As part of our ongoing case study series—designed to help you learn from real campaigns, find inspiration, and bring fresh ideas to your own GivingTuesday plans—we’re spotlighting a standout example from Italy that’s engaging new audiences, mobilizing creators, and bringing a sense of joy and creativity to digital generosity.
Since 2017, Fondazione Filantropica AIFR has led the GivingTuesday movement in Italy, working to promote generosity through advocacy, awareness, and training across the country’s nonprofit sector. One of its most dynamic initiatives, #StreamingTuesday, turns Twitch into a stage for generosity—bringing together dozens of streamers and nonprofits for a 24-hour live marathon designed to raise awareness, build community, and activate support for a wide range of causes.
We spoke with Giorgia Buselli, Event & Partnership Manager at Fondazione AIFR, to learn how the campaign came to life—and what nonprofits everywhere can take away from its success.
Q&A with Giorgia Buselli, GivingTuesday Italy Leader
Q: Share a little bit about yourself and the organization you work for.
A: I’m Giorgia Buselli. I have a background in astronomy, but my true passion has always been the nonprofit world — a passion I’ve been fortunate to turn into my profession.
After more than 20 years working on individual social causes, I joined Fondazione AIFR two years ago. Here, our mission goes beyond supporting a single issue: we work to strengthen the entire nonprofit sector through advocacy, education, and cultural change. It’s a big challenge — and a rewarding one.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the organization you’re part of?
A: Fondazione Filantropica AIFR is a nonprofit organization that promotes the culture of giving through advocacy, awareness, and free training opportunities for Italy’s Third Sector. Since 2017, it has been the official partner of GivingTuesday Global, with the task of spreading the movement nationally and adapting it to the Italian context.
Pictured from left to right: Giorgia, Marika, Federico, and Giuliana of the Fondazione Filantropica AIFR team.
Q: Tell us more about the #StreamingTuesday campaign. Where did the idea come from, and how did you bring it to life?
A: #StreamingTuesday grew out of a strategic initiative by Fondazione AIFR ETS: promoting streaming as a strategic lever to engage younger generations and to open new possibilities for the Italian Third Sector. Streaming is not just entertainment—it can also be a powerful tool for building communities, telling stories about projects with a high social impact and activating participation around important causes.
Fondazione AIFR’s interest in streaming began in April 2023 with the Gaming for Good conference, our first event entirely dedicated to the link between gaming, live streaming, and fundraising. That’s where the idea for a 24-hour Twitch marathon for GivingTuesday 2023 came from. It became a true online relay, with more than 20 streamers taking turns going live on Twitch—streaming from morning until late at night to raise awareness and inspire their communities.
The success of the initiative motivated us to bring it back. In 2024, the number of participating streamers doubled to 40, confirming both the strength of the format and the desire among creators and viewers to contribute to something meaningful through streaming.
Q: What has surprised you most about how people responded to the campaign?
A: What surprised me most was definitely the overwhelming enthusiasm of the streamers. Many not only participated wholeheartedly, but also involved friends, creating mini-marathons within the marathon.
Everyone embraced the “adventure,” leading socially themed live streams of all kinds. Some sang on request for each donation received, others did push-ups, some dedicated their streams to conversations with volunteers and staff from their chosen nonprofits to raise awareness about their missions and activities, and others created original drawings or handmade notebooks as gifts for donors.
It was wonderful to see so many creators dive in wholeheartedly. Even more inspiring was how some continued collaborating with their chosen organizations after the event, keeping the conversation about solidarity alive on their channels.
Q: How did you engage donors, creators, volunteers, or partners before and during the campaign?
A: To organize #StreamingTuesday, we built a multi-level engagement strategy, starting with a network of streamers already engaged with or sensitive to social issues, who had participated in previous initiatives promoted by Fondazione AIFR. To this solid base, we added targeted scouting and direct outreach, also using tools and agencies within the creator space: the goal was to expand the group by identifying profiles aligned in values, communication style, and community engagement.
A key element was allowing streamers to choose the nonprofit organization to support during their live stream. This made participation more genuine and heartfelt, strengthened the bond between creator and social cause, and facilitated emotional involvement of the viewers.
We provided logistical and communications support to participants: graphic materials, guidelines, and a focused promotion through the GivingTuesday Italia and Fondazione AIFR channels. We also involved our partners and Third Sector organizations in amplifying the content, fostering a sense of collective action that highlighted each stream and amplified the initiative’s reach.
Q: Why did you decide that Twitch was the right platform for #StreamingTuesday? Were there specific features or communities that made it a good fit?
A: Twitch proved to be the ideal platform for #StreamingTuesday for several reasons. First, it already hosts many Italian creators experienced in charity challenges and skilled at engaging their audiences. This made it natural to propose a collective event centered on generosity and active participation.
In addition, Twitch offers integrated fundraising features—such as the Twitch Charity tools—that simplify the process for both organizers and donors.
