7-Day Marketing Plan for Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

Your community won’t turn out to support your organization on Giving Tuesday if you don’t ask them to, and the week leading up to the giving day is the most important time for getting the word out. In those final seven days, it’s your job to keep your Giving Tuesday campaign top of mind and move supporters to get involved.

Base Your Plan on Channels Donors Love

Although marketing efforts should start as early as the beginning of November, there’s a lot you can do in the week before Giving Tuesday to get people’s attention and mobilize your donors. Use this seven-day plan to make sure that every day leading up to the global day of giving reminds your audience of the campaign and brings new potential supporters to your cause.

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With well-timed emails, website promotion, and engaging social media content, you can spark interest and incite action from your community before the giving day officially starts. Make sure your donation pages are up and running far in advance so supporters can donate at any time.

Keep in mind your organization’s financial and secondary goals as you adapt this Giving Tuesday marketing plan to your nonprofit’s needs. To guide your communication efforts, we’ve broken down what each day’s main message and action items should be. Don’t be afraid to tweak these ideas and get creative.

Tuesday (One Week Out)

Message: Heads up—we are participating in Giving Tuesday.

Website: Feature Giving Tuesday messaging and logos on your homepage and include calls to action that prompt potential supporters to learn more or donate. Anyone who visits your site should know you are participating in the giving day.

Email: Send an email to your community to announce that you will be fundraising next week and need their support. Tell them about your campaign goals and the impact you plan to make. You can even give donors the option to give now.

Read Next: Giving Tuesday Email Templates

Social Media: Change your profile and/or header images to promote Giving Tuesday. Followers new and old will be clued into your campaign. Add a link to your campaign page in your about section. Post on each platform you use to reach your entire audience.

Wednesday

Message: Save the date.

Social Media: Post fresh content to your platforms. Visuals and Giving Tuesday graphics are eye-catching and easy to share which makes them great for engagement. Heifer International shared this infographic to encourage their audience to get involved in Giving Tuesday.

Pro Tip: If you have time, send out a Giving Tuesday save the date postcard to keep your organization top of mind when supporters are disconnected from social media. When your message shows up in a supporter’s mailbox instead of their inbox, your organization stands out from the pack.

Thursday (Thanksgiving)

Message: Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to give back on Tuesday.

Social Media: Post a fun holiday message or Giving Tuesday graphic to draw the connection to Giving Tuesday. This is also a great time to send out a stewardship email saying thank you to your supporters. Download these email templates for nonprofit annual communications to save tons of time crafting your emails:

Free Download: 9 Email Templates to Engage Donors Year-Round

(Black) Friday

Message: Use your Black Friday savings to make a real impact.

Email: Send a quick reminder email to your supporters telling them Giving Tuesday is coming up.

Social Media: Consider counting down the days to Giving Tuesday. Create a new graphic each day or offer a new reason to give. Use hashtags related to Black Friday to reach more people.

Saturday

Message: Giving Tuesday is getting close! Get excited!

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content. Heartwarming images from the field help foster an emotional connection with your audience.

Sunday

Message: Giving Tuesday is your chance to make a difference. Help us reach our goal for this important cause.

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content. Try introducing or profiling a specific program to show supporters where their donations go and the impact they make.

Monday

Message: Giving Tuesday is tomorrow. Don’t forget to give!

Email: Send an email reminding supporters to donate and share the campaign with friends and family.

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content, like a graphic illustrating the impact your fundraising goal will make.

Download Now: 28 Giving Tuesday Social Media Templates

Giving Tuesday

Message: It’s Giving Tuesday! Act now!

Email: Since Giving Tuesday is only one day, your email series must be concentrated. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, who have previously raised over $50,000 in the 24 hours of Giving Tuesday, sends three emails throughout the day.

The first is sent around 5 a.m., asking supporters to donate. They send another email in the afternoon updating readers on the campaign’s progress toward its goals and asking them to give. In the evening, MAZON sends a final email letting donors know that their time to help is running out. Contacts who have already donated are removed from the later emails.

By sending multiple emails, you show the campaign’s progress and can catch donors’ attention at all times of the day.

Social Media: Nonprofit organizations should be updating and monitoring their social media platforms all day on Giving Tuesday. Along with sharing appeals, though, you should also share and respond to posts by supporters. Social media is a great way to call out Giving Tuesday donors and encourage others to join in. Remember to use hashtags, so you show up in conversations about the giving day.

The marketing and promotion you do the week before can make a big impact on the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign. By updating your website and social media accounts to highlight the campaign, and by proactively reaching out on email and social media, you can make sure everyone knows how to help.

As you plan and implement your Giving Tuesday campaign, keep in mind that your communications shouldn’t stop when the giving day ends. Prepare thoughtful thank you messages and be ready to update supporters on the campaign results and the impact it will create.

Use the following free email templates to plan out your year-end email strategy to give donors a seamless transition from Giving Tuesday to year-end:

16 Email Templates for Giving Tuesday Through Year-End