I’ve heard some organizations say, “We skip GivingTuesday because it feels too noisy.”
Here’s my take: yes, it’s noisy – but it’s the BEST kind of noisy with a surge of generosity. Millions of people around the world are actively looking for ways to give back on this day. Why wouldn’t you make sure your mission is part of that conversation?
And here’s the best part: you get to decide what GivingTuesday looks like for you.
Maybe it’s a day to simply say thank you to your community.
Maybe it’s the perfect time to invite your monthly donors to upgrade their gift.
Or maybe it’s when you finally launch a bold new recurring giving campaign. The point is: you can take one day of generosity and spin it into a year of impact.
Below are my top tips and resources to help you do just that.
1. Send a “Day in the Life” Email
Instead of another generic appeal, take supporters visually inside your mission. Show a day in the life of a team member, volunteer, or the community you serve.
Think: photos or a timeline-style email walking through morning → midday → afternoon moments. It’s storytelling with a fresh, human angle that makes readers feel like they’re right there with you.
👉 Inspiration: Jess Campbell’s LinkedIn Example
👉 Resource: Watch Grace Daniel and me audit websites, forms, and emails to see exactly what works (and what to fix!)
2. Make Monthly Giving a Priority
Flip the script: use GivingTuesday not for one-time gifts, but as the launch of a monthly giving campaign.
Ideas to try:
- A “Join Us Today” challenge where new monthly donors unlock a match.
- An upgrade push asking current sustainers to bump their gift.
- A special perk just for those who join on GivingTuesday.
👉 Resource: Monthly Giving Copy Assistant GPT to help you draft irresistible messaging.
3. Turn Instagram Into a Year-in-Review
Forget polished graphics. Photo dumps and carousels perform. Create a carousel of highlights from your year: real, joyful moments that capture your mission in action.
Pair it with an SEO-optimized caption (yes, Google now scans Instagram content!) packed with keywords like “GivingTuesday donation,” “support [your cause],” or “monthly giving impact.”
👉 Example: Girls Who Code Annual Report on Instagram
4. Create a Behind-the-Scenes Reel
People are curious. They want to know: what happens behind the curtain? Create a fun reel that shows a “day in the life” of your nonprofit or a takeover from a beneficiary leading up to GivingTuesday.
Ideas to include:
- Staff meetings brainstorming
- Volunteers prepping materials
- Team coffee runs + energy moments
- Real clips of your impact
Raw > Perfect.
👉 Example: @nypl The Summer I Got My Library Card
5. Use LinkedIn as Your Leadership Megaphone
This one’s still underutilized. 80% of LinkedIn users want to give back. On GivingTuesday, have your executive director, staff, and board each post WHY they give, WHY this mission is so personal to them. Bonus if they share a photo! You can use Chat GPT to create a template and have them customize.
This multiplies your reach and builds visibility far beyond your email list.
6. Hand the Mic to Your Donors (and Champions!)
Don’t just tell your story – let others tell it for you. Ahead of GivingTuesday, invite your board members, influential donors, staff, and even partners to record short vertical videos sharing why they give, serve, or support your mission.
Here’s how to make it work:
Plan Ahead: Send out a simple request 2–3 weeks before GivingTuesday. Ask for 30–45 second vertical videos filmed on their phone. Provide 2–3 prompt options like:
- “I give because…”
- “This mission matters to me because…”
- “Here’s what I’ve seen this nonprofit do that inspires me…”
Make It Easy: Give them a Google Drive or Dropbox link to upload, or even let them text it to your team. The fewer barriers, the better.
Build Anticipation: On GivingTuesday, you can:
- Run an Instagram Story takeover, sprinkling in these clips throughout the day.
- Stitch them together into a compilation reel for Instagram or TikTok.
- Share individual clips natively on LinkedIn, tagging each person to extend your reach to their networks.
Why It Works: This isn’t just user-generated content—it’s peer-to-peer validation. When a donor or board member shares why they give, their networks lean in and listen. It’s authentic. It’s relational. And it’s way more powerful than another graphic.
👉 Pro tip: Feature a mix of voices – donors, volunteers, community members, staff. It shows the depth of your impact and makes GivingTuesday feel like a collective movement, not just a fundraising ask.
7. Bold Move: A Monthly Giving Takeover
Remember when REI shut down on Black Friday with the #OptOutside campaign? It was bold, clear, and unforgettable. You can do the same on GivingTuesday with a Monthly Giving Takeover.
What it Looks Like:
Instead of offering one-time gift options, your GivingTuesday donation page is flipped to recurring-only. Every button, every call-to-action, every message points to commitment.
How to Position It:
“While the world celebrates a day of giving, we’re asking you to join a movement of generosity that lasts 365. On GivingTuesday, our donation page is a Monthly Giving Takeover – because one day of giving is powerful, but sustained giving changes everything.”
Creative Touches:
- Pair each monthly gift level with clear, monthly impact (e.g., $20/month = school lunches for a class, $50/month = therapy sessions for survivors).
- Launch with bold visuals: banners, graphics, even a takeover-style pop-up on your website.
- Be bold in your ask of how much you want to raise monthly / how many monthly donors you need because X impact will happen in 2026 with their consistent support.
Why It Works:
This makes you stand out in the noise. You’re not chasing one-day donations. You’re signaling confidence, clarity, and vision – and inviting your community into something deeper.
GivingTuesday doesn’t need to look like what every other nonprofit is doing.
Be creative. Be raw. Use the day as a chance to say thank you, launch something new, or bring people behind the scenes.
The goal isn’t to shout louder – it’s to show up authentically. Take one day of generosity and turn it into a year of impact.
