2. Create a campaign around the #GivingTuesday hashtag
This will probably be no surprise, but Giving Tuesday has an official hashtag! Well, two to be exact. Both #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday[Current Year] have a lot of potential to boost engagement.
Using the official hashtags and any personalized versions can help you create a viral campaign or attract more attention to your donation page. Giving Tuesday hashtags receive billions of social media impressions every year. Make sure your organization’s campaign is among them!
Ideas for your Giving Tuesday hashtag campaign
Host a themed hashtag challenge related to your cause that encourages supporters to participate using the #GivingTuesday hashtag. For example, ask them to share reasons your cause matters to them and add the hashtag to the post for eligibility.
Create a storytelling series that uses #GivingTuesday to create featured posts with personal stories from beneficiaries, donors, or volunteers that arise in search results when people explore the hashtag.
Provide updates on a match day that uses #GivingTuesday to share opportunities for a donation match during your campaign and how it contributes to milestones throughout the day.
Cross-promote collaborative campaigns with other organizations or influencers using #GivingTuesday to increase potential supporter reach and engagement.
Host live Q&A sessions or interactive polls that tag #GivingTuesday and spread awareness about timely topics this time of year.
Share eye-catching visuals like graphics, videos, or GIFs incorporating #GivingTuesday that excite people and build trust with your organization.
Encourage friends and colleagues to use #GivingTuesday to challenge their friends and family to donate or participate with a natural ripple effect.
3. Encourage your community with a storytelling campaign
There’s more than one popular hashtag your nonprofit can use on #GivingTuesday. There is nothing quite as powerful as a storytelling campaign when it comes to attracting new donors and encouraging existing donors to give.
Ask your donors to share why they support your cause, and then be sure to re-share those stories in your emails and social media posts. (Remember to include a clear call to action so people know where to click and how to do their part.)
Encouraging people to share their personal stories of how your nonprofit helped or changed their lives can significantly impact them. These real-life examples from people they know are the incentives they need to get involved and contribute to a cause they care about.
Ideas for a #ShareYourStory Giving Tuesday campaign
Launch a contest inviting community members to submit their stories about your cause for a prize.
Create specific hashtags for different types of stories, such as #MyImpactStory or #WhyICare, that people can use around Giving Tuesday when they post on various platforms.
Host storytelling workshops both virtually and in person to share skills on crafting and sharing compelling stories about their connection to your nonprofit.
Invite community members to write guest blog posts or create video testimonials for you to feature throughout your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Provide supporters with storytelling kits that feature things like meaningful prompts, guidelines, and tips for effectively sharing their stories on Giving Tuesday.
Host an impact showcase that shares any stories you’ve gained throughout the years as a special dedication to your Giving Tuesday campaign.
4. Run a Giving Tuesday influencer campaign
Collaborating with social media influencers who align with your cause can boost your nonprofit, especially on Giving Tuesday. Influencers (local or national ones) can help your nonprofit spread its message and provide good publicity for the influencer while taking some of the content creation weight off your team’s shoulders.
Popular social media accounts can help spread your message to their followers and generate interest in your Giving Tuesday campaign by creating content they know their followers will like. They can also share about participating in your nonprofit's challenges or Giving Tuesday events and encouraging their followers to donate their time or money.
Kick off a successful Giving Tuesday influencer campaign
Select the right influencers with values aligned to your cause and an engaged audience to match your target demographic.
Provide guidelines and messaging to ensure consistent and compelling content that feels cohesive with your entire Giving Tuesday campaign.
Develop high-quality, shareable content that influencers can easily use to promote your Giving Tuesday campaign and add their personal touch.
Offer exclusive influencer opportunities, such as early access to events, exciting campaign details, and perks, that make them feel valued and motivated to promote your cause enthusiastically.
Co-create content with influencers, such as interviews, live streams, or guest blog posts, to introduce your cause to their following.
Track influencer impact and performance throughout your Giving Tuesday campaign to assess the effectiveness of collaborations and adjust strategies if needed.
Recruit influencers to continue through your holiday campaigns by combining a Giving Tuesday brief with content you can have ready to expand on the story as the end of the year approaches.
5. Start a Giving Tuesday email marketing campaign
To create an effective Giving Tuesday email marketing campaign, create a meaningful story that highlights your organization's impact and the campaign's specific needs.
