Several federal and non-federal holidays are celebrated throughout the year in the United States. We’ve gathered all of the 2024 dates for each holiday into one comprehensive list - use it to plan your nonprofit outreach, events, and more.
![U.S. Holidays: The Ultimate List for Nonprofits [2024]](https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/US-Holidays-Header.png)
The year is filled with U.S. holidays honoring everything from cultural celebrations to historical occurrences to religious observances.
Whether or not you plan to celebrate these holidays as a nonprofit, it’s important to get these dates on your nonprofit’s calendar early in the year. Knowing when major holidays take place will help you schedule events, plan outreach, set your budget, and more.
In this article, we share two lists – one with federal U.S. holidays and the other with several additional holidays often celebrated by people throughout the United States. Plus, we provide a few tips to help you celebrate these holidays as a nonprofit!
Federal holidays are those officially recognized by the federal government. All federal government offices are closed on these legal public holidays. Many U.S. businesses follow suit by giving employees some or all of these days off as well.
Here’s a list of the 11 federal holidays currently recognized in the U.S., and the days they fall on in 2024.
Monday, January 1, 2024
New Year’s Day marks the first day of the new calendar year, per the widely-used Gregorian calendar. This holiday, therefore, always falls on January 1.
When New Year’s Day takes place on a weekend, federal offices instead close in observance of the day on the following Monday.
Monday, January 15, 2024
Celebrated on the third Monday in January each year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting for racial equality for all people.
Monday, February 19, 2024
Known to many in the U.S. as Presidents’ Day, Washington’s Birthday is observed on the third Monday in February, as this is the day closest to George Washington’s actual birthday (February 22). Originally created to celebrate the first president of the United States, this U.S. holiday has grown over the years to honor all the country’s presidents.
Monday, May 27, 2024
Memorial Day always falls on the final Monday in May. It serves as a day of remembrance and mourning as it honors all members of the U.S. military who lost their lives serving their country.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
The newest U.S. federal holiday on this list, Juneteenth is celebrated in commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865 that the Union Army declared that slaves in the state of Texas were freed, nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Also known as the Fourth of July or July 4th, Independence Day celebrates American independence. It marks the day the Declaration of Independence was passed by the Continental Congress – July 4, 1776 – officially announcing the separation of the original thirteen colonies from Great Britain.
Monday, September 2, 2024
Held on the first Monday in September each year, Labor Day is a U.S. holiday that honors and recognizes the achievements and contributions of American workers, with origins in the labor union movement.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Columbus Day is honored on the second Monday in the month of October. This U.S. holiday was originally held on October 12 and is a celebration of the day Christopher Columbus landed in the New World in 1492.
In recent years, more and more people have made the shift to honoring Indigenous People’s Day on this same date, remembering the history and resilience of Indigenous people and celebrating their communities.
Monday, November 11, 2024
Held on November 11 each year, Veterans Day honors all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was originally called Armistice Day and falls on November 11 as this is the anniversary of the ending of World War I.
Thursday, November 28, 2024
U.S. Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Seen by many Americans today as simply an opportunity to give thanks for the blessings one has, Thanksgiving is traditionally a celebration of the first harvest the American Pilgrims had alongside the Wampanoag people in Plymouth.
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
The only federal holiday that is also a religious holiday, Christmas Day – for Christians – commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. For those who don’t observe Christianity, Christmas often serves as a day of giving.
As is the case with New Year’s Day, federal offices close the Monday after Christmas should the holiday fall on a weekend.
There are many additional holidays that Americans celebrate throughout the year, even if they don’t necessarily have the day off work!
Here are a few of the most popular religious, cultural, and just-for-fun U.S. holidays to take note of in 2024.
Celebrating various holidays is a great way for nonprofit organizations to spread awareness about their missions or causes and raise funds through any season. Some holidays can also be used as a time to thank or honor donors or beneficiaries.
Use these quick tips to determine which U.S. holidays to celebrate with your nonprofit as well as how to make the most of these celebrations.
Pro tip: Even if you don’t celebrate or honor a specific holiday as a nonprofit, it’s still a good idea to take note of these dates. Depending on the popularity of the holiday in your area, you should skip planning events, programs, or outreach for these days to avoid conflicts.