While the initiative could certainly be replicated on other platforms like TikTok or YouTube, Twitch offered the best fit for a live, collaborative event format.
Q: Are there any tools, platforms, or strategies you’d recommend to others interested in running streaming-based campaigns?
A: Yes, but it’s not enough to just “go live.” A successful charity streaming campaign must respect the platform’s language and the creators’ style: direct, visual, authentic. Nonprofits need to adapt by moving away from overly institutional tones and embracing a more spontaneous and engaging communication style.
Strong scouting is essential: identify creators aligned with your values using tools like TwitchTracker, SullyGnome, or the TikTok Creator Marketplace. Launching a Call for Streamers—an open invitation inviting streamers to participate in your event or campaign—or proposing a themed marathon can be a great way to get noticed.
Simplifying donations is crucial. Tools like Tiltify, Streamlabs Charity, or the Twitch Charity Tool allow you to integrate fundraising smoothly and instantly into the live stream.
Another key aspect? Allowing streamers creative freedom. Each creator has their own style and knows their community best—the freer they feel, the more engaged they’ll be. To support them, prepare a well-designed welcome kit with logos, graphics, and key messages.
Promotion is also vital: use teasers, reminders, posts, and newsletters—especially in the 48 hours before the event—to build momentum. And don’t forget to appreciate your creators: thank them publicly, share their content, and build lasting relationships.
Finally, measure and share the impact—what was accomplished, how much was raised, and how many people got involved. A debrief with partners and creators helps improve and prepare for the next edition.
With strategy, openness, and courage, streaming can truly become a powerful ally for nonprofits.
Q: What worked well? What might you change or try differently for the next campaign?
A: What really worked was the strength of the streamers’ communities: they are cohesive, participatory, and very generous groups, capable of engaging enthusiastically when they feel connected to a cause.
Another positive element was the collaboration between creators: the so-called “raids”—where viewers are passed from one channel to another during the live event—multiplied the campaign’s impact and visibility, creating a powerful contagious effect.
Allowing creators to personalize their live streams also proved to be a winning choice: each one could present their own version of the campaign, making each contribution authentic and heartfelt.
For the next edition, however, we want to improve the involvement of nonprofit organizations. Often, nonprofits feel uncertain or uncomfortable navigating a new and fast-paced digital context, like streaming. That’s why we plan to work earlier and more effectively with them, offering training and dedicated support to help them feel more confident and maximize their participation.
Q: Did you face any unexpected challenges? How did you overcome them?
A: Yes, the main challenge was actively involving Italian nonprofit organizations, many of whom are not yet fully comfortable with informal, dynamic digital platforms like Twitch. Some perceived the platform’s tone as too light or misaligned with their usual communication style, while others had technical concerns about managing a live stream or collaborating with creators.
To overcome this, we adopted a very practical, hands-on approach: we offered one-on-one support, shared successful examples from past campaigns, and demonstrated that important topics can be addressed in a lighthearted, accessible, and highly engaging way. This helped organizations take the first step and discover an effective and genuine new way to share their stories and impact.
Q: What was your favorite moment from #StreamingTuesday?
A: Without a doubt, my favorite moments were the creator challenges launched during the live streams. Watching the community rally to see their favorite creators sing, draw, or do push-ups live after a donation were among the most beautiful and engaging parts of the event.
There’s an atmosphere of lightness, friendliness, and joy that transforms the event into something much richer than a typical fundraising event—it becomes a true celebration of giving: collective, participatory, and deeply human. That’s where you see the power of streaming—generosity expressed through entertainment, humor, and a direct bond with the community.
Q: How have you continued the momentum after GivingTuesday?
A: After the event, it’s essential for us not to simply close the campaign, but to recognize participants and build continuity. Each creator is personally thanked—not only during the live stream, but also in the days that follow—and receives a final report highlighting the results achieved, key moments, and video clips.
This material is also shared with nonprofit organizations and partners to reinforce the sense of belonging to a shared project.
We also continue to engage participants in other events promoted by Fondazione AIFR, especially those focused on innovation and streaming. Our goal is clear: not to create a one-off event, but to build an active, ongoing network that comes together each time with fresh energy, new ideas, and meaningful collaborations.
Q: We know it’s several months away, but what can we expect for GivingTuesday 2025 on Dec. 2?
A: For the 2025 edition of GivingTuesday, we’re already preparing a rich program that combines beloved initiatives with new challenges designed to engage even more people.
A Scuola di Generosità, our educational program for schools that promotes giving and active citizenship, and #StreamingTuesday, the solidarity marathon on Twitch that will feature even more creators and online communities this year, are both set to return.
Among the new additions, we’ll launch the #FlashGenerosity challenge on TikTok and Instagram—an invitation to express generosity in a creative, immediate, and visual way, designed to speak to young people in their own language.
Also returning will be Italia in Rosso, where monuments and symbolic landmarks across Italy light up red to celebrate the value of giving.
All details and opportunities to participate will be available on our official website: givingtuesday.it.
