17 Giving Tuesday Campaigns Ideas & Tips in 2023

GivingTuesday is a global movement that encourages and multiplies giving, commitment and solidarity. The goal? Dedicate a day to generosity and solidarity by celebrating donations in all forms. In a single day, Giving Tuesday participants in the United States gave $2.47 billion, more than all US philanthropic foundations in an entire year.

A successful Giving Tuesday campaign requires some thoughtful elements. To help you identify and incorporate all of these factors, we bring great ideas for the best Giving Tuesday campaigns. to your attention.

When is Giving Tuesday 2023?

Already present in more than 150 countries, Giving Tuesday, also called the World Day of Generosity and Solidarity, is celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in response to the commercial events of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. This year it will be November 28.

The event has been a success since its inception. Every year, it mobilizes millions of people in favor of social commitment. The idea of the Giving Tuesday campaign is to dedicate a day to giving in all its forms: money, time (volunteering), blood, food, objects, etc. Each participant is thus free to choose the cause they wish to support: food, art, culture, health, medical, education, and environment.

The success of Giving Tuesday is based on the mobilization of all: companies launch donation activities or make their employees available for volunteer work, schools organize donation races, and businesses sell products whose proceeds will be donated to mutual aid works.

Associations, companies, public institutions, and individuals are invited to participate. The movement owes its success to creative ideas and its dissemination under the hashtag #GivingTuesday on social networks. Those interested can submit their project and register for free on the movement's website.

Whether you are an individual, a non-profit organization, a school, an institution, or a company, you can join the movement. You can donate time, money, items, food, blood, skills, or just a voice to improve the world.

Who is the main target of Giving Tuesday campaigns? Millennials: a committed and donor generation. Millennials or Generation Y (all people born between the early 80s and late 90s) are the targets not to be missed for this new season of Giving Tuesday. 82% of all participants in Giving Tuesday are millennials aged 18 to 34 who make the most donations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped them. On the contrary, it has aroused an unprecedented mobilization among Generation Y. It is a real surge of solidarity that has been created around the under 35s. Among the most supported causes, we find isolated people, homeless people, migrants (34%), then caregivers (32%), and finally, support for medical research (29%).

Online donation is now part of the charitable landscape

Millennials donate the most online. This observation is not surprising, it is a connected generation that is familiar with digital media. Simple, secure, and fast online donation perfectly synergizes with this new target of donors.

To compensate for this new donation mode, associations have had to reinvent themselves and multiply their acquisition channels to reach this generation. The Giving Tuesday movement, for example, offers to receive donations through its online platform.

A large number of new collection methods have emerged in recent years for Giving Tuesday campaigns:

• Online pots: generally public, solidarity pots have a greater influence than those created between friends. Their virality goes far beyond the private environment. It happens that social networks take over and that the shares are linked in a dizzying way, this is where the “boom” is created.
• Social networks: the role of donations on social platforms is growing. All you need now is a “donation” button on your Facebook page to collect money. Associations, therefore, no longer need to promote pages dedicated to their donation campaign.
• Micro-donations: today, dematerialized and digitized, micro-donations are thus increasingly linked to everyday transactions and, above all, more in tune with the virtues specific to digital technology, namely simplicity and spontaneity. Solidarity bank cards, rounding up at the cash desk or on salary; this embedded generosity appeals to associations keen to offer a diversified range of tools to ensure long-term public support.
• SMS donations: simple and immediate, providing bank details or personal information is no longer necessary. The donation is directly deducted from the telephone bill. It is a collection channel that reaches a younger target.

Should You Participate in Giving Tuesday 2023?

Giving Tuesday campaigns' first interest is to create a new opportunity to collect donations for your association. These donations can be donations of time, money, materials, etc. You set the rules.

Another advantage of this event is increasing its visibility and making it known to many people as possible. Participating in Giving Tuesday means uniting your efforts and joining forces for more impact.

Giving Tuesday ads allow you to benefit from the media coverage and excitement around this day. You can expand your community quickly and solicit them again later. Finally, being part of a global movement that promotes solidarity and kindness on a large scale is unique.

As we come out of several complicated months, we must realize the importance of giving and helping each other.

Giving Tuesday is accessible to everyone. Every act of generosity counts, with no minimum or limit.

Even associations that do not collect donations can take part in Giving Tuesday. There are always reasons to celebrate altruism: whether it is that of your (potential) donors or your volunteers, those discreet superheroes are essential to your organization.
This is also an opportunity for businesses to demonstrate their social position and awareness and draw attention to their projects and products, considering the trend for Giving Tuesday growth for online gifts.

17 Giving Tuesday Campaign Examples for Inspiration

Strengthen team spirit by supporting a charity with your colleagues. Thanks to a donation activity, you can do it easily and transparently online. Show your social commitment to your customers by inviting them to participate in your donation activity. So, how to create a Giving Tuesday campaign?

