Giving Tuesday ideas: How to launch a standout campaign

Giving Tuesday is one of the most important fundraising days for nonprofits. Last year alone, 34 million people participated, raising a total of $3.1 Billion! But such a popular giving day comes with some obstacles, too. On Giving Tuesday, thousands of nonprofits vie for supporters’ attention, making it difficult for any one charity to stand out. 

In this article, we’ll cover our best Giving Tuesday ideas to launch a standout campaign—from choosing the right type to creating a solid follow-up plan. We’ve also included real Giving Tuesday campaign examples to spark your inspiration.

The top 15 Giving Tuesday fundraising ideas 

Giving Tuesday is a prime opportunity for nonprofits to boost their fundraising efforts, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the best ideas are simple to implement while still making a major impact. These 15 strategies will help you maximize success without lots of upfront effort.

1. Audit your donation page 🔎

Before you even begin planning your marketing strategy or creating content for your social media campaign, do a quick audit of your website, online fundraising page, or donation landing page. 

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Ensure your site is mobile-friendly: Mobile giving has increased by 205%! If your font is tiny and only looks right on a desktop computer, you may be excluding a large group of potential donors. You could have the best social content ever with tons of shares and engagement, but if your donation page isn’t optimized for mobile use, you’ll see a dip in donations. ‍
• Make giving easy: Your website should have a Giving Tuesday call-to-action front and center, whether it's a donate button, embedded donation form, or volunteer signup form. 

2. Recruit Giving Tuesday ambassadors 👋

People are more likely to give to someone they know. For this strategy, you'll need to recruit a group of Giving Tuesday ambassadors who will advocate for your cause and help you reach your goal. These people are your champions—loyal supporters, dedicated volunteers, board members, and longtime sponsors who can help elevate your Giving Tuesday campaign or event by sharing it with their networks. 

3. Assemble P2P fundraisers 👥

A peer-to-peer fundraising campaign may be the perfect way to channel the energy of your ambassadors and reach even more champions of your cause for this collaborative effort. Bring them together to build a list of additional supporters to join in the effort—think program participants, volunteers, or partner organizations.

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Pump up your team: Once you have a solid number of participants signed up, assemble everyone on a Zoom or in person and walk through how P2P fundraising works and how they can make the most of it. ‍
• Share resources: Make sure to share a toolkit of talking points, social media graphics, and captions so they can amplify your messages all day long and be successful!

More to explore

Mobilize your supporters with this peer-to-peer fundraising guide and free toolkit →

4. Encourage friendly competition with team fundraising 🏆

Kick your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign up a notch by enabling team fundraising and utilizing Givebutter's leaderboard feature, which ranks participating teams by how many dollars they’ve raised and the number of donors they've acquired.

💡Pro tip: Friendly competition is a great tactic even if you’re not doing a P2P campaign. If you're running a special event like a gala, game night, or auction, turn it into a contest for your ambassadors to see who can raise the most money, bring in the most attendees, or sell the most tickets. 

5. Lead with video 📹

Video isn't just a trend—it's one of the most successful fundraising tools at your disposal for Giving Tuesday. In fact, crowdfunding campaigns that feature personal videos raise 150% more than those that don't.

Your Giving Tuesday videos can be brief. The most-viewed nonprofit videos on YouTube are under a minute long! Tell a specific story, show engaging imagery, and clearly state the next action step, like a link to donate.

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Highlight a compelling individual story: Interview a person or community members your organization has impacted.‍
• Launch a viral video challenge: Campaign videos don't have to be serious. Come up with a viral video challenge and create a unique hashtag to generate buzz.‍
• Host a live-streamed special event: Try livestreaming a webinar, workshop, or even a comedy show.

6. Make it multichannel ✉️

While you don't have to utilize every platform out there (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok), sharing content on multiple channels, including email, is a best practice. 

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Spruce up your social media channels: Include engaging images in your Giving Tuesday social media posts and give a clear prompt to participate, share, and comment. ‍
• Plan out your Giving Tuesday emails ahead of time: Organizations flood inboxes during the holiday season. Determine your Giving Tuesday email strategy with your team in advance, get creative with your subject lines, and use language that resonates with your target audience.

7. Host a virtual or in-person volunteer day 💻

Although it's an effective day to raise money, not everyone can spare the funds for your campaign. However, most people can carve out an hour or two for a mission they're passionate about. Offer non-monetary contribution options. Your supporters will appreciate it, and by removing financial obstacles, more people can help your cause.

