GivingTuesday templates for email, social, and text

GivingTuesday remains a major way for organizations to attract donors, with a reported $3.1 billion generated in recent years. All eyes are on philanthropy, but how do you convince people to donate to your cause over another? 

The right message delivered in the right way can have a huge impact on whether your supporters feel compelled to give. Coming up with a series of emails, social posts, and text messages from scratch is a big time investment—but with GivingTuesday templates, you can get your message out to your supporters faster.

In this guide, we’re sharing our best free GivingTuesday templates for emails, social media, and text messaging, alongside our best advice on how you can strengthen your campaign messaging this year.

How to approach your GivingTuesday strategy campaign messaging

Your supporters will see so many messages from different nonprofits and charities before, during, and after GivingTuesday. It’s essential that yours stand out for all the right reasons. 

A strong GivingTuesday campaign doesn’t start with a viral social media post or a series of emails. To see success, you need a solid foundation.

Here’s how to approach the year-end giving season in a strategic way: 

• Plan early: Avoid last-minute panic and start planning your GivingTuesday campaigns as early as possible.
• Set a goal: Decide what your giving goal is for this year. Set a goal that aligns with your organization’s mission and feels like a challenge, but that’s still achievable—you want your donors to feel like you’re close to hitting (or achieving) your target.
• Create a strategic plan: Assemble your team and make a GivingTuesday strategy plan for what you’ll say and do before, during, and after the big day. Hand out roles, responsibilities, and tasks that you can check off as you complete them.
• Gather your resources: Understand what you’ll need in terms of budget, people, and other resources, and make sure you have everything ready to go.
• Create an editorial calendar: Plan as much of your content as possible in advance and schedule it accordingly. Bonus points if you can do this based on the best engagement times for your target audiences. 
• Use templates: Don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. Use our free GivingTuesday templates to shortcut your way to clear, effective messaging.
• Use AI to scale your efforts: Personalization is key, and an AI tool for nonprofits can help you maximize your impact and save you time by drafting messaging for you to review.

When you get the basics right, crafting impactful emails, social media posts, and text messages comes more easily. 

How to create a winning GivingTuesday email strategy

Your goal is to get your supporters to not only open your email but also read it, feel moved, and make a GivingTuesday donation. Here’s how to make that happen with purposeful email marketing.

Tell a story

Use storytelling as a way to get your message across this GivingTuesday. Instead of simply saying why you need to fund a new community center or raise funds for research, tell the story behind it. Feature an interview with someone who will benefit from the work you plan to do, or recount stories of how your previous work has made a real difference.

Personalize with donor data 

If you use a nonprofit CRM, you’ll have lots of useful donor data stored there. Use this to create personalized campaigns for GivingTuesday. Go beyond simply adding the donor’s first name in the email and look for other ways to make your emails feel special — like referencing one of their previous contributions, or highlighting a reason to give that’s close to their hearts or interests. This is also an easy way to customize a GivingTuesday template.

Include a clear call to action

Campaign emails can get wordy, especially if you’re telling a valuable story or introducing your GivingTuesday goals. No matter the length of your email, be sure that your call to action is obvious. Add a button or make your GivingTuesday donation page link bold or a different color — whatever you can do to make it stand out.

Effective GivingTuesday email templates

Let’s take a look at some of these best practices in action with some GivingTuesday email examples and templates.

Before the day

Subject: GivingTuesday is coming up. Can we count on your support?

Dear [Name], 

There’s just one month left until GivingTuesday, the international day of giving. This year, we’re calling on you to help us [Campaign ask]. Your support can make a real difference, and every dollar counts.

If we hit our fundraising target of [Goal], we’ll be able to:

• [Impact #1]
• [Impact #2]
• [Impact #3]

On [Date] we’ll be running a full program of activities that put the “fun” in fundraising. View the program at [LINK] and join us on [Date] for livestreams, challenges, Q&A sessions, and more.

Please give what you can this GivingTuesday.

During the day

Subject: Our goal is to raise [AMOUNT]. Can we do it?

Dear [Name],

GivingTuesday is here, and that means it’s time for us to come together to raise as much as possible for [Cause] in the next 24 hours. This year our target is [AMOUNT] and we know it’s ambitious, but we know that with our help we can do it.

