A Church’s Guide to GivingTuesday: 8 Tips for a Successful Campaign

GivingTuesday, one of the biggest giving days of the year, is a powerful opportunity for churches and places of worship to inspire generosity in their communities. 

On December 3, 2024, faith leaders can join millions around the world in celebrating GivingTuesday and encouraging their congregations to contribute to causes that matter.  

In this blog, we’ll cover eight essential tips to help your church prepare for a successful GivingTuesday. These