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Get crafty: If your nonprofit sends health kits abroad, could you provide instructions for hosting a kit-building party on Giving Tuesday? If your choir is holding an online bake sale, can people volunteer to donate or deliver baked goods?‍
• Have your supporters "join" your marketing team: Ask people to email a certain number of friends about your cause or post an #unselfie (a selfie with a message about a cause they support). ‍
• Make progress on your long-term goals: Focus on your ongoing objectives, like acquiring more recurring donors or advancing a policy agenda. Encourage supporters to sign a petition, hand out informational flyers, or take a smaller action like subscribing to your newsletter.

8. Collaborate with a community partner, influencer, or sponsor 🤝

Partnerships and business sponsorships give you access to another audience of potential donors, and both parties reap the benefits of exposing each others platforms to new people. 

Generally, it's best to partner with a business that caters to a similar audience. For example, if you're a health organization that focuses on women over age 40, you may want to partner with a vitamin shop or grocery store with a similar demographic. 

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Get an event sponsored: Reach out to local businesses or crowdsource ideas for potential corporate sponsorships from your donor base. In return, thank them publicly and give them visibility in your Giving Tuesday campaign materials. 
• ‍‍Go live with an influencer or celebrity: Use the power of social media with a Facebook or Instagram Live on your partner's page to promote your Giving Tuesday campaign. ‍
• Try a local restaurant fundraiser: This is a low-cost, low-effort method for you and your donors. Simply partner with a local restaurant and see if they'll donate a percentage of sales to your cause the week of Giving Tuesday.

9. Secure a match 💸

We’re going back to the basics with this one because matching gifts are just that important! 

By “unlocking a match” at a certain level, you give your fundraiser a mid-campaign momentum boost. For example, if you secure a $5K match, mobilize your supporters by announcing that an additional $2.5K will unlock the full match. Choose the amount that aligns with your campaign goals and messaging that resonates with your audience.

10. Launch or highlight a monthly giving program 🔃

Monthly donations aren’t just for popular charities with huge budgets and thousands of donors. Schools, student groups, churches, and sports teams can easily set up pledges or recurring giving options, too. Donors will appreciate that they can contribute without a considerable upfront commitment, making it an easier ask for you.

💪 Put this Giving Tuesday idea into action:

• Specify donation amounts: Customize your donation amounts and give concrete examples of where each dollar is going so donors stay committed month to month. For instance, your website could say, "$30/month provides 10 Happy, Healthy Teeth Kits to children in Nicaragua."‍
• Emphasize the significance of smaller donations: Empower supporters by labeling how donations as low as $5 or $10 a month will make a real-life impact on your organization. ‍
• Give your program a mini makeover: This is a good moment to refresh your monthly giving campaign. You can temporarily update materials to reflect your Giving Tuesday branding or make the changes permanent.‍
• Update your donate buttons and donation forms: Add a "Make it a recurring gift" option to your website, emails, and social media pages.

11. Identify new donors using tracking tools ⭐

Givebutter’s free nonprofit CRM and donor management tools make it easy to analyze supporter activity by retaining donor information and history. This helps you identify new supporters from your Giving Tuesday campaign, so you can send them a warm welcome to your community! 

In the age of data analysis, this information enables you to assess what marketing strategies are most effective for your organization.

⭐ Pro tip: Donors who are thanked for their gift within 48 hours are four times more likely to give again. Create donor segments using contact tags and custom filters so you can send personalized thank you messages.

12. Keep supporters engaged throughout the campaign 🚀

Sharing updates and interacting with your supporters throughout your campaign builds momentum crucial for success.

Givebutter’s interactive supporter feed allows you to share real-time updates, and it will enable others to also spread the love:

• Donor messages: Donors can leave fun public messages of support on your supporter feed with photos, GIFs, and even drawings.‍
• Likes and comments: Engage with your audience and encourage more comments by liking and commenting on their public donor messages—encourage your peer-to-peer fundraisers to do the same!‍
• Updates and milestones: Celebrate progress and share important announcements directly with supporters with campaign updates and automatic “milestone reached” messages. Campaign updates will be published in your supporter feed and sent to all of your donors via email.

13. Give donors multiple payment options 💳

Givebutter is committed to making the donation process as quick and painless as possible, helping your cause the funds it needs fast while improving donor retention. 