1. Launch a donation campaign

This day is an opportunity for your organization to raise funds. Many donation records have been set in previous years thanks to Giving Tuesday campaigns.

2. Create a fundraiser

Without being required to participate in the Giving Tuesday campaign, fundraising is an initiative very frequently chosen by associations. The search for funding is indeed one of the most frequent needs of associations, along with the search for volunteers.

Determining the purpose of this fundraising is essential to encourage everyone to give. To perpetuate these gifts, the choice of words is important.

Thus, recruiting 100 recurring donors is a longer-term strategy than collecting $1,000 on an ad hoc basis.

When creating your donation campaign, offer different amounts and types of donations, this will give everyone a choice and perhaps attract more donors.

Specify the value of these donations and what they will be used for. For example: By giving $10 per month, you offer five meals to one of our beneficiaries".

Consider companies that can also donate to you through sponsorship. If it is possible to create a dedicated space for them, let them leave you their contact details.

3. Be active and encourage your donors

Giving Tuesday campaign activity is a great way to show your audience's impulse and support. If you anticipate heavy giving activity or your audience typically leaves encouraging comments, use this section to maximize energy and social proof on Giving Tuesday. Consider disabling this section if you anticipate lower volume or larger donations or if your supporters are sensitive to public recognition.

Collecting a few donations from your audience and most dedicated supporters, either earlier in the day on Giving Tuesday or earlier in the week, will help build early momentum on the campaign activity feed.

4. Involve your volunteers and recruit new ones

People love to share stories. Invite volunteers to become your ambassadors, for example, by posting a photo on their personal pages that explains their involvement with the association. You can also post a question on social media by asking to complete a simple sentence: “I give because…”.

5. The perfect opportunity to donate blood

Following this new period of confinement and to be useful in this context, encourage your employees or colleagues to go and give blood. More than ever in this pandemic period, blood collection must continue because the needs are great.

6. Relay your actions

Social networks are a good way to promote your activities, especially through the #GivingTuesday hashtag. Inform your community in advance so that they are present on Giving Tuesday. Share with them the progress of your campaign as you go along by encouraging them to participate in the initiative and/or to relay it.

7. Broadcast your action on your communication channels

Once your Giving Tuesday campaign has been created, relay it to your communication channels.

We encourage you to use a multi-channel approach (website, emailing, social networks) to ensure that your message is seen and heard by as many people as possible.

Inform your community in advance so that it is present at your event: this is the whole point of mobilization. On November 29, share the progress of your Giving Tuesday campaign with your community as the day progresses by encouraging them to participate in the initiative or to relay it. Do not forget to include a link to your actions and your collection in each of your messages.

For more visibility to your cause and the movement, consider identifying it through hashtags such as #GivingTuesday and the official Giving Tuesday account tag when you post on Facebook, Twitter, etc. There are several possibilities for this:

• your posts can be shared by other organizations, your partners, and your community to create new interactions;
• when you register, you can find a communication kit on the Giving Tuesday site with different types of publications, logos, and images to distribute on social networks.

8. Be creative

Catch the eye by sharing, for example, a video testimonial from one of your volunteers or a beneficiary of the project, an infographic of the impacts of your association in 2021, etc.

9. Use popups

Popups are incredibly powerful as a Giving Tuesday strategy because they act as triggers, one of the essential components of how behavior occurs. Popups fight inattentional blindness – the psychological phenomenon characterizing website visitors who are overwhelmed with information and unable to concentrate on anything. Popups are difficult to ignore and compel attention to the call to action, as opposed to passive sign-up boxes that are present on the website.
Customers may be persuaded to donate and purchase from you through pop-up ads that offer exclusive savings, discounts, early access to promotions, and other incentives.

Using Claspo popup templates is incredibly easy and productive: in your account, you can choose from various templates and integrate them into your website to make eye-catching images and convert your visitors into buyers.

10. Recruit new volunteers

For many associations, the major challenge remains to find new volunteers. Take advantage of the Giving Tuesday campaign to recruit them!

This can be your central goal for the day or just an adjacent challenge.

Call on your volunteers and invite them to become ambassadors for your association:

• post a photo of them with a little testimonial of their volunteer involvement,
• suggest that they shoot a video where everyone shares their experience,
• ask them to participate in your online event, etc.

All these initiatives will allow you to recreate the open doors of your association a few months after the start of the school year.

11.  Raise customer awareness 

We told you about it above, and the Giving Tuesday campaign can increase your visibility. This is the perfect time to make newcomers aware of your cause!

In addition to the details of your actions for the day, specify the purpose of your association by explaining its history, efforts, achievements, and impact. Present them with your news and your end-of-year activities, inviting everyone to participate.

