Receiving gifts and discounts on Black Friday definitely can make anyone happy but giving presents and helping those in need can also be somebody’s blessing. It elevates the spirit and makes people feel their valuable contribution to the community. That’s why socially significant events such as Giving Tuesday are being organized first.
Giving Tuesday, in particular, is the beginning point for this year-end push, thus it is critical to have the correct strategies and methods in place. Participating allows you to engage new donors, recognize loyal supporters, and leverage greater generosity. The Giving Tuesday email ideas provided below can help you rekindle people’s desire to donate.
Giving Tuesday Email Marketing 2024
The movement of year-end giving began in 2012 and has since gained pace. The event itself occurs on the Tuesday following Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM), so in 2024, it falls on December 3. Many donate or volunteer for causes and charities important to their hearts during the holiday season. Both commercial and non-profit organizations can participate in this event.
The statistics show great engagement levels that signify the impact of the occasion and the importance for businesses to create a working strategy for Giving Tuesday email marketing in 2024. Here are some highlights that we picked up from the Giving Tuesday webinar with great source materials.
- In 2023, Giving Tuesday witnessed significant participation: 34 million adults in the United States engaged in various forms of donating. This includes:
- 18 million contributed;
- 14 million gave via social media;
- 10 million people donated gifts or items;
- 8 million people volunteered.
- Giving Tuesday, with an estimated $3.1 billion donated by common people, largely in little sums, is a great opportunity to reach out and engage everyday givers.
- Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are concerned that Giving Tuesday will compete with year-end December campaigns, yet those who participate raise 5.6 times more between Giving Tuesday and the end of the year than those who do not. Contrary to popular assumption, crises, and elections boost giving.
- During a crisis, 31% of people respond to recognized events, while 42% express a willingness to give when made aware. In their Giving Tuesday emails, we advise NGOs to capitalize on this excitement, particularly during election seasons. Despite concerns about the exposure of Giving Tuesday, 53% of people are aware of it, and 86% believe it motivates charity. It has become the most popular day for donor acquisition, surpassing December 31st in 2022.
- According to Neon One’s analysis, Giving Tuesday accounted for 12% of recurring monthly gifts, making it an important chance for smaller groups to create long-term donor connections.
- Giving Tuesday also encourages broader participation; in 2023, 32% of participants gave in different ways, including volunteering.
Best Giving Tuesday Email Strategies
Starting your campaign for this event is a difficult task, but it becomes much easier if you know the Giving Tuesday email best strategies. The best decision is to rely on the proven practices and recognized approaches used by leading businesses and organizations in their respective fields. Here, we gathered some of the efficient tactics that can serve you as a guide for your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Start Giving Tuesday Email Campaign Early
To persuade subscribers to participate in the event and give donations, it’s crucial to prepare them by gaining their trust and understanding of the good cause. To make it possible, we recommend sending a Giving Tuesday newsletter in advance introducing the event, if it’s your first time participating. You can include the essential information about the event, its history, your motivation for donations, and, of course, the plans and goals for this year. The best way to notify the audience is right before the beginning of the holiday season in October. Overall, this strategy will bring you early engagement and more chances for an active audience during the event.
Leverage a Donation Match
Offering a donation match is an excellent Giving Tuesday marketing strategy for your organization to gamify donations and persuade contributors to increase their pledges. Commercial businesses can match their customers, promising donations for every completed purchase, subscription, or other action. Businesses and non-profits can also collaborate with a fund or business sponsor to match Giving Tuesday donations, multiplying the effect of each dollar and promoting even more gifts.
Donation Match Example:
Patagonia’s “1% for the Planet” campaign, which frequently involves donation match campaigns, donates 1% of yearly sales to environmental NGOs. In previous years, Patagonia doubled the impact of every gift by matching all consumer donations to environmental groups made through their platform on Giving Tuesday. In addition to increasing nonprofit support, this strategy strengthens Patagonia’s dedication to environmental causes.
Use Text-Based Emails
Text-based emails for Giving Tuesday stand out in busy inboxes and feel less formal. They also increase accessibility because they load quickly and are simple to read on mobile devices. Lastly, because text emails eliminate visual distractions and direct attention to the request, they frequently perform better.
