7 Giving Tuesday email examples that convert (free templates!)

Mapping out your Giving Tuesday email communication plan will allow you to be thoughtful about your messaging and help your mission stand out on a busy day of giving. You'll want to send the kind of emails that your subscribers feel compelled to open and engage with this Giving Tuesday, with an action plan and email series designed for conversion.

Keep reading to learn how to stand out with attention-grabbing subject lines, thoughtful messages, and direct calls to action—and gain a series of templates to help you achieve better results this Giving Tuesday. 

Sample Giving Tuesday email calendar

An email campaign calendar helps you decide what messages to send and when so you can work more strategically. Following your Giving Tuesday email schedule ensures nothing gets overlooked, and you’ll have all your content prepared in advance.

Your email calendar also benefits your supporters. Planning ahead prevents overwhelming them with too many messages at once. Plus, having everything prepared early allows you time to craft more thoughtful, inspiring, and engaging content.

Here’s an example of a Giving Tuesday email calendar:

• One week before Giving Tuesday: Campaign teaser or countdown (all subscribers)
• One day before Giving Tuesday: Campaign reminder (all subscribers)‍
• On Giving Tuesday (morning): Kickoff announcement and invitation to participate (all subscribers)‍
• On Giving Tuesday (midday): Progress update and reminder to give (all subscribers)‍
• On Giving Tuesday (evening): Final call to give (all subscribers) ‍
• One day after Giving Tuesday: Results and general thank-you (all subscribers)‍
• Two days after Giving Tuesday: Personalized thank-you emails (new and existing donors)‍
• One week after Giving Tuesday: Beginning of welcome series (new donors)

Use these Giving Tuesday email samples as a guide to outline each message you want to share with your community (or particular segments), along with key details. Include the date, time, images, and videos in your outline. Assign team members to write, update, and schedule each email. 

7 Giving Tuesday email examples 

The email calendar above gives you a great foundation—especially if you’re new to planning Giving Tuesday emails. Let’s take a look at these email examples in more detail so you can start coming up with Giving Tuesday ideas for your own campaign. 

1. Campaign teaser or countdown

Start the conversation around Giving Tuesday with early hints a few weeks in advance and a dedicated email a week before the big day. Use this opportunity to reconnect with your subscribers, thank them for their support, and build anticipation for this year’s event. Announce any planned events so they can save the date in their calendar.

🗓️ When to send: 1 week before

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

2. Campaign reminder

Schedule a reminder to go out the day before Giving Tuesday, inviting your subscribers to make this day better than ever and calling upon their support to kickstart your day with a donation. 

🗓️ When to send: 1 day before

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

3. Kickoff announcement and invitation to give

Let your supporters know that Giving Tuesday is here and your campaign is ready for donations! Share a quick introduction to the day’s purpose, your Giving Tuesday goal, and how your subscribers can take action (e.g., by clicking the donation button). Invite them to a special Giving Tuesday video livestream or promote the social media campaign you’re hosting, letting them know how they can support you today. 

🗓️ When to send: Giving Tuesday (morning)

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

4. Progress update and reminder to give

Share an afternoon update with your email list subscribers on your progress toward your Giving Tuesday fundraiser goal. Include another reminder to give, or motivate their friends and family members to give, and offer a story or reason to do so—like the chance to win a “top fundraiser” prize.

🗓️ When to send: Giving Tuesday (afternoon)

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

5. Last-chance reminder to give

As the clock ticks down toward the finish line, send your subscribers and potential donors a final on-the-day email. Highlight your progress, talk about how you’ll use the funds, and thank them for their previous generosity. Include a prominent link to your online donation page and a clear call to action (CTA) to donate now. 

🗓️ When to send: Giving Tuesday (evening)

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

6. Results and general thank-you

After the big day is done, schedule a Giving Tuesday thank-you message to go out to all subscribers to express gratitude for their support. Share your results and include photos, updates, and moments that made the day a success. 

🗓️ When to send: 1 day after

👀 Who to send it to: All subscribers

7. Personalized thank yous

Along with your general thank-you, follow up with personalized thank-you emails to new and recurring donors to boost donor retention. Make sure to add in the donor’s name and donation amount (if possible), and express your gratitude for their support this Giving Tuesday. 

🗓️ When to send: Dec 1

👀 Who to send it to: New and existing donors

Download your free Giving Tuesday email templates

You don’t have to build your Giving Tuesday email campaigns from scratch. Use our free email templates to save time and energy, and get inspiration for your content! There’s a template for each of the Giving Tuesday sample emails above, so you can plan your messaging to match.

Freebie alert!

Download 7 free Giving Tuesday email templates ->

Top tips for writing Giving Tuesday email subject lines

Your email needs to stand out from the crowd of not only Giving Tuesday emails but also Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the entire holiday season. Make a strong first impression with a standout email subject line for your Giving Tuesday messages. 