Personalize your emails with engaging subject lines and tailored content to connect with your supporters. Emphasize the limited giving time and offer exclusive matching gift opportunities to create a sense of urgency.
Unique ideas include:
Featuring testimonials from beneficiaries
Hosting a virtual event or live stream on Giving Tuesday
Using interactive elements like donation sliders or progress bars
Adding a quick link to Giving Tuesday donation form
Encouraging readers to forward the email campaign to 3 friends
Following up with thank-you emails and impact reports to show appreciation and transparency
6. Create a collaborative campaign with local businesses
Is there a local business nearby that has a huge Instagram following or enjoys sponsoring nonprofit events? Ask them to collaborate on a community Giving Tuesday campaign for even more impact, reach, resources, and budget.
Ideas for a collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign with local businesses
Offer to collaborate on a joint campaign where a portion of sales on Giving Tuesday goes to your cause.
Ask businesses to sponsor specific aspects of your campaign, such as funding special events.
Request businesses display your flyers or posters in their locations and share your campaign on their social media.
Suggest organizing internal fundraising or volunteering opportunities for their employees.
In exchange for their participation, offer to promote the business as a supporter of your cause through your channels.
Invite businesses to co-host a local event or virtual gathering to raise awareness and funds.
Ask if the business can help with press releases or local media outreach to amplify the campaign’s visibility.
Encourage businesses to include your Giving Tuesday campaign information, like newsletters or receipts, in their customer communications.
7. Create a donation match campaign
Reaching out to larger corporations and asking them if they’d like to provide a matching donation can help you attract more donations at specific times of the day on Giving Tuesday or at certain fundraising milestones.
Sure, your nonprofit will still have to provide all the usual perks (visibility, etc.). However, matching donations can provide a great incentive to encourage more people to donate, knowing that their contribution will be doubled.
Ways to engage corporate partners for a Giving Tuesday donation match campaign
Partner with a business to match donations up to a certain amount at the start of your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Secure a commitment from several corporations to match all contributions on Giving Tuesday.
Create an agreement with a corporate partner to match donations on a specific day and introduce it as a surprise match to propel donations.
Create a tiered match where donations are matched in increments (e.g., the first $5,000 will be matched 1:1, and the next $5,000 will be matched 2:1).
Have a different corporation match donations during specific hours throughout the day of Giving Tuesday.
See if any businesses are willing to match donations made by their employees for your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Have board members or high-profile supporters match donations from others within their network.
Peer to peer fundraising is a fantastic way to put the campaign momentum in the hands of your community. You can empower your supporters to fundraise on your behalf when the hype of giving is already high on Giving Tuesday.
You can see great success if you provide supporters with easy-to-use tools like a customizable fundraising page and templates to share with friends and family. Not only can fundraising attract many donations, but it also brings awareness to new potential donors who might not have heard about your peer to peer campaign otherwise.
A peer-to-peer campaign also allows fundraisers to bring powerful storytelling to the forefront of asking others to contribute to a shared goal. It’s an excellent opportunity for supporters who may not have the financial means to give as much as they’d like to turn their passion into action by recruiting the help of others who can come together for a significant impact.
9. Welcome new recurring donors through your Giving Tuesday campaign
Recurring donations that start on Giving Tuesday are the gifts that keep giving as the new year approaches, and your nonprofit can predict income. More importantly, they foster a commitment from loyal monthly donors ready to make charitable giving a part of their daily routine.
Giving Tuesday is a great time to highlight the long-term impact of recurring gifts. Specifically, how does a commitment to give monthly or annually equate to results your nonprofit can accomplish that one-time gifts can’t guarantee?
Ideas for a Giving Tuesday recurring gift campaign
Launch a specific recurring donation form for Giving Tuesday.
Offer incentives for committing.
Describe what a recurring gift can do with visuals (ex., This family can be fed for one year with a $50 monthly donation).
Make it as easy as possible to automate a recurring donation.
Recognize those who sign up for a recurring gift on Giving Tuesday.
Celebrate the anniversaries of Giving Tuesday donors who started their recurring gift in past years.
10. Host giving challenges that encourage donors to spread the word
Giving challenges have become standard during Giving Tuesday because they work. Challenges encourage people to tap on their friends and family to match their donations or showcase what a community can do when it comes together for a good cause.