Begin Storytelling
Begin your Giving Tuesday email campaign with a motivational story that highlights the transformative power of donations. Share the story of an individual your organization has helped or a project that stands to benefit from future funding. You can also add inspiring stories of top donors among your audience, staff, or your own philanthropy journey. This storytelling approach captures attention and underscores the meaningful impact of donations.
Ensure the campaign’s imagery and language remain mission-driven, prioritizing impactful narratives over cluttered visuals.
Encourage Current and Potential Donors
While there are some contributors who seek causes to donate to, many unfamiliar with this practice or first-time donators need encouragement and appreciation to feel the significance of their giving. You can feature donor testimonials or spotlights within your Giving Tuesday emails to accomplish this. Highlighting real contributors builds a sense of community and connection. This approach recognizes donors’ support and demonstrates their impact on your cause. It may also inspire others to get involved and contribute.
Personalize Appeals for Recurring Donators
Recurring donors need a special approach to be applied since they mainly serve as a pillar of your charitable initiative. By acknowledging their continued support, personalizing pitches for recurring supporters helps to deepen their relationship with your organization. For starters, express gratitude by recognizing their prior accomplishments and influence. Provide definite info on how their consistent contributions have advanced your cause to highlight the importance of their dedication. Recurring donors feel appreciated and reminded that their ongoing contribution is crucial to reaching your objectives thanks to this customized Giving Tuesday marketing strategy.
Send Progress Updates
Provide a progress update halfway through Giving Tuesday to keep subscribers informed on your fundraising achievements and encourage those who haven’t donated yet to join in. To reach potential new donors, filter your contacts to identify those who haven’t opened previous Giving Tuesday emails. By targeting these contacts, you can prompt greater participation and build momentum. This timely update may motivate more people to contribute as they see progress toward the goal.
Add a Pledge Option
Including a pledge option in your Giving Tuesday email strategy is a great way to reach potential donors who might not be ready to donate right away but still want to show their support. Making it possible for visitors to pledge helps supporters organize their contributions by fostering a sense of commitment that may be fulfilled on Giving Tuesday or later. By including a straightforward pledge form in the email, you may streamline the process, swiftly collecting pledges and enabling you to follow up with updates to entice them to convert.
Expand Channels
Direct mail and email marketing are highly effective in reaching stock givers, especially as 80% of them are over 55. While emails work well, many donors still appreciate the personal touch of direct mail. We already explained the significance of direct mail marketing in one of our previous articles, so don’t forget to check it out.
Reinforce your Giving Tuesday promotional strategy with various marketing channels like social media, using QR codes on print, TV ads, and online platforms. For maximum impact, aim for 7 exposures to ensure that your initiative is visible and accessible to find out about and join.
Segment Donors
Email list segmentation is one of the most important steps for launching any campaign. By giving all segments access to the same campaign materials, such as copy, graphics, and key terms, you may prevent donor fatigue and preserve brand consistency. The easiest Giving Tuesday segmentation strategy is to divide your list into donors and non-donors parts. For the latter part of the audience, emphasize your cause and the possible impact of a first-time gift when aiming to reach new audiences. For both segments, use tailored messages that include names, prior gift amounts, or particular mentions of prior contributions. This strategy improves relationships and customizes each message to appeal to specific contributors.
Giving Tuesday Email Ideas
Depending on the size and goals of your campaign, you can include various emails and messages. However, there are some basic Giving Tuesday email marketing ideas that most organizations employ to reach their objectives. Here, we share these examples.
Save-the-Date Teaser Email
Creating a sense of urgency for your request is crucial, and a “Save-the-Date” Giving Tuesday teaser email is a great way to get your audience interested. To avoid overloading recipients with information too soon, keep the message brief. Include a link to your pre-launch campaign website in your teaser email, and advise recipients to bookmark it so they can monitor its success after it launches. Potential funders can be better prepared for the launch if you include a countdown clock on this page. Finally, remember to set up a distinct communication plan and timetable for contacting volunteers and donors.