Since you’ll be sending multiple emails throughout your campaign, put together a series of punchy subject lines to break through the noise. As you plan your emails, keep these subject line tips in mind: 

• Keep subject lines to 9 words or fewer ✂️ Most email inboxes will cut off the subject line message if it has more than nine words. You don't need to include who your email is from or today's date in the subject line. All that information will be available to the reader in their inbox. 
• Let preview text help tell your story 💬 Manually enter the second line of text you see in your inbox instead of populating it with the first line of the email body. Let your preview text expand on or respond to your subject line, making your reader want to know more. 
• Build on the sense of urgency ⏰ Giving Tuesday lends itself well to an urgent tone since donors are encouraged to get involved on this one special day. Time-specific or goal-based language like “Help us reach our goal by midnight!” or “We just need 3 more donations to reach our fundraising goal!” can be a great motivator.
• Address recipients by their first names 💌 Your email platform should allow you to automatically program your supporters’ first names into the subject line and the opening greeting of your emails. The more personalized your messages, the more likely supporters are to open your emails.
• Ask a question to pique curiosity 👀 Think about what makes you open emails from other groups or companies—maybe an intriguing question or a hint that interesting information lies inside? Come up with fun facts or questions related to your cause, and consider any enticing donor perks you can plug here.‍
• Use humor and emojis, if appropriate 😄 Emojis can help your email stand out visually in an inbox. Just don’t overdo it, or you might end up in a spam folder. Plus, humor—when it fits the moment—can get you a lot of clicks: “Help us shave Coach B’s head this Giving Tuesday 😲.”

Think of your email subject line as an invitation for your subscribers to engage with your message. Craft subject lines that are intriguing and time-specific for the most impact.

How to craft Giving Tuesday emails that convert

Email marketing is just one component of your Giving Tuesday planning, but getting the messages right can boost engagement and donations. Increase interactions and conversions with these expert tips:

Draft compelling Giving Tuesday messages 📝

With your team, decide your campaign theme, main call to action, and any specific words or messages you want to include.

Use donor-centric language 💌

Always use donor-centric language in your fundraising. To bring out the changemaker in everyone this Giving Tuesday, use empowering language and words that speak directly to the reader, such as you, we, us, and together. 

Lead with a story 🖼️

You can share all the charts and numbers you want about your organization’s goals and outcomes, but your emails will pack the most punch if you center each around a personal story of someone directly impacted by your work—with their consent, of course. Consider asking them to share a quote or offer to ghostwrite the entire email from their first-person perspective (don't forget to include photos!).

Convey your ask clearly 💎

As people skim through your messages on such a high-communication day, it’s imperative to be crystal clear on how your readers can contribute to your campaign. Whether you’re asking supporters to make a financial contribution, attend a fundraising event, share a post on social media, or sign up to volunteer, make that call to action the biggest and brightest part of your email.

Thank, track, and keep your donors engaged 🙏

‍Be sure to incorporate gratitude into your Giving Tuesday email strategy! Did you know that first-time donors who receive a thank-you letter or message within 48 hours of giving are four times more likely to give again? Supporters want to see the impact they’ve made and feel acknowledged for it.  

After Giving Tuesday, schedule time with your team to evaluate your email strategy. Assess what worked and what didn’t. Which links received the most clicks? Which subject lines had the highest open rates—and the lowest? Analyzing these metrics will enhance your success for the next Giving Tuesday and year-end giving campaigns. 

Additional Giving Tuesday email best practices

Visually pleasing Giving Tuesday emails increase the likelihood that recipients will keep reading—and click to donate. Follow these tips to create emails your audience can’t help but engage with: 

• Maintain clear branding 🎨 Keep your brand colors consistent and prominently display your organization’s name and logo to reassure donors that you’re the real deal. You can also integrate official GivingTuesday logos into your visuals for this special campaign. 
• Keep it tidy 🧹 You may want to squeeze all the awesome information about your cause into these emails, but simpler is better here. Keep your photos uniformly sized and your paragraphs short. Givebutter’s email platform makes it easy to format your emails with graphics and designer-created templates using a built-in Canva integration.
• Hyperlink 🔗 Link to your fundraising campaign page several times throughout your emails using colorful buttons, images, or text—you don’t want anyone to miss it! Try not to include any additional links in these emails. You want the one click that people make to be to donate.‍
• Use text that’s easy to read 👓 Ensure everyone has the opportunity to engage by making your emails as accessible as possible. Choose a simple font style in a larger size. Avoid light-colored text on a white background or white text on a red or pink background. Most readers will skim these emails, so use bold text to highlight key points.

Your email messages for Giving Tuesday should be inviting, encouraging, and create a sense of urgency. Pair your Giving Tuesday email ideas with reader-friendly design choices and a simple format to make it as easy as possible for your supporters to take action and donate.

Dive deeper

Explore the Giving Tuesday guide for nonprofits: What it is and how to participate →

Let Givebutter be your fundraising hub this Giving Tuesday 

Givebutter has all the features, resources, and tools you need to amplify your message and encourage donations this Giving Tuesday. Read through our Giving Tuesday toolkit to understand how to make an impact, and learn more about how Givebutter Gives Back to nonprofits on this global day of giving.

Create, customize, and send your Giving Tuesday emails with our free email marketing software for nonprofits. And if you’re ready to upgrade, Givebutter Plus gives you access to an advanced drag-and-drop email editor, engaging templates, workflows, and email automation. 

This Giving Tuesday, engage your community like never before with Givebutter—send personalized emails, videos, and more all from one platform. Ready to make your Giving Tuesday campaign butter than ever? Create your free account today to get started.