First things first, look at the lists of holidays above and determine which will be publicly celebrated by your nonprofit, as well as how much time and effort will be spent on each.
Remember – you don’t want to burn out your staff or audience, so it’s probable you won’t want or need to celebrate all of these holidays. Some may not make sense for your organization at all while others may only need a brief shout-out on social media!
Pro tip: Authenticity and transparency are key to building donor trust, so you must be as authentic as possible when selecting and celebrating various holidays. There’s no need to celebrate a holiday just because everyone else is – make sure it is the right fit for your organization.
Does your mission align with any of the holidays on this list? Perhaps you advocate for civil rights, making Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth great days to honor. Or, maybe you help veterans or their families, making a Veteran’s Day celebration a clear choice.
If a significant number of your beneficiaries or donors celebrate any of these U.S. holidays, it may be a good idea to commemorate them as a nonprofit. For example, children’s organizations can post on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to honor these important people in their beneficiaries’ lives. And if you know that a significant number of your supporters observe a specific religious holiday, consider celebrating alongside them.
National holidays can be excellent opportunities to join – or even spark – conversations in all kinds of ways. Take a look at these ideas –
Social Media – One of the easiest ways to celebrate a holiday is with a quick social media post. Use Canva to create beautiful graphics and make sure to use any appropriate hashtags in your captions.
Email – Take your celebration one step further with an email to your audience. Include a video message from your staff, volunteers, or beneficiaries and a link to learn more about why you’re celebrating this specific holiday.
Postal Mail – Who doesn’t love receiving holiday cards? Send warm greetings to your donors, volunteers, or even beneficiaries in celebration of your chosen holiday. If your holiday isn’t typically celebrated with cards – or if other nonprofits in your area don’t send mail this time of year – your outreach will stand out even more.
Advocacy – Several of the holidays listed in this article are ideal for nonprofits participating in or running advocacy campaigns. Create a petition, host a speaking event, send letters, and make phone calls surrounding the holiday – it’s an ideal time to reach out because people are likely already thinking about your important cause. Read this blog for more nonprofit advocacy ideas.
Everyone loves to celebrate a holiday! Consider planning a special event either on the day of the holiday or in the days or weeks immediately surrounding it. This helps you capitalize on the public’s excitement about the celebration, bringing in more attendees.
Just be sure to determine your primary event goal ahead of time, which will help you decide on everything from ticket prices to marketing to event activities.
Want to bring attention to a specific cause associated with a U.S. holiday? Or maybe you just want to show appreciation to your donors? Consider hosting a free event filled with themed activities, entertainment, and more, and invite your supporters or beneficiaries to join in the fun. This event isn’t about raising money, but it will help boost awareness of your organization and its mission!
Holidays can offer great opportunities for fundraising events as well. Host a date night (or even a single’s night) on Valentine’s Day, giving people a chance to give back while celebrating love. Plan a pub crawl for St. Patrick’s Day, offering t-shirts, snacks, and a shuttle in exchange for a donation. Or, host a family-friendly trunk-or-treat, asking for a free-will donation from families who attend.
Pro tip: Use an online ticketing system to enable guests to purchase or reserve tickets online! Donorbox Events makes this easy with unlimited ticket tiers and promo codes, the ability to ask for donations on top of ticket sales, easy tax-deductible value calculations, ticket sale limits and deadlines, and so much more.
Learn more about Donorbox Events in this video –
Are you ready to celebrate? Use this list of U.S. holidays to guide you through the year ahead as you plan events, outreach, and more for your nonprofit organization.
Donorbox is here to help you raise more during your celebrations with a powerful suite of fundraising tools designed to help you help others. Among several innovative features, find easy-to-use donation forms, swift cashless giving with a donation kiosk app, event ticketing, text-to-give, peer-to-peer, and so much more.
To find more resources and get the guidance you need to boost your fundraising efforts and grow your nonprofit, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations, with knowledge in social media, email, public relations, event promotion, appeal writing, and more. She specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her expertise and advice with others.
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Kara Schmid