Every donation matters:

• $[Amount] can [Impact]
• $[Amount] can [Impact]
• $[Amount] can [Impact]

Last year, you generously donated [Amount], and we’d love to invite you to support us again this year. You can now support us with monthly giving too, so your contribution has an impact far beyond this global day of giving.

[Button – Donate now]

After the day

Subject: We did it, thanks to you! 

Dear [Name], 

Yesterday was our best ever GivingTuesday, and it’s thanks to supporters like you that we were able to raise more than [AMOUNT] for [CAUSE].

Your generosity won’t go unnoticed. Thanks to you, we can [Impact] and [Impact]. These projects will have a long-lasting impact on our community, and we couldn’t be happier that you chose to support us.

Thank you today and always.

Visit How to build an effective fundraising email campaign for more information on email fundraising campaigns.

How to make the most of GivingTuesday on social media

Social media gives you access to your supporters where they spend their downtime, which means you have more chances to engage with them and encourage them to give. Here’s how to approach your social media strategy this year to hit your target faster — followed by some GivingTuesday templates to take you from idea to action.

Be more active than usual

Many nonprofits end up scheduling social media content a few times a week, especially if they’re new or small. This might work fine if you don’t have anything major to update on, but during the lead-up to GivingTuesday, you’ll want to increase your posting frequency. Show up and engage more often so you have a higher chance of appearing in people’s feeds.

Share interesting statistics

An impactful statistic can motivate your donors to give. If you have surveys or research data from previous campaigns, now’s your chance to showcase what you’ve found. When you can tell your audience that 60% of your community is in need of what you’re offering, they’re much more likely to get involved. Create a shareable graphic or infographic and encourage others to share with their networks.

Launch a creative campaign

Social media is the best place to get creative when it comes to giving days. Think of a unique way to share your campaign and celebrate progress on your social platforms, with plenty of photos, graphics, and videos to liven up your messaging. 

Tailor your content to the platform

It’s tempting to repost the same content across all your social media channels, but don’t. Instead, consider where your fans are, how they interact on social media, and what best practices are for each platform. Create a thread on X to tell a fundraising story, share an engaging graphic on Facebook, or go live on Instagram or YouTube.

Engaging GivingTuesday social media post templates

Not sure what to write? Here are some social media templates you can customize and share across Facebook, Instagram, X, or wherever your audience spends their time.

Before the day

Save the date! On [DATE] we’ll be going live with our biggest and best #GivingTuesday yet. Join us for fundraising fun and see if we can hit our most ambitious goal yet.

——————————————– 

There’s only one week to go until #GivingTuesday! We’re excited to launch our campaign to you on the day, but until then, watch our latest video, all about last year’s successful project.

——————————————– 

Tomorrow’s the day! Stop by at 8am for the big launch, or check out our full schedule at [LINK] #GivingTuesday

During the day

It’s finally here, it’s #GivingTuesday! Join us as we take part in a global day of giving, with community and support at the heart of everything we do. 

——————————————– 

Up next at 2pm we’ll be speaking with [Name] and [Name] as they talk us through the difference that our latest project made to their community. Can’t make it? All donors will receive a copy of the replay: head to [LINK] to give

——————————————– 

We’ve almost hit our target! Can you help us cross the finish line? Donate now at [LINK] #GivingTuesday

After the day

We’re delighted to share that we smashed our #GivingTuesday target and raised [AMOUNT] for [CAUSE]. Thank you to each and every one of you! 

——————————————– 

Missed GivingTuesday? Don’t worry, you can still donate towards our annual fundraiser at [LINK]

——————————————– 

Thank you to our wonderful community! You’ve raised [AMOUNT] this GivingTuesday and helped us support [AMOUNT] people.

How to write valuable GivingTuesday text messages

Text messaging can be a powerful way to encourage donors to give quickly — especially if you combine it with other promotion methods. Studies show that adding text messaging to an email fundraising program can increase the revenue raised per person by 30%.

Whether you’re new to text messaging or want to improve this year’s campaign, here’s how to embrace texting for GivingTuesday — plus some free GivingTuesday templates for text messages. 

