Giving Tuesday is here!
Giving Tuesday, a global movement to inspire charitable giving, is upon us once again.
Launched in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y, Giving Tuesday takes the festive narrative of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and asks us to give back instead of spending more.
Over the past twelve years, Giving Tuesday has grown from a simple concept to a worldwide phenomenon, generating over $3.1 billion in charitable donations in 2022 alone.
While the sheer volume of generosity captured in a single day is staggering, Giving Tuesday is more than just an excuse to spin up a fundraising campaign.
Instead, the spirit of Giving Tuesday is an open invitation for nonprofits, corporations, and individuals to unite around a shared commitment to impact and being a part of the change they want to see.
To make the most of this moment requires thoughtful preparation and action from everyone involved, and here’s how you can ensure you don’t miss the opportunity to make the best of today.
How Nonprofits are Making the Most Out Of Giving Tuesday
For nonprofits, Giving Tuesday can make or break not just their year-end fundraising targets but their entire fundraising budget.
Giving Tuesday is paradoxically both a day of high visibility and stiff competition where even the strongest signal can get lost in the noise, and success often hinges on meticulous planning and compelling storytelling that starts well before the Tuesday after Thanksgiving arrives.
Leslye Moore, National Director of Project Welcome Home Troops (PWHT), reflects on how their approach to Giving Tuesday has evolved: “When the day first launched we all felt the excitement and we embraced it immediately. For us, it’s the start of year-end fundraising and a critical day to get right.”
Giving Tuesday is just as critical for the rest of the 1.8 million nonprofits that operate in the US. The sheer number of organizations competing for donors’ attention makes for an incredibly tough environment for nonprofits to play in.
“Smaller organizations like ours face stiff competition every day of the year, but the pressure to excel is much higher on Giving Tuesday,” Leslye adds.
One part of the challenge is overcoming what experts have coined as ‘donor fatigue.’
“The past years have seen more hands seeking fewer dollars, and in 2024 Giving Tuesday comes hot on the heels of an election year that saw a record number of solicitations from both sides of the aisle,” Ben Miller, SVP of Data Science and Analytics from Bonterra, explained.
“There’s a real risk that donors are simply exhausted by the time Giving Tuesday campaigns come knocking, and this is something nonprofits would do well to prepare for,” Ben added.
One particularly potent way to combat donor fatigue is to avoid one-off calls and instead build lasting relationships where Giving Tuesday is just one opportunity among many.
“Giving Tuesday will always continue to be a significant driver for our fundraising, but we’re increasingly leaning on long-term relationships with our donors where we engage with them more frequently with information they find useful, instead of coming in with an ask for donations one week after Thanksgiving,” Leslye from PWHT elaborated.
For nonprofits, the takeaway is clear: preparation is everything. Engaging donors through storytelling, highlighting tangible results, and using the day to build relationships that extend beyond one-time giving can create lasting impact.
Another way for nonprofits to build on Giving Tuesday is to team up with corporations, who also have their part to play in making the day a success.
What Companies Can Do on Giving Tuesday: Going Beyond the Match
Giving Tuesday is also a rallying cry for corporations to deepen their commitment to philanthropy.
Matching gift programs, corporate volunteering, and targeted campaigns are powerful tools to create a deeper and more authentic relationship with the communities they serve while also aligning corporate values with societal needs in tangibly impactful ways.
And while they are great tools to deploy during Giving Tuesday, there’s no reason to avoid using them for the remainder of the year.
One example of companies doing exactly this is Justworks, an HR technology company focused on small businesses, whose annual Spring Forward Fund showcases the company’s approach to community-based corporate giving that goes beyond today’s celebration of giving.
“Giving Tuesday is an important date in the calendar for us because it’s important for hundreds of our small non-profit customers,” explains Michael Seckler, CEO of Justworks.
“We see Giving Tuesday as a chance to amplify the great work our customers are doing, and we have a number of year-round programs like Spring Forward and Justworks.org that combine financial support with hands-on contributions to amplify our impact in the communities we serve,” Michael explained.
Justworks’ approach to corporate philanthropy does more than just funnel funding to nonprofits, although that is a key part of it too.
“Corporate giving is as much about the impact and the engagement as it is about the dollars, and one of the biggest benefits is that our employees get an opportunity to be more hands-on with our non-profit customers, give back through volunteering, host events, and more,” Michael continued.
None of this is to say that the dollars don’t count, in fact, it’s quite the opposite if you ask the winner of this year’s Spring Forward Fund grant.
Sam Olivieri and Gabriella Schneider of Step Up Tutoring plan on using the $50,000 Spring Forward Fund grant to expand high-impact tutoring for students in Los Angeles.
“Focused corporate giving makes all the difference for nonprofits like ours,” Sam began, before explaining how nonprofits that are ramping up their operations are in particular need of support from corporations, be it pro bono assistance or financial aid.
“Giving Tuesday matters to us too and if we succeed today it will have a transformational impact on our ability to deliver impact to underserved communities. We’re thankful that some corporations take the fight for their communities outside of the confines of just one day, we hope that more make purposeful giving and volunteerism a year-round activity,” Sam concluded.
How Employees Can Take Initiative To Make The Most of Giving Tuesday
The beauty of Giving Tuesday is that it doesn’t call only on nonprofits and corporations to act; it invites all of us to be a part of the change we want to see.
Individual donors form the backbone of the movement, and employees in particular, have a wealth of unique opportunities to participate both as donors and as advocates within their workplaces.
One key area where employees can make an immediate difference is by claiming matching gift programs.
A mountain of dollars in matching funds go unclaimed each year simply because employees don’t know these programs exist. Asking HR about available opportunities and ensuring contributions are matched can instantly double or triple the impact of a single donation.
For those whose companies don’t yet offer matching gifts, Giving Tuesday is a great time to advocate for one.
Beyond financial contributions, employees can also make a difference by volunteering their time. As Sam and Gabriella from Step Up Tutoring aptly put it, “Giving Tuesday isn’t just about the money. It’s also about asking yourself, ‘What can I do to give back my time?’”
Ubuntu Village NOLA, a social justice nonprofit, embodies a philosophy of community-centered giving that resonates deeply with the idea of employees taking ownership in their contributions.
Co-Founder and Director Ernest Johnson emphasizes the concept of “we keep us safe,” a campaign centered around mutual care and community empowerment.
“At Ubuntu, we focus on connecting people as directly with the impact as we can,” Ernest explains. “It’s about understanding that everyone has a role to play where participation isn’t just optional, it’s integral to building a community where we all thrive.”
On the topic of financing around special events such as Giving Tuesday, Ernest notes that “we want donors to understand not just where their money goes, but how it directly contributes to creating spaces for healing, mutual support, and long-term justice. When you feel that connection, it builds ownership over the outcomes outside of any single campaign.”
For employees looking to deepen their engagement, Ubuntu’s model provides inspiration. It highlights that effective giving isn’t just about the action of giving but about fostering a deeper understanding of our shared humanity and the power of collective action.