One of the best Giving Tuesday strategies is ensuring that your supporters know that they can contribute in any form that works for them:

• Venmo and PayPal: Givebutter is proud to be one of the first fundraising platforms to allow supporters to donate through Venmo. Digital payment methods like Venmo and PayPal are especially popular among younger generations. ‍
• Apple Pay and Google Pay: Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are also growing in popularity. Now, you can fully integrate them across all your fundraising efforts. ‍
• Check and cash: For donors who want to support your campaign via check or by handing you cash in person, you can add an offline donation to track everything in one place and boost your fundraising goal bar.
• ‍Mobile giving: Bring your campaign into the smartphone era with convenient text-to-donate and scan-to-donate options in your direct mail campaigns, emails, or at in-person events. ‍
• ACH: Enable donors to transfer funds directly from their bank account at a reduced processing fee.
• ‍Debit and credit cards:  Of course, donors can give with all major debit and credit cards.The cherry on top? Donors have the option to cover payment processing fees, so more of the dollars you raise goes toward your mission—and over 95% of donors do!

14. Keep your campaign going 🚂

Here at Givebutter, we see significant donations come through even after Giving Tuesday is over. It's in your best interest to keep your campaign open and allow people to continue to submit donations. 

Giving Tuesday can be the perfect launching pad to kick off your year-end campaign. Plus, keeping your campaign open gives your peer-to-peer team more time to follow up with people who are interested in donating but need an extra nudge. 

15. Use Givebutter to maintain the Giving Tuesday momentum all year long 🧈 

No matter which Giving Tuesday idea you put at the center of your strategy, Givebutter is proud to provide changemakers with everything they need to raise more, give better, and unleash generosity this Giving Tuesday. 

Explore our Giving Tuesday hub and discover additional resources, best practices, and campaign examples to help you get the most out of this philanthropy-focused day. Your nonprofit may even be eligible for a $5K donation from us!

Learn more & apply

Givebutter is giving back $25K to nonprofits this Giving Tuesday →

How to create a Giving Tuesday campaign in 6 steps 

1. Choose your campaign type 🤔

Giving Tuesday campaigns can take different forms depending on your needs, goals, and capacity. What kind of campaign will help you unleash the most generosity for your cause this Giving Tuesday?

Here are some tried-and-true options: 

• Plan a fundraising event 
• Launch a crowdfunding campaign
• Harness the power of team fundraising
• Create volunteer opportunities 
• Host a virtual silent auction
• Livestream your event 

No matter which kind of campaign you choose, Givebutter's free donation forms, pages, and event features are here to set you up for success. 

2. Set up your campaign on Givebutter 🧈

Signing up and using our full suite of free fundraising features takes only a few minutes. 

Most Givebutter users create a fundraising page or fundraising event for Giving Tuesday because they're easy to set up, give you space to share your story, and engage donors in real-time with a live supporter feed. You can kick it up a notch by adding a silent auction onto your event, or keep things simple using our modern and donor-friendly donation forms.

If you prefer to use your website to host your Giving Tuesday campaign, you can easily add a donate button to any page or embed your Givebutter donation form directly. 

3. Map out your timeline 📅 

Even though Giving Tuesday is technically only 24 hours, many organizations choose to fundraise for a more extended period. Select a timeline that will drive you toward your goals. Here are some options:

• Start your campaign a week before Giving Tuesday
• Use Giving Tuesday to kickstart a year-end campaign
• Host a virtual fundraising event on Giving Tuesday but leave the recording up so people can replay and share the event 

4. Create a communications plan 📣 

To avoid last-minute stress, decide how and when you want to communicate your Giving Tuesday plans to your community. To do this, be sure to follow these steps:

• Determine your message: Think of this as your campaign's core story. Your primary message explains why donors should contribute to your organization on Giving Tuesday, highlights the impact their donations will make, and conveys the urgency and significance of your cause.
  
• Choose your channels: Review your past data to identify where your supporters are most engaged (email, social media, your website, etc.). Don't try to be everywhere; focus on the 2-3 channels your audience is most active and responsive on.
  
• Create a calendar: Map out when you'll send each email, post on social media, and launch different campaign elements.

5. Design a Giving Tuesday follow-up strategy 🙏 

Giving Tuesday best practices don’t end when the day is over.  New and existing supporters are equally invested in your cause on this special day and want to see the impact of their contribution. 

Here are some ways you can show your gratitude:

• Send an automated thank you email with their donation receipt
• Follow up with a personalized video
• Mail handwritten letters or make phone calls
• Highlight supporters on social media

Saying thank you to supporters promptly (without asking for more money) is the best way to set your next big fundraising campaign up for success. With Givebutter, you can make segmented lists of your Giving Tuesday donors and engage them with targeted emails and text messages.

