GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that takes place every year on the first Tuesday after American Thanksgiving (in 2025, that’ll be December 2).
It began as a way to encourage people to give generously to charitable causes to balance out the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now, it’s a global day of generosity that sees people worldwide come together to support their favorite causes with financial donations, volunteering, advocacy, and other forms of support.
GivingTuesday is a great opportunity to tap into the generosity of thousands of enthusiastic donors. Nonprofits who participate generally do so by running a fundraising campaign with a specific GivingTuesday goal and leaning on mediums like social media, video, and email to rally their communities.
But you’ll also find people asking if participating in GivingTuesday is really worth it for nonprofits? We think so! In this article, we’ll talk about why.
Get Your GivingTuesday Templates, Guides, and More!
Neon One’s GivingTuesday Resource Center has all the resources you need to craft an unforgettable campaign and kick off your year-end giving push.
Is GivingTuesday Worth the Effort?
As is the case with any campaign, running a GivingTuesday campaign takes time and effort. And, as the big day takes place during the run-up to end-of-year fundraising, you may wonder if the effort is worth the payoff.
But participating in GivingTuesday has benefits that we think are worth considering:
- The potential to engage both new and existing donors. Millions of people are online on GivingTuesday, sharing their favorite causes and discovering new ones. As nonprofits continue looking for new ways to engage individual donors, GivingTuesday is a valuable opportunity to connect with existing donors and find new supporters who are passionate about their work. Here’s just one example: In The Recurring Giving Report: Data-Backed Insights for Sustainable Generosity, we found that recurring gifts initiated on GivingTuesday account for around 12% of all recurring donations made in the month in which GivingTuesday falls. That’s huge!
- Generate awareness on a popular giving day. Even if the people who learn about your nonprofit on GivingTuesday don’t give that day, being visible can be valuable. They may choose to follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, and eventually decide to give toward another campaign!
- It’s a launchpad for year-end fundraising. Who says your GivingTuesday campaign has to take away from your year-end giving campaign? It’s not a distraction—it’s an addition. Participating in GivingTuesday is a great way to launch into year-end giving and even give it a boost. Fundraising data from Neon CRM shows that nonprofits that run a GivingTuesday campaign in addition to their year-end campaign raise more money overall than those that don’t!
GivingTuesday is beneficial for the above reasons and more—that’s only the tip of the iceberg as to what this popular giving day can do for nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations in the US alone raised an incredible $3.6 billion on GivingTuesday 2024!
Are you still worried that throwing your nonprofit’s hat into the crowded GivingTuesday ring won’t be worth the effort? Let’s address those concerns! Here are some no-nonsense answers to common questions about running a GivingTuesday campaign.
Won’t Our Message Get Crowded Out?
Perhaps you’re a small nonprofit, and you’re imagining your GivingTuesday experience will be like an unknown music artist trying to sing on stage at the same time as Taylor Swift.
Look at it a different way: You’re not competing for everyone’s attention. You’re putting yourself out there so that your current supporters (and potential supporters who are passionate about your mission!) can support you.
There are people who want to participate in GivingTuesday and are specifically looking for causes like yours.
These potential donors might see your campaign and choose to give, especially if you’re intentionally interacting with your online community and encouraging them to share your messaging with their friends and family.
But, even if the majority of your GivingTuesday donations come from your already loyal donors, that’s a win! Your message can’t get crowded out because it’s your crowd that you’re focused on foremost.
Doesn’t GivingTuesday Usually Result In Small, One-Time Gifts?
Yes! Sometimes GivingTuesday and other events like it can attract one-off donations and not major gifts.
But, again, a win is a win! It’s not about how financially valuable a one-time donor seems at first or even how you attracted them. It’s what you do with them afterward that matters most.
The way you thank and follow up with new donors, educate them about your cause, and encourage them to get further involved makes a huge difference.
Great communication has the potential to turn a one-time donor into a loyal, recurring donor.
If We Don’t Raise a Ton, Is GivingTuesday Worth It At All?
Let’s say your organization was hoping to raise $10,000 on GivingTuesday but only raised $5,000—was GivingTuesday worth it?
We say yes. Take the lessons you learned and apply them to your year-end fundraising campaign and your GivingTuesday campaign for the following year. You may have noticed that your audience doesn’t respond much to certain communication channels. Or you may have set goals that weren’t in line with what your audience would typically give during any 24-hour fundraising period in the past.
It can be disheartening to see other organizations share that they raised $20,000 there and $50,000 here on GivingTuesday, but there are many factors at play. If your goal was to get your nonprofit’s name out there and engage your supporters, you’ve done that.
When it comes to GivingTuesday, there are thousands of donors eyeing ways to honor the day by being generous. You want to present your nonprofit as an option to receive that generosity. But, ultimately, it’s up to you to determine what type of GivingTuesday campaign your organization has the resources to pull off and whether GivingTuesday is worth it for you in the end.
Nail Your GivingTuesday Campaign With These Resources
If you decide to participate in GivingTuesday this year, you don’t have to do it all alone.
Need help building your GivingTuesday timeline, writing fundraising letters, and planning the rest of your year-end fundraising? Check out our GivingTuesday Resource Center! It’s full of free resources that will guide you through planning a successful GivingTuesday campaign and more.