Ideas for Giving Tuesday challenges
5 for 5 challenge: Participants donate $5 and challenge five friends to do the same.
24-hour fundraising marathon challenge: Livestream for 24 hours featuring interviews, performances, and behind-the-scenes content while challenging your community to raise your donation goal in that time.
Virtual challenge event: Host a 5K or other endurance event that people can participate in and race virtually worldwide, paying a small participation fee that adds up as more people get involved to celebrate Giving Tuesday.
Giving Tuesday team challenge: Encourage fundraising teams across companies, families, organizations, or clubs to compete for the top five spots based on how much they can raise for your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Volunteer challenge: Share a long list of volunteer opportunities, and see which of your volunteers can complete the most hours on Giving Tuesday.
11. Make your Giving Tuesday campaign and educational event
The pandemic may be over, but virtual events are here to stay and educate people far and wide about what your cause is up to. Take advantage of online learning and organize virtual events like webinars, panel discussions, or live streams that donors can attend.
You can teach supporters about topics like:
Your nonprofit’s founding story
Your nonprofit’s leadership team
Your beneficiaries and stories of impact from donations
Any new legislation or statistics impacting your cause
Awareness of challenges your nonprofit sets out to solve
Invite experts, beneficiaries, and community leaders to share insights from various lenses and voices throughout the week of Giving Tuesday. Remember that these learning opportunities can also encourage people to give beyond Giving Tuesday.
You can ask for donations during events and record them as on-demand offerings to have and share in the future.
12. Launch a campaign around your nonprofit’s impact report
Creating and sharing an annual or impact report as the heart of your Giving Tuesday campaign can make a huge difference—especially in attracting corporate or local business sponsors.
You can get creative with a specific impact report that details how donations from previous Giving Tuesday donations were used as the basis for this year’s campaign. Transparency and accountability build trust and show potential donors the real-world difference their contributions can make.
Creative ideas to turn your impact report into a campaign
Host an interactive report with engaging features like clickable sections and embedded videos that highlight impact in a new way and lead to a simple donation form to give.
Design a visually appealing infographic that you can share on social media and emails and embed on your Giving Tuesday campaign page to collect both one-time and recurring gifts.
Share a short video recap that narrates your impact story and how Giving Tuesday moves your nonprofit forward, with a call to action to fundraise on your organization’s behalf through a peer to peer campaign that spreads the impact further.
We hope your wheels are turning about a fresh take on a Giving Tuesday campaign idea and you start envisioning yourself raising money like never before. We've rounded up some of our favorite examples to help you see what these fundraising efforts look like in action and real results from nonprofit organizations.
1. 100 Humanitarians International’s Giving Tuesday Gala
100 Humanitarians International earned $18,500 with an engaging Giving Tuesday gala. The evening of community and giving invited donors to come together to celebrate with a clear goal: to support families in Kenya.
The organization sold tickets to the gala through Zeffy’s ticketing forms and clearly outlined the fundraiser's purpose, which was to encourage further generosity. Because Zeffy is free to use and doesn’t charge additional transaction fees, 100 Humanitarians International was also able to save $925 that could go back to the cause.
Inspiration for your campaign
Offer a smooth process to purchase tickets that makes it simple from any device
Provide the story behind the event to help people feel encouraged to attend
Clarify what tickets include (ex., Dinner and a contribution to families in Kenya)
Share event highlights that get attendees excited to experience a memorable night
Centraide Outaouais made a big impression with a Giving Tuesday campaign with a simple mission: to raise donations to provide a snowsuit for a needy child. The free donation form they set up through Zeffy helped them raise $19,360, which provided 322 snowsuits at $60 a piece.
Even more, the $968 they saved in fees helped them provide 16 additional snowsuits to the underprivileged youth they serve. A clear goal and visual impact of every donation helped rally community members to make a big difference for the timely winter season on Giving Tuesday.
Inspiration for your campaign
Provide specific donation amounts that will significantly impact your goals (e.g., $60 buys one snowsuit).
Add an emotional appeal to encourage participation (ex., Giving a new snowsuit means giving our kids a chance to grow up happy and confident).
Provide a simple “What impact will this donation have?” button for those who want to learn more.
