Unlock Your Best GivingTuesday Yet: A GivingTuesday Toolkit for Fundraisers

GivingTuesday 2024 broke records with donors contributing $3.6 billion and 36.1 million people participating. It showed that people are incredibly generous! But, as Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s CEO, said, “Generosity isn’t just about money—it’s about connection and community.” And that’s why we created Neon One’s GivingTuesday Toolkit for Fundraisers. 

GivingTuesday is more than just an opportunity to raise money for your cause; it’s a real chance to amplify your mission, grow brand recognition, engage new supporters and lifelong advocates alike, and have a big impact on the work that you’re doing. And we’re here to help you out (more on that in a minute!) 

Let’s start with the basics.

What is GivingTuesday All About? 

Created in 2012, GivingTuesday started as “a day that encourages people to do good.” It has grown into a global network that collaborates year-round to inspire generosity, and the annual day of celebration (what most people think of as “Giving Tuesday”), falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. 

The idea behind this day is simple: after the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, people can focus on giving back to their communities and supporting the work that nonprofits do.

This year GivingTuesday falls on Tuesday, December 2. 

And trust us, we know that the end of the year is a busy time for nonprofits (that’s an understatement). Prepping for GivingTuesday and end-of-year on top of your normal programs and initiatives can feel like a marathon. You want to make sure that every step you take is getting you closer to the finish line.  

That’s where the Neon One GivingTuesday Toolkit for Fundraisers comes in.  It’s packed with practical resources to create a plan, communicate effectively, and maximize the impact of your next GivingTuesday campaign! 

Your GivingTuesday Toolkit for Fundraisers at a Glance

The nice thing about our GivingTuesday toolkit is that it’s more than just a list of ideas; it’s a collection of ready-to-use assets designed to make your life easier. 

The kit is broken down into three main components: 

• Email Templates: A collection of templates for before, during, and after GivingTuesday—everything from “Save the Date” to “Thank You” messages.
• Social Media Templates: Posts for Facebook and Instagram (and honestly, you could probably use them on LinkedIn too) to keep your channels buzzing and create excitement about your GivingTuesday campaign.
• Planning Resources: Worksheets, a checklist, and a planner to help you map out your strategy and make sure nothing gets missed

Throughout the toolkit, we’ve sprinkled in lots of practical advice—tips and tricks about how to maximize your campaign. We also provide examples of the templates in use so you can see how nonprofits can personalize them to fit their exact mission and goals for the day.

Now, let’s get to planning! 

Crafting Your Message – Email & Social Templates

When it comes to GivingTuesday there’s no need to start from scratch! The email and social templates in this toolkit are a go-to for consistent, impactful messaging.

Email Templates

Let’s start by reminding you that these aren’t rigid rules; they’re flexible guides you can adapt to your unique voice and audience. That said, having some guidelines can help you get started and make sure you’ve got email communications planned for key milestones before, during and after GivingTuesday.

Save the Date: Build excitement leading up to GivingTuesday

Save the Date emails will help you get on your donors’ radar (and calendar) early. Give supporters a sneak peek of your GivingTuesday goal, the specific impacts that you aim to make, and you can also preview how you’ll be asking donors to get involved (“Donate,” “Follow us,” “Spread the word,” etc.)

Day of Emails: Inspire GivingTuesday Action

When GivingTuesday hits, you want to be ready with “Give Today” emails that break through the noise of the many other GivingTuesday appeals that your donors are likely receiving. This email template will help you craft an inspiring appeal that incorporates success stories and reinforces how donors’ gifts make a real difference.

Follow Up: Event Recaps and Thank Yous

Just because GivingTuesday is over doesn’t mean you can just call it a day. Your post-GivingTuesday follow-up is a huge chance to not only express your gratitude to donors but also increase the chances that they’re not just one-and-done givers. 

A receipt and thank-you email is the starting point—a chance to note your gratitude and give donors the actual details of their gift for their records. Beyond that, we also have a template for a post-event update where you can share your fundraising results and the specific outcomes that were made possible from their support. 