Think about the different formats you can use to broaden the reach of your message and grow your community:

• make a video,
• write an article,
• make a live intervention,
• host an event online.

For a successful online event, use online registration by email to easily keep in touch with your participants.

In your preparations, don't forget to do a few test sessions before Giving Tuesday to avoid unpleasant surprises. Also, remember to disable audio, video, and screen sharing for all participants who do not intervene.

12. Thank your community for their generosity

Whether in your emails or on your social networks, share the evolution of your goal and thank your community. Saying thank you and expressing gratitude are pillars of Giving Tuesday. Put your volunteers, donors, and partners in the spotlight during the event!

Organize a thank-you marathon by presenting good news every hour your association is grateful for. Focus on the positive and cultivate the sharing of good news during this event. These days, a healthy dose of optimism won't hurt.

You can appeal to your community by offering them to join the challenge. Encourage your audience to testify to what inspires and delights them.

13. Thank after the Giving Tuesday campaign

Remember to thank your donors once the day is over. You can send them an email to share the impact of Giving Tuesday for your association with figures on the sums raised, the number of people who participated, etc.

You can also invite your donors to support you for the Giving Tuesday campaign and in a sustainable way by becoming recurring donors, for example, or just following you on the various networks.

14. Show your progress

Hide the progress bar until you are at least 20% of your goal. Add them to the campaign before the launch to showcase momentum if you have offline engagements. If this is a one-day campaign, consider disabling the number of supporters and days remaining. If you change the donate button text, use clear, action-oriented language.

15. Show your impact

Impact blocks don't have to be physical impact (e.g., $100 = 100 meals) but should compellingly speak to your programs. Images and messaging should be consistent with the rest of the campaign.

Use suggested donation amounts strategically. Identify the median size of your gift and use that as the lowest suggested amount. Order blocks from highest to lowest amount to encourage larger donations. We recommend 3-4 impact blocks, but don't be afraid to turn them off completely if you have other important calls to action on the page. You can also set background images; simple patterns or gradients create a cohesive aesthetic without being too busy.

16. Use FAQ

If you receive common questions throughout the day, consider adding Frequently Asked Questions to educate your donors on tax deductibility, how funds are used, etc.

17. Design donate button

Don’t forget to customize the text of your donate button. Keep it short, sweet, and action-oriented if you choose to do this.

What Do You Need to Apply Giving Tuesday Best Practices?

1. Plan ahead

Your organization needs a solid plan to create an effective Giving Tuesday campaign, so it will take some time. To ensure that your plan is comprehensive enough to account for all crucial campaign factors, begin drafting it early.

Increasing donor engagement boosts campaign funding and enhances the likelihood that a donor will make additional donations in the future.

To ensure that your outreach is successful, segment your donation lists. You should also write the email copy that will be sent to each group of supporters advertising the campaign. Finally, create social media messaging to advertise the campaign (for each platform).

2. Test all your platform functionality

One of the worst scenarios is that you organize a fantastic Giving Tuesday campaign for potential contributors who experience difficulties making a donation. You could run into serious issues if your donation forms aren't functioning.

Make sure that:

• you have a large CTA button in the navigation bar of your website,
• the donation page is optimized for all devices,
• the donation procedure works well, and the transaction is automatically recorded in your donor database.

You should also run a real credit card to confirm the efficiency and promptness of the payment processing system.

Moreover, the giving procedure involves essential steps, including the confirmation page. It's an opportunity to acknowledge donors' efforts and provide other ways to optimize contributions, such as through a matching gift database.

Although double-checking your donation form's functionality may not sound like the fascinating activity ever, and it can be challenging to teach your team how to interact with supporters and use the platform efficiently, it can spare you a lot of misery. Don't wait until the Giving Tuesday campaign is halfway over to discover that your online donation forms are broken.

How to Win Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is the world day of generosity. Participating in this event allows you to collect donations for your association, increase visibility, and expand your community.

Fight against violence against women, support for people with autism, support for electro-hypersensitive people... the keyword for Giving Tuesday campaigns is generous. 

Giving Tuesday is an extra dimension as it encourages young people to engage in meaningful actions. Hit hard by the health crisis, more and more young people are speaking out on social networks to defend causes close to their hearts and demand a fairer and more sustainable world.

Join the movement and specify the objective of this day for your association (raising funds, recruiting new volunteers, expressing gratitude, etc.). If you want to launch a fundraising Giving Tuesday campaign, create your action by linking it to your solidarity project on your own website or fundraising platform. Then broadcast your campaign on your usual communication channels.

One of the major objectives of the Giving Tuesday campaign is to raise funds for its association. To be well prepared, you need a strategy like the Black Friday marketing strategy you prepare every year.

Participating in Giving Tuesday is ideal for sharing your association's projects with as many people as possible. We hope this article has given you the necessary keys to organizing this day as well as possible.