Be concise

While you’re less limited on space these days, text messages should be short and sweet rather than a full-on storytelling experience. Think of your texts as a gentle nudge to give, and an ideal opportunity to bypass busy email inboxes. Once you’ve got someone’s attention, keep it with a short message and a direct call to action.

Keep donors updated on progress

Text messages are the ideal way to keep your supporters updated in the lead-up to and during GivingTuesday. Announce the launch of your campaign in the morning, send a midday and mid-afternoon reminder, and invite your donors to celebrate with you when you reach (or exceed) your target.

Make giving easy

If your supporters feel motivated to give, make it easy for them. Combining informational or promotional text messaging with the ability for donors to use a text-to-give platform means there’s less friction for them when it comes to contributing to your cause.

Motivating GivingTuesday text message templates

Text messaging allows you to send real-time status updates to supporters more easily, which you can use to motivate them to take action — whether that’s to share the campaign with a friend or donate by text.

Before the day

Are you signed up for our GivingTuesday alerts? Text [CODE] to [NUMBER} to opt in!

——————————————– 

GivingTuesday is only a week away. Tell your friends! 

——————————————– 

Tomorrow is the big day. Are you ready to help us raise [AMOUNT] for a good cause?

During the day

GivingTuesday is here! Be one of our first supporters – donate $10 by texting [CODE] to [NUMBER] now.

——————————————– 

We’ve reached the halfway mark. Can you help us get closer to our target? Donate now by visiting [LINK]

——————————————– 

We’d love to hit 120% of our goal before the day ends. Help us make this the most successful campaign yet by donating $25 – text [CODE] to [NUMBER] to give now.

After the day

Thank you for taking part in GivingTuesday! Your donation of [AMOUNT] will help us [IMPACT].

——————————————– 

Your support means the world to us! Thanks to you sharing our campaign with your network, we raised [AMOUNT] for a good cause.

——————————————– 

You were one of the first people to donate to us this GivingTuesday – way to go! Your continued support allows us to [IMPACT]. Thank you for helping us make a difference!

All our best GivingTuesday messaging tips

We’ve covered some platform-specific advice and GivingTuesday email strategies above, but there’s even more you can do across your entire campaign to raise more funds than before. Combine these expert tips and our GivingTuesday campaign ideas for the best chance of success.

Keep coming back to your goal

Mention your goal or target throughout your campaign messaging. Tell people what your goal is when you announce the start of your campaign, and keep them updated as the day progresses. Let people know that their contribution of $25, $50, or $100 represents X% of your goal, so they can visualize the personal impact they’ll make.

Split your audience into segments

Nonprofits see the best success when they send targeted campaigns to specific donor segments. With a fundraising CRM, you can build audience segmentation lists based on your donors’ giving history, preferences, and habits, allowing you to deliver a GivingTuesday email strategy that feels like it was created with every donor in mind. Donor data, audience segments, and GivingTuesday templates = a perfect match.

Create a sense of urgency

Your goal is to drive GivingTuesday donations now, rather than collect pledges for a future date. Motivate your supporters to act as soon as they can by using language that creates a sense of urgency. Phrases like “donate now” or “your donation today can make a difference” are simple ways you can encourage action straight away. 

Make your call to action clear

With all the campaign messages out there, it’s easy for your call to action to get lost. Focus all your attention on driving attention to your fundraising page, and make it obvious how donors can get involved — whether that’s online, by text, QR code, or something else.

Express gratitude

Find a way to acknowledge and send thanks for every donation you receive, or every moment of support that furthers your campaign. This is even more crucial if gratitude is a key part of your nonprofit’s mission and values. Say thank you to donors on social media, shout out major donors in a livestream, and personalize your donation receipts so every donor feels appreciated.

Set yourself up for GivingTuesday success

A successful GivingTuesday campaign is the perfect blend of strategy, planning, and execution. With these expert tips and free GivingTuesday templates, you and your team can put everything in place, ready for an impactful day of giving.
The year-end and holiday season is a crucial time for nonprofits, and GivingTuesday falls right into this busy period. Discover the 10 steps to a successful year-end giving campaign and enhance not only your GivingTuesday campaign but the rest of your seasonal fundraising efforts.

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