Your 2026 Giving Tuesday Checklist to Raise More
Getting ready for Giving Tuesday can feel overwhelming. Use this handy checklist to make sure you’re ready for the big day!
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Getting ready for Giving Tuesday can feel overwhelming. Use this handy checklist to make sure you’re ready for the big day!
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U.S. nonprofits raised a record-breaking $4 billion last Giving Tuesday. To raise as much as possible this year, your organization needs a stellar campaign, powerful fundraising tools, and compelling materials.
If you feel like you’re in over your head, don’t worry! Below, I’ll share a comprehensive Giving Tuesday checklist detailing everything you need to complete before December 1st. I’ll also share tips, tools, and resources to help you along the way.
Feeling overwhelmed during the Giving Season rush is totally normal. A checklist ensures you know exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it.
It does the organizing for you so you only have to check things off as you go.
A checklist gives you the perfect bird’s-eye view of each task and action you need to complete so you’re always one step ahead.
Planning ahead of time helps you set up your Giving Tuesday campaign strategically and maximize your fundraising potential. If you don’t have the bandwidth to think through everything you need to do, the checklist below will help.
Using a checklist keeps you from forgetting something crucial and setting yourself back.
Any campaign insights you have from last year will help you design a data-led Giving Tuesday strategy rooted in facts and established donor behavior. What your donors responded to last year will help you decide how to frame your campaign this year.
Looking over past data can help you:
Vicki Burkhart, Founder and CEO of The More Than Giving Co., shares her expert advice:
Pro tip: Donorbox makes it easy to sort donation data using a variety of filters, including campaigns and dates. Use this to pull accurate numbers for your team to review.
Crowdfunding is the name of the game on Giving Tuesday! Use a powerful yet intuitive crowdfunding tool like Donorbox Crowdfunding to create a dynamic, engaging landing page for your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Look for a crowdfunding platform that offers the following:
See how the Zorya Foundation exceeded their fundraising goal for Giving Tuesday 2025 with Donorbox Crowdfunding:
Build Your Giving Tuesday Crowdfunding Page
Bonus resource: Learn how to create the perfect Giving Tuesday landing page in this blog post.
If you have an in-person component to your Giving Tuesday campaign, you’ll need a modern, convenient way to collect cashless donations.
Use donation kiosk software like the Donorbox Live™ app to collect donations made with cards and digital wallets. Simply download the app on your tablet and pair it with a card reader.
Or, fundraise on the go using Donorbox Live™ Mobile for Android smartphones and iPhones – no additional hardware required.
Watch this video to learn how to set up your donation kiosk with Donorbox Live™:
Giving Tuesday is all about telling an effective story. Consider pulling program or beneficiary stories ahead of time, including emotive images and videos that help share your organization’s impact.
This way, you’ll know exactly what you’ll share with your donors on the big day.
Learn how to ethically interview your beneficiaries in this blog post. Then, head over to this blog post to see how to craft the perfect fundraising story for your campaign.
The most successful Giving Tuesday campaigns provide as many ways to give as possible. Text-to-Give makes it easy to give by smartphone with just a few steps.
Here’s how it works:
Looking for inspiration? Check out these successful text-to-give campaigns.
Looking for an easy way to multiply your fundraising? Ask your biggest supporters to create their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages and help you raise donations for Giving Tuesday.
Use a peer-to-peer fundraising platform like Donorbox Peer-to-Peer to:
See how the Fetching Tails Foundation leveraged peer-to-peer fundraising to amplify their 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign. They allowed anyone to sign up right from their campaign page and showcased how much their top supporters raised.
Knowing who you’re reaching out to on the big day will save you stress and time in the long run. Start by looking at your usual outreach lists and checking for any gaps.
Consider including these donor segments in your Giving Tuesday outreach:
Create a different communication approach for each of these segments. Remember, personalizing your outreach as much as possible will increase your response.
Did you know: Donorbox CRM uses AI-powered list-generating technology to simplify segmentation based on giving habits, affiliations, relationships, and more. Learn why you need a CRM in your Giving Season toolkit in this blog post.
If you’ll be using videos in your Giving Tuesday campaign, now is the time to create them. If you can’t afford to use a professional videographer, use your smartphone camera to create a quick, intimate video.
Ask a board member or someone else who is high up in your organization to talk about the impact Giving Tuesday donations can make on your mission.