Offer donors the ability to provide their gift to a specific area that feels close to their hearts.
3. Kids Outdoor Sports Camp’s Giving Tuesday Donation Match Challenge
Kids Outdoor Sports Camp (KOSC) held a donation match challenge for Giving Tuesday. An anonymous donor committed to matching donations of up to $35,000 for scholarships and camp equipment. Every donation dollar was matched, contributing to a fundraising total of $14,800 and $740 saved in fees.
Zeffy’s 100% free forms made it easy to add personalized quotes from past campers and storytelling about how scholarships impact their lives.
Inspiration for your campaign
Reiterate why the donation match is a limited offer to create urgency.
Explain why Giving Tuesday is the best opportunity to contribute.
Make it easy to Share your campaign easily on all social media channels, WhatsApp, a direct link, and email.
Link to your nonprofit’s website for anyone looking to learn more.
4. Hudson County Complete Streets’ Giving Tuesday Campaign
Hudson County Complete Streets cleverly combined its Giving Tuesday and End-of-Year Gift campaigns to maximize fundraising during the holiday season. Kicking off on Giving Tuesday, the campaign called on donors to contribute to safer streets with an enticing donation match from a Founding Donors group.
The organization raised $13,112 and saved $655 in fees with Zeffy’s free fundraising platform by using its campaign page to educate supporters and welcome them to join its mission.
Inspiration for your campaign
Announce a donation match funded by key supporters to build momentum.
Create unique Giving Tuesday branding for your donation form and promotional materials that invoke positive emotion.
Add information about what your nonprofit does with donations, and why support makes a difference that supporters can feel a part of.
Help donors envision their impact with a variety of ways to get involved.
6 Bonus tips to make it a successful Giving Tuesday
1. Assemble a reliable Giving Tuesday team
Giving Tuesday may be one day, but the effort required to develop a campaign with a full promotional strategy, launch plan, and donor retention process can require all hands on deck. Assembling a designated team to take on specialty roles in addition to their day-to-day work can help you stay organized and feel supported as you execute a new Giving Tuesday idea.
A reliable team distributes the workload and assigns project aspects to the person with the most expertise to make it effective and impactful. Start by identifying critical roles based on your needs, recruiting internal support, or bringing in external specialists to help you execute your vision.
A few roles you may recruit individuals or teams for include:
Campaign management
Content creation
Finance and accounting
Social media strategy
Outreach coordination
Marketing
Volunteer management
Donor management
Project management
Partnerships and collaboration
Once your team is assembled, you can create a collaborative space with clear goals, deadlines, responsibilities, and communication channels. As you assign tasks, consider encouraging creativity and leveraging team members’ strengths to keep morale high.
Most importantly, everyone understands their responsibilities and the campaign’s larger objectives. As you go, review progress and share opportunities to grow along the way, with support from the entire team, to ensure the most successful Giving Tuesday campaign.
2. Brainstorm your nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday campaign
With your team in place, you’re ready to start thinking outside of the box on your Giving Tuesday campaign. Getting creative with new ideas starts with knowing what exactly you want to achieve.
Sure, you can start with the basics of clear goals, objectives, and targets for donor acquisition and retention. But, what if you also considered defining your vision for what will make this year’s campaign one no one can forget?
Consider discussing the following questions with your Giving Tuesday team:
How do you want new donors to perceive your nonprofit when they see your Giving Tuesday campaign?
If you could sum up your campaign message in one sentence, what would it convey?
What three words would you want your donors to use when describing your Giving Tuesday campaign?
How many ways will you create for donors to engage with the campaign?
Are there any moments of surprise and delight you want to introduce mid-campaign?
What emotions should your campaign invoke in donors?
How would you want supporters to share your campaign? What would you want them to say about it, and how can you encourage that from the start of the campaign?
Will you collaborate with any individuals or organizations on Giving Tuesday?
What would an ideal day of Giving Tuesday look like internally if everything went smoothly?
How do you want Giving Tuesday donors to return to your organization?
3. Get your nonprofit ready by using GivingTuesday resources
True to its roots, everything GivingTuesday makes is free for nonprofits (and anyone really) to use. And nonprofits should use it all. They provide toolkits for your campaign, images, and great ideas for making the most of the day.