Why do these Giving Tuesday emails work?
A Giving Tuesday teaser email is effective because it promotes anticipation and early awareness, ensuring that the audience marks their calendars and feels involved ahead of time. This proactive communication lays the groundwork for increased involvement and emphasizes the significance of the impending event.
Giving Tuesday Launch Email
Of course, the most essential Giving Tuesday email idea is to send a launch announcement. Donation allocation, key matches, and incentives, kickoff and close dates, impact and purpose, and simple ways to donate should all be included in your message. Guide recipients to the donating page and further gift possibilities by utilizing direct calls to action. To create the feeling that donors would miss out if they didn’t participate, make sure to highlight the significance of your cause and the results of their generosity.
Why this email works for Giving Tuesday
Your Giving Tuesday campaign’s launch email is essential because it sets the tone, creates enthusiasm around the event, and communicates the campaign’s significance. This email is also a fantastic way to disclose fundraising goals directed at donors and increase excitement about the results for the community.
Give Today Email
The idea of a time-limited gift donation can be used in a “Give Today” email to encourage both new and returning customers to take immediate action. Phrases like “limited-time offer” that convey a sense of urgency can encourage prompt decision-making, increase sales for involved ecommerce businesses, and strengthen social responsibility. As you can see in Patagonia’s Giving Tuesday email example, it is possible to strengthen emotional bonds and motivate action by presenting a clear, appealing message and using images or testimonies that are relevant to the cause. By connecting purchases with purpose, this strategy not only increases sales but also fortifies customer loyalty.
Why does this Giving Tuesday email work?
The reason a “Give Today” email is effective is that it blends social impact and urgency, encouraging receivers to take immediate action by emphasizing a brief window of time. By appealing to philanthropic motivations, this strategy increases engagement and cultivates a feeling of belonging and purpose.
Last Call Email
Your last chance to get your campaign results is in the last-call Giving Tuesday email. This message can encourage donors to use matching funds that are about to expire, spur a last-minute rally for leaderboard ownership, and encourage those lagging to take action. On the final day of the campaign, try to send this email, preferably in the evening. Keep your message concise, straightforward, and sweet. To have the most impact, make sure the call to action is visible.
Why this email for Giving Tuesday works
Because it instills a feeling of urgency, a “last-call” Giving Tuesday email effectively motivates subscribers who would have previously hesitated to act. This last reminder drives last-minute engagement and conversions by reiterating the significance of the cause and appealing to FOMO.
Thank-You Email
As soon as someone donates, send them a personalized Giving Tuesday thank-you email to acknowledge their contribution and emphasize the significance of their support. You should also send a sincere thank-you note to everyone in your community when your campaign ends, even if they have already received individual thank-you for their contributions. To demonstrate the effect of the funds raised on your school community, think about making a thank-you video beforehand. Additionally, since they are still important members of your community, follow up with the people you asked for but who chose not to donate. Sharing the campaign’s outcomes could inspire them to participate in subsequent initiatives or make an after-the-fact donation.
Why is it a working Giving Tuesday email?
This Giving Tuesday email idea is effective because it expresses gratitude and appreciation for the receivers’ gifts, which builds a sense of community and thankfulness. Through sincere gratitude and openness about the products of their donation, this follow-up improves customer relationships, promotes future interaction, and upholds a positive brand image.
What to Include in Giving Tuesday Emails
Clear Calls to Action
Make it simple to donate by outlining your request in detail and including a clear call to action (CTA) in your Giving Tuesday emails. Examples of good CTAs can be “Enroll to Volunteer” for volunteers or “Donate Now” for donations. Make sure your call to action is noticeable by using eye-catching buttons or vibrant colors. To ensure readers don’t miss it, put it close to the top of your email. This strategy makes it more likely that receivers will comply with your request.
Defined Goal
Establishing a specific objective and purpose for your Giving Tuesday message will inspire donors by demonstrating the precise impact of their gifts. Setting a clear, attainable goal creates enthusiasm and motivates participants, strengthening a feeling of belonging and purpose.