6. Use Givebutter Plus to unlock your full potential 🧈

All of the above steps and Giving Tuesday tips can make your campaign a roaring success. But in order to really stand out from the crowd, you might just need a bit of extra help. That’s where Givebutter Plus comes in.

With Givebutter Plus, nonprofits can: 

• Steward donors automatically: Use pre-built and custom workflows to automate communications that make supporters feel appreciated, connected, and more likely to give again and again.‍
• Track every task and contact: Create, assign, automate, and view the progress of all your team’s to-dos in one place with a collaborative task manager.‍
• Create clickable emails: Bring your mission to life with a new advanced email editor equipped with visual drag-and-drop content blocks and a library of engaging templates built specifically for nonprofits.

Freebie alert!

Get everything you need for success in our free Giving Tuesday Toolkit ->

Best Giving Tuesday themes 

Looking for a few tried and true Giving Tuesday campaign ideas to help boost donations? We’ve got just the thing!

• Coffee morning ☕️ Host a coffee morning and invite your community members to join you for tea or coffee, cake, and a cozy chat with friendly faces. Ask a local coffee shop to sponsor your event or donate a percentage of their profits from the morning to your cause.
  
• Community service day 💪 Organize volunteers to take part in a day of service in which you work together to tackle projects in exchange for donations from your community members.
  
• Cold water plunge 🥶 Challenge your supporters to take a dip in an icy cold body of water to raise funds and awareness for your cause! Participants can set up their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages connected to your campaign, where they can share their stories, set a personal target, and bring in donations from friends and family.
  
• Give $5, grab five friends 💸 Ask your supporters to donate $5 to your cause. Then, each donor has to tag at least five people via social media. The goal is for each person who gets tagged to match that $5 gift to your campaign—and then tag five others.
  
• Virtual gala 🎥 Showcase live or pre-recorded presentations and guest speakers, host an auction, and solicit donations—all livestreamed from your event registration page. 

Need a bit more inspiration? Check out Givebutter’s fundraising ideas database for even more Giving Tuesday ideas.

3 Giving Tuesday campaigns we can’t stop thinking about

Thousands of campaigns happen every year, but a few have stood out to our team as some of the best Giving Tuesday campaigns—you'll see why.

Ball 4 a Cure 🎳

Combining a massive in-person event with an unstoppable virtual fundraising drive, Bowl 4 a Cure’s Giving Tuesday campaign surpassed its goal of $15K! 

Funds go directly to help families impacted by pediatric cancer with rent and other financial hardships, so they can focus on battling this disease together. The campaign made excellent use of video, campaign updates, and engaging graphics to tell their story and make a positive impact. 

Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife 🐒

On a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and release wildlife that has been illegally trafficked in Laos and raise awareness about the importance of conservation, the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife launched a team fundraising campaign called Save LCTW. Save Wildlife on Giving Tuesday.

 The campaign page garnered lots of online donations because of their graphics, photos, and videos showcased their impact compellingly. Plus, they brought in gifts through their consistent engagement with hundreds of donors on their supporter feed. 

She’s the First 🌏

She’s the First displayed the impressive scope of their work and their vision with infographics and video on their Celebrate Girl Power fundraising page for Giving Tuesday. 

Their online campaign brought in over $92K from more than 350 supporters, which enabled them to continue their mentorship and education programs for thousands of girls in dozens of countries across the globe.

More to explore

Get all your questions answered in the nonprofit’s complete guide to Giving Tuesday →

Stand out this Giving Tuesday with Givebutter 

To ensure your Giving Tuesday campaign is a smooth success, start by planning ahead, following key steps, and getting inspiration from a few standout campaigns. Plus, you’ll want to be sure to take advantage of the right tools.

By signing up for Givebutter, an all-in-one fundraising platform, you can easily set up peer-to-peer campaigns, track donations in real-time, and engage your community in minutes. 

🤑 Need some extra incentive? Every year, Giving Tuesday campaigns hosted on our platform are eligible for extra donations through our Givebutter Gives Back program.

Take your Giving Tuesday campaign to the next level 

Want to make sure you’ve checked all your Giving Tuesday boxes before the big day? Check out our other go-to resources: 

• Learn more about Giving Tuesday and its history
• Download the ultimate Giving Tuesday toolkit
• Discover top Giving Tuesday email strategies (with templates!)
• Explore the Giving Tuesday social media guide and calendar template
• Learn how to make your own Giving Tuesday videos and livestream 
• Level up your Giving Tuesday follow-up
• Compare 5 popular Giving Tuesday platforms
• Secure Giving Tuesday matching donations in 10 simple steps
• Craft a Giving Tuesday appeal letter in 7 steps