An added bonus? The toolkit includes tailored templates for Animal Welfare, Arts & Culture, Health & Human Services, Nature & Conservation, and Youth & Education.

As an added, added bonus, if you’re a Neon CRM user, these email templates are already in your account! One less thing to worry about.

Social Media Templates

GivingTuesday gets billions of impressions on social media, and it’s a great tool to spread the word about your work far and wide. Our templates are best used if you mix and match them with stories and updates. They’re designed to build excitement and inspire action.

These  templates include:

• Save the Date: Get your audience excited about the amazing things they can help accomplish.
• Give Today: Encourage donations on the big day. Combine appeals with stories about impact.
• Day-of Updates: Share fundraising progress! This celebrates early donors and provides social proof. Create urgency for last-minute gifts. Let donors know how close you are to your goal.
• Post-Event Updates: The day after, update supporters on how much they helped raise and the specific outcomes.

In 2024, 16.6 million people spoke out about causes they hold dear, so having strong graphics and photos accompanying your language may encourage your supporters to share to their networks too (aka a larger audience and more people to get involved!)

To go above and beyond, you can also build visibility with paid ads or boosted posts, targeting segments most likely to support you.

Planning for Success: Worksheets & Timelines

This section of the toolkit helps you organize your thoughts and actions, so you feel totally prepared. Creating a strategic plan, setting goals early, and making sure your donation form is in tip-top shape will set you up for the most success on the big day.

GivingTuesday Campaign Planning Worksheet

The Planning Worksheet helps you ask the important questions about your goals, resources, and messaging.

What are your goals? Do you have all the materials that you need? (Spoiler: There’s a checklist to help you make sure that you do!) What channels do you want to use to share your message? Who will manage each aspect of the campaign?

This worksheet will also help you build your story and refine your messaging. How do you want to refer to donors? What impact statements will you use? Can you tie in specific donations to tangible outcomes (e.g. “$25 feeds a cat for a month”)? 

GivingTuesday Donation Form Checklist

Once people feel inspired by your top-notch messaging, the giving process must be compelling as well. A good donation form should be quick, easy, and enjoyable. Visibility of your donate button, strong imagery, and evocative language are just a few things you should look out for (but the Donation Form Checklist will help you check all the boxes!)

GivingTuesday Communications Planner

Communication is key to fundraising, and our Communications Planner will help you plan where, when, and how you’ll spread the word before, during, and after your campaign. This planner should not limit your choices. You know best what is going to speak best to your donors community but, rather, it provides some ideas and examples of things to consider as you’re planning. 

Before GivingTuesday

You’ll want to focus on building awareness and getting on donors’ radars. As the big day gets closer, you’ll want to reach out to loyal supporters (board members, staff, longtime volunteers, etc.) and ask them to advocate for you. Additionally, you’ll want to send a reminder (more like many reminders) to your supporters about the basics: What is your GivingTuesday goal, and how can they help you reach it?  

The Day Of

Be active! Focus on sharing stories and the difference that donors will make rather than just asking for money. We suggest you mix up your posts and stories and don’t be afraid to get creative! 

The Day After and Beyond

As mentioned above, GivingTuesday doesn’t just end on Tuesday. Follow-up is crucial, and the Communication Planner can help you make sure that you’ve got celebration, gratitude, and engagement strategies beyond GivingTuesday (and into end-of-year giving) all cued up.

You’ve Got This!

With the GivingTuesday Toolkit for Fundraisers—and the email templates, social media post ideas, and planning worksheets that it includes—in your back pocket, we hope you’re feeling at least a little less stressed and ready to plan your best-ever GivingTuesday campaign. Plus, the GivingTuesday Resource Center includes templates, worksheets, calendars, checklists, emails, product tips—they’re all here.

An important thing to remember is that you’re already doing inspiring work in the world, building a community of people who all want to help, and, honestly? You’re crushing it. Now go make some GivingTuesday magic happen!