Countdown Timer
As Giving Tuesday draws to a close, encourage donations by providing real-time information with countdowns or live trackers. Make use of these updates to highlight how each donation advances your objective. On our YouTube channel, we explained how to create and add countdown timers to emails, so make sure to check out our videos.
By the end of the day, send out one last Giving Tuesday reminder email with an urgent call to action, emphasizing your accomplishments and the potential impact of another donation. This strategy maintains momentum and motivates supporters to assist you in reaching your objective before it expires.
Explained Benefits and Results
Be clear in your request—whether it’s for donations, volunteers, or other support. To show recipients the possible effects of varying donation amounts, use interactive features in the email, such as donation sliders.
Include impact statements like, “$40 can save one life”. Present these details early in the Giving Tuesday email to make it easier for the donor, offering specific examples whenever possible.
You can see the best example of this practice in use in emails from Dignitas Ukraine, a well-known fund that helps Ukrainians with essential humanitarian supplies, technology, and more. Flowium’s CEO, Andriy Boychuk, regularly makes donations to this organization and receives from them important email updates and newsletters. In the emails, they clearly explain the cause and specify how different amounts of donation save lives, encouraging readers to donate more.
Compelling Giving Tuesday Subject Lines
Because the subject line is the first thing recipients see when they open their inboxes from your campaign, it’s important to pay attention to it in addition to the good email design and copy. These Giving Tuesday subject line ideas can serve as a source of inspiration for your promotions. We also recommend testing subject lines with emotional language or statistics to capture attention.
🎁 Today’s the Day to Give Back!
💙 Double Your Impact This Giving Tuesday!
🌎 Join Us in Changing Lives Today!
📅 Giving Tuesday: Don’t Miss Out!
💥 Only 24 Hours to Make a Difference!
❤️ Your Support Matters More Than Ever!
- You Can Change Lives in Just One Click
- Today’s Your Chance to Give Back
- Giving Tuesday is Here—Will You Join Us?
- Make a Difference This Giving Tuesday
- Help Us Reach Our Giving Tuesday Goal!
- Be Part of Something Bigger This Giving Tuesday
- Give Hope and Change Lives Today
Giving Tuesday Email Timeline
To help you out with the organization and management of promotions, we present you a draft of the Giving Tuesday campaign timeline. Of course, it’s just a sample for your inspiration and the real timeline will depend on the approach you choose for marketing during this event. Overall, our scheme represents common strategies that we mentioned above and frequently used steps in campaign organization.
October: Prepare Campaign & Cultivate Early Engagement
- Send: Save-the-Date Teaser Email
- Establish expectations and evoke strong feelings by promoting early commitments through email, digital platforms, and feature stories. Use influencer outreach to match messaging with campaign themes, set up email and social media reminders, and personalize the landing page with an engaging story and an obvious call to action for donations.
November: Amplify & Urge Action
- Send: Storytelling Emails, Giving Tuesday Introduction Emails, Giving Tuesday Launch
- Using countdowns and urgency tactics, emphasize the importance of Giving Tuesday via direct mail and social media. Physical activations, like as toolkits for locations with photo opportunities and giveaways for social media content, can further increase participation. Engage multiple channels with a personalized email series that includes success stories and instructions for donating stock.
December: Final Push & Thank-You Efforts
- Send: Give Today, Last-Call, and Thank-You Emails
- Change the landing page to move the emphasis from pledges to the final appeal, and emphasize the tax benefits of stock gifts and year-end deadlines with final countdown messaging. Through partner platforms, direct email, and social media, highlight last-minute giving options. In January, feature donor stories to convey appreciation and promote recurring stock contributions.
Final Thoughts
Giving Tuesday is a socially significant event that involves both commercial and non-profit organizations. For businesses, it’s a great opportunity to show that they view their clientele not simply as a source of profit but as a strong community that they can share values with.
Flowium regularly participates in charitable events and makes donations to important causes. We notify the audience via email about all our initiatives, so this year they can expect to see top examples of Giving Tuesday email marketing in their inboxes. We encourage other organizations to improve their approach by giving supporters opportunities to exhibit generosity. If you need any assistance with promotions, contact our specialists to receive professional assistance and services.
