You’ve heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But did you know that there’s also a Giving Tuesday?

These holidays coincide with the U.S. Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. But, unlike Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is focused on the spirit behind these holidays—charity, generosity, thankfulness, and giving. Thus, it is one of the most significant fundraising days for nonprofits.

This year, Giving Tuesday, often noted by #GivingTuesday, is December 3. Let’s learn more about what it is and why you should participate.

Giving Tuesday is a 24-hour event where organizations attempt to raise as much money as possible. This event takes place around the world, and donations for all types of nonprofits come in at an amazing pace.

Also known as #GivingTuesday, the day of giving has become a worldwide phenomenon based on a basic concept.

According to event organizers, the day was created from a simple idea for people to do good:

“Giving Tuesday was born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City. Giving Tuesday is now an independent nonprofit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.”

A solid Giving Tuesday campaign requires preparation but is worth the effort.

When you plan a Giving Tuesday campaign, start early and include your team and volunteers. (We’ve written a comprehensive Giving Tuesday Strategy Workbook to help.)

Here are a few tips to get started:

Determine what story you plan to share about your nonprofit.
Decide how you will encourage supporters to give.
Create a landing page and donation form.
Launch ahead of Giving Tuesday using hashtags and logos.
Send #GivingTuesday emails – plan three to five emails – within two weeks of Giving Tuesday to highlight your efforts.
Remember to thank donors from your Giving Tuesday campaign and stay engaged with them throughout the year.

Why Should You Participate in Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is more than something to circle on the calendar; it’s a major fundraising campaign that happens globally. In 2023, 34 million adults in the United States participated in Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is important to nonprofits for various reasons, but the key benefit of participation is the amplified giving across all donor levels, helping your nonprofit raise more money. A concentrated effort can generate publicity and create a sense of urgency to donate.

Additionally, Giving Tuesday can:

Help increase donor engagement
Create social media visibility through #GivingTuesday
Help you reach new donors
Facilitate collaboration and corporate partnerships
Create a reason for a recurring donation campaign
Provide an opportunity to support a specific program or cause
Generate donor information and data

One of the primary benefits your organization may see from Giving Tuesday is that many donors anticipate this day and plan to give. Creating a campaign to support their efforts will generate a lot of value and goodwill for your supporters.

This year, Giving Tuesday contributions are expected to beat last year’s total of $3.1 billion in donations to kick off the end-of-year giving season.

You want your organization to be a part of this significant day of donations.

When Is Giving Tuesday in 2024?

This year, Giving Tuesday is December 3. While this day always falls on the Tuesday after Cyber Monday and Black Friday, it is a little later than usual this year, thanks to a later Thanksgiving holiday.

But you need to start planning now to maximize your organization’s impact.

Use the Giving Tuesday logo and hashtag alongside your organization’s logo in your campaign materials. You can also create your own Giving Tuesday design, but make sure it isn’t the same as the organization’s and uses none of their trademarks. Calling attention to your Giving Tuesday campaign with the logo makes you more likely to attract different kinds of donors.

What’s great for you is that the organizers of Giving Tuesday don’t place many restrictions on logo or branding usage. The only rule is that you do not modify, reproduce, or create your derivative of their logo. Their terms of use page has more information.

This makes planning simple: You just need a day-long plan for highlighting and executing your Giving Tuesday ask.

Consider tying it to a specific campaign or goal for the best results.
Mention it early. Send an email ahead of Giving Tuesday to cue up donors that this day is on the horizon.
Coordinate day-of efforts to ensure that your Giving Tuesday message gets in front of your fundraising base.

Giving Tuesday Workbook: Everything You Need to Launch Your Campaign

Giving Tuesday should be a big part of your annual fundraising strategy. Donors like the consistency of knowing when it will happen and like the feeling of being a part of something big since this is a worldwide campaign.

Start planning today to make the most of this annual day of giving on December 3, 2024.

The GiveWP Giving Tuesday workbook has a full 12-week guide on planning and executing a strong Giving Tuesday campaign. Download yours now for free.

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