Giving Tuesday continues to grow as one of the most impactful global movements for generosity. As donor behavior evolves and technology transforms how people give, now is the time to prepare for your most successful campaign yet.
This updated guide walks you through every stage — from planning to post-campaign stewardship — with best practices, tools, and tips to help your nonprofit stand out this #GivingTuesday. Whether you’re just starting or scaling, Text2Give makes it simple to collect donations anytime, anywhere, through secure mobile giving.
Giving Tuesday 2025: December 2, 2025
Giving Tuesday 2026: December 1, 2026
Once Giving Tuesday 2025 concludes, take what you’ve learned and begin preparing for next year as early as January 2026. Early planning gives your team time to brainstorm creative ideas, secure sponsors, and align messaging well before the busy giving season hits.
If you’re reading this now and preparing for Giving Tuesday 2025, focus on your upcoming campaign launch — then use your post-campaign data and insights to kickstart 2026 stronger than ever.
Start by revisiting your previous Giving Tuesday results. Hold a team meeting to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d like to improve. Bring in your campaign leads, fundraisers, content creators, and communication specialists.
Evaluate:
Campaign performance vs. goals
Engagement rates and press mentions
Matching gift results
Sponsor performance
Feedback from donors and volunteers
These insights will help shape your creative strategy for next year.
Before launching new campaigns, nurture your supporters. Segment them into categories like:
New donors
Repeat donors
Major donors
Peer-to-peer fundraisers
Send personalized thank-you notes or videos, highlight the impact of their donations, and share success stories.
💡 Tip: Use Text2Give’s donor data and automated thank-you messages to make this process quick and personal.
Shift focus to this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign.
Set a clear fundraising goal, outline your campaign theme, and decide on your core message. Create a central “campaign document” to house every detail — timelines, visuals, links, and talking points — so your team stays aligned.
Before your first creative brainstorm, share this document so your team comes prepared with fresh ideas.
Once your goals and direction are in place, it’s time to bring your campaign to life. Between May and August, start building out your assets, channels, and messaging.
Your Giving Tuesday donation page is your digital home base. It should be simple, fast, and inspiring.
Include:
A clear headline and campaign story
Emotional visuals or short videos
Transparent donation goals
Easy “Give Now” buttons
💡 With Text2Give, you can build mobile-first donation pages or embed forms on your website in minutes. Every gift — whether through text or web — is tracked in one dashboard.
Define your campaign’s story. Focus on your mission, your community, and the impact you’re driving. Highlight a specific need or theme for 2025 and build all messaging around it.
Think about how you’ll answer the question: “Why now?”
Use testimonials, short videos, or photos from beneficiaries to bring your story to life.
Determine where your audience spends time in 2025 — that could be Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.
Plan out:
A content calendar leading up to Giving Tuesday
Countdown posts and donor shoutouts
Reels or short-form videos highlighting impact stories
A dedicated hashtag (e.g., #GiveWith[YourOrgName])
Include Text2Give’s short donation links in your posts and bios so supporters can give instantly from mobile.
Your email list is one of your most powerful fundraising tools. Plan your communication timeline:
Pre-launch (Sept–Oct): Share your campaign theme and early donor stories
Countdown (Nov): Build excitement with sneak peeks and progress updates
Giving Tuesday (Dec 2): Send multiple reminders throughout the day
Post-campaign (Dec): Celebrate success and thank every donor
💡 Use Text2Give’s text-to-donate feature in your emails: “Text GIVE to [Your Number] to make a donation in seconds.”
Before your public launch, share your campaign with your most engaged supporters:
Board members
Repeat donors
Staff and volunteers
Encourage them to donate early, share posts, and act as ambassadors for your official Giving Tuesday rollout.
On launch day, designate a central coordination space — physical or virtual — for your team.
Equip your “war room” with:
Laptops and dashboards
Real-time donation tracking
Social media monitoring tools
Snacks, motivation, and clear task assignments
Assign roles for social media posting, donor replies, progress updates, and campaign adjustments.
💡 Text2Give gives you live donation updates — perfect for tracking progress and celebrating milestones in real time.
Go live with energy and consistency.
Announce your campaign across all channels with strong visuals and clear calls to action.
Highlight:
Your fundraising goal
Matching gift opportunities
Corporate sponsors
Real-time donation milestones
Share impact stories throughout the day, and encourage peer-to-peer sharing to expand reach.
Your Giving Tuesday success can fuel your year-end campaign. Don’t let the energy stop at midnight.
Transform your campaign by:
Updating visuals and messaging from “Giving Tuesday” to “Year-End Giving”
Sharing progress updates and thank-you videos
Encouraging recurring donations or monthly gifts
Within 48 hours, send thank-you emails and text messages, post gratitude stories on social media, and highlight how donors’ contributions made a difference.
💡 Text2Give automates donor follow-up and tracking — helping you stay engaged and ready for 2026.
Stay ahead with these emerging trends shaping fundraising success:
AI-Driven Donor Personalization: Use data to tailor messages for each donor segment.
Short-Form Video Storytelling: Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts outperform static visuals.
Micro-Giving: Encourage small but frequent donations — made easy through text-to-give.
Transparency in Impact: Share where donations go with visuals, dashboards, and follow-ups.
Peer-to-Peer & Influencer Giving: Empower your supporters and micro-influencers to fundraise for you.
Ready to make your social strategy effortless? Get started free with Txt2Give.
Giving Tuesday 2025 is on December 2, 2025, the global day of generosity following Thanksgiving.
Even with limited resources, small nonprofits can leverage Text2Give’s mobile-friendly tools, text campaigns, and analytics to create high-impact fundraising experiences.
Start as early as January 2026 to give your team time to analyze 2025’s performance and build next year’s campaign strategy.
Try themed giving challenges, social media video appeals, influencer collaborations, or a 24-hour text-to-donate drive.