Resources include:
GivingTuesday GIFS and Instagram stickers
GivingTuesday photos, stock images, and videos
GivingTuesday logos
Step and repeat the template
Retractable banner template
Photo booth props
Giving Tuesday success stories
Even the most minor head start can make it accessible for any organization to host a successful campaign. This way, a design team, and internal resources aren’t a barrier to participating in the big day of generosity.
One simple yet highly impactful way to showcase your Giving Tuesday campaign is to create a version of your nonprofit’s logo just for Giving Tuesday. This will show supporters that you believe in the good Giving Tuesday is spreading while making it clear that your nonprofit is participating.
Free design software like Canva makes it easy to adapt your logo or add the GivingTuesday logo.
4. Pre-launch your Giving Tuesday campaign
If your donors don’t know your nonprofit will participate in GivingTuesday, how can they support you? This may seem obvious, but it’s all about timing and creating a big splash about your campaign early enough to receive the most attention from new and existing donors.
As early as the end of summer, you can start releasing details about your Giving Tuesday campaign or any unique plans to make a difference as you close out the year. Donors have many options to participate in Giving Tuesday, so making your organization their go-to when it comes time to give helps secure more donations.
We’ll discuss the channels you can use in the ideas below, but for now, here are a few tips for pre-launching your campaign.
Tips to pre-launch your Giving Tuesday campaign
Nail your timing: Consider a 90-day preview, one-month countdown, or other ideas to build anticipation ahead of your official campaign launch. You can use the same appeal of movie teasers and music album sneak peeks to generate excitement.
Invite people in: Share behind-the-scenes content that shows people all the hard work going into your campaign. People resonate with people, and your team can be a great asset in welcoming supporters to be part of what you’re creating.
Secure commitments: Even before you launch your campaign, consider reaching out to key supporters, major donors, and partners to secure an early pledge that you can launch your campaign with.
Prepare materials: Develop and schedule content from emails and social media posts to promotional graphics and mailers to ensure everything is ready for launch and looks consistent.
Leverage your network: Encourage board members, volunteers, and staff to spread the word and generate interest in your pre-launch within trusted networks.
Test all technology: Double-check that your fundraising platform, website, and any supportive tools are ready to function without a hitch to avoid disruptions that hurt the donor experience.
Lean on resources: Pre-create toolkits, Giving Tuesday email templates, and any assets you’ll need to pre-launch your campaign so they’re ready to go when you want to share your campaign with partners and your network before you decide to launch.
5. Offer a menu of ways to participate
You want to share your main Giving Tuesday campaign page to collect as many donations as you can, but be sure to give other options, such as signing up to volunteer, donating items, spreading the word about your charity, or participating in the event.
Having more options to give helps you meet more donors where they are with their preferred actions on Giving Tuesday.
6. Take your donation form personalization up a notch
Giving Tuesday is the perfect excuse to update your donation forms. Using these advanced fundraising techniques, you can customize the messaging for each donor and track which platforms bring in the most donations.
Top tips for customizing your donation form
Use your nonprofit’s logo, colors, and fonts to stay visually consistent with your brand.
Include a personalized welcome message or introduction that reflects your mission.
Tailor form fields to gather relevant information for donor segmentation and engagement.
Highlight donation amounts that will make a difference, with clear examples of impact.
Pre-fill donor information for returning donors to streamline the process.
Customize the confirmation and thank-you messages to include personalized details.
Ensure the form is mobile-friendly and looks great on all devices.
Offer various giving options, such as one-time or recurring donations.
Remember that Giving Tuesday was founded on the idea that radical generosity should be a more significant part of our everyday lives. For individuals, families, communities, and businesses, the more we give, the more we inspire others to give.
Yes, the global generosity movement unleashing billions of dollars is impressive for fundraising. But Giving Tuesday also breaks records in terms of hours spent volunteering, the number of participants, and generous acts.
So, although Giving Tuesday is focused on a single day every year (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States), make sure your campaign will encourage people to be radically generous throughout the year—not just on Giving Tuesday. (Maybe campaign for #GivingTuesday to become a local or national holiday.)
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Keep reading :
Nonprofit guides
What is Giving Tuesday? The Complete NonProfit Guide
Giving Tuesday is a global movement that inspired millions of people to celebrate generosity around the world. Find out what is it and how to make an impact.