Pro tip: Share your text-to-give campaign information in your Giving Tuesday campaign video. That way, anyone who encounters your video will have a quick and easy way to donate.
Plan, write, and build any social media posts ahead of time to avoid added pressure on your team.
Leave some room on your social media schedule to post updates throughout the day. Consider sharing updates on major donations, your fundraising progress, and any notable donors.
Use scheduling apps like Hootsuite or Loomly to build your posts and stay one step ahead.
Draft your emails in advance to minimize any stress on the day.
Factor in any on-the-day updates, and remember to create segment-specific emails based on the lists you pulled earlier.
Send a thank-you note to the people who made a difference in your organization this year.
If you’re in the U.S., leverage Thanksgiving to share your gratitude and build momentum for your Giving Tuesday campaign.
Tweak your donation process on your website to attract and retain more donors.
Use a sticky donate button to remind your website visitors to give. Choose a color that contrasts with the rest of your website to draw your donors’ eyes.
Platforms like Donorbox allow you to combine a Giving Reminder with your Sticky Donate Button. This reminder pops up after someone has interacted with your donation form and navigated away, compelling them to complete their donation.
Ensure your tools are set up and in good working order ahead of Giving Tuesday. This enables you to optimize the donation experience for supporters and prepare answers to questions they may have.
Remember to:
Make sure you’re using a platform that guarantees 99.9% uptime (e.g., Donorbox). This ensures donors have a smooth giving experience and that you can capture every gift during peak moments of generosity.
Access to solid customer support is also essential, in case you run into any issues on the day.
You should already have your kick-off email written and built. Add any last-minute additions and send it to supporters.
Remember to include a link to your campaign page and share your Text-to-Give information in your email.
Review those posts you’ve scheduled and add any crucial updates throughout the day. This ensures you maintain any momentum you’ve gained.
Share stories that demonstrate your impact throughout the day.
Monitor how close you are to your goal and adjust your strategy on the day if it isn’t where you need it to be.
For example, you might need to send additional outreach if you notice a drop in donation momentum. This could take the form of emails, going live on Instagram or TikTok, or increasing the urgency in your social media messaging.
Analyze your data to see how you did. Whether you met your goal, surpassed it, or generated a lot of exciting conversation, know that your efforts to support your mission were worthwhile.
Share thank-you notes to everyone who gave or fundraised on your behalf. Include final statistics in your outreach, like the overall amount raised and the total number of donations.
Bonus resource: Check out this blog post for ready-to-use thank-you quotes to include in your outreach.
Do a SWOT analysis to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your campaign. Do this now so you can refer back to it as you plan for next year.
Download this free SWOT Analysis Template to guide you:
The table below shows which key performance indicators (KPIs) to track to measure the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign.
| KPI | What it tells you | When to track it |
|---|---|---|
| Total funds raised | Overall campaign performance | Giving Tuesday + after |
| Number of donors | Size of your campaign reach | During + after |
| Average gift size | Typical donor contribution | After |
| Donation conversion rate | How effectively your campaign converts visitors | During + after |
| New recurring donor signups | Number of donors who commit to providing ongoing support | During + after |
| Email click-through rate | How well campaign emails increase engagement | Throughout |
| Donor retention | Whether Giving Tuesday supporters come back | 30-90+ days later |
| Cost per dollar raised / ROI | Campaign efficiency | After |
Tune in to episode 133 of The Nonprofit Podcast as Jena Lynch and Britt Stockert share three essential strategies to amplify your impact this Giving Season.
Giving Tuesday is an exciting opportunity to connect with new and existing donors, share the impact of your mission, and raise significant funds for your cause.
This checklist is designed to keep you organized during the lead-up to Giving Tuesday. Keep referring to it to ensure you don’t miss any critical tasks.
Unified international fundraising platforms like Donorbox offer a comprehensive suite of online and in-person fundraising features to elevate your Giving Tuesday fundraising.
If you haven’t already, sign up today.
For more Giving Season tips, check out the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter to receive the best resources in your inbox.
Lindsey Bower is a writer, content strategist, and nonprofit consultant. She specializes in helping nonprofits craft compelling messaging for websites, blogs, social media, and email marketing, with a strong focus on SEO and AEO strategy. With a background in fundraising and membership management, she knows firsthand what it's like to juggle priorities and wear many hats in the fast-paced nonprofit world.
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