Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday 1 December this year, the first Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and it has become one of the busiest dates in the charity calendar. Many charities use it to kick off their year-end fundraising, which means that by the time the day arrives, your supporters’ inboxes and social feeds will be full of asks, and yours will be one of dozens.
If you’re planning your Giving Tuesday comms now, a few weeks out, you have time to do something more thoughtful than simply joining the noise.
Why Giving Tuesday feels so noisy (and why that’s okay)
It’s worth being honest about what your supporters are dealing with. They’re being asked to give by every charity they’ve ever engaged with, at a time of year when many people are already stretched by the cost of Christmas, rising bills and everything else going on.
Not everyone who cares about your cause can afford to donate right now, and that’s perfectly OK.
The risk for charities is that a campaign built entirely around a donation ask quietly leaves out everyone who wants to help but can’t give money, and those people are often your most loyal supporters.
Pick one story and one main ask
The most effective Giving Tuesday campaigns tend to be the simplest ones, so before you plan anything else, decide on the one thing you want people to do and the one story that shows why it matters.
It’s tempting to say everything at once, because there’s so much good work you want people to know about, but a single clear ask and a single story carried through your emails, social posts and website will land far better than a dozen competing messages.
Once you’ve chosen them, repeat them, because the people who see your fifth post are often only seeing it for the first time.
Include the people who can’t donate
This is where you can stand out from the noise. Alongside your donation ask, give people ways to support your cause that don’t cost them anything, because someone who helps in a small way on Giving Tuesday is still part of your community and may well be the person who gives next time.
Share a post. Asking supporters to share your Giving Tuesday post costs them a few seconds and can put your cause in front of people you’d never reach on your own.
Volunteer an hour. Offering a small, specific way to give time is often more appealing than a vague call for volunteers, particularly for people who can’t commit to something regular.
Sign up to your newsletter. This is a gentle first step that lets you build a relationship with new supporters long after Giving Tuesday is over.
Leave a Google review. Reviews help new people find and trust your charity, and they’re an easy way for happy supporters or service users to say thank you.
Tell a friend you exist. A personal recommendation is still one of the most powerful forms of comms, so it’s worth asking for directly.
A simple “five ways to help that cost nothing” carousel works well for this, because it’s easy to share, and it gives people who can’t donate something positive to do instead of feeling left out.
Make giving easy for the people who can
For the supporters who are in a position to give, the smoother the journey the better. Before the day, test your donation page on your phone, since that’s where many people will see your ask, and check that it loads quickly and works without any friction.
Make sure every email and post points to one clear link rather than several, and check that the page matches the story you’ve been telling, so people feel they’ve arrived somewhere that makes sense.
Plan your thank-you before the day
It’s easy to put all your energy into the build-up and forget what happens afterwards, so write your thank-you in advance and get it signed off before the week begins.
A warm, specific and prompt thank-you does more to build a lasting relationship than any amount of Giving Tuesday content, and it’s the thing supporters are most likely to remember when they decide whether to give to you again.
Decide whether Giving Tuesday is right for you this year
It isn’t right for every charity every year, and that’s fine. If your capacity is stretched, your winter appeal is already planned, or your supporters aren’t the type to respond to this kind of day, it can be a perfectly good decision to sit it out. What matters is that it’s a choice you make on purpose, rather than something you drift into because everyone else is posting.
The best comms picks the moments worth showing up for and makes them mean something, and that’s as true of Giving Tuesday as of anything else on the calendar. If you’re planning beyond December, my free 2027 charity awareness days calendar is there to help you map out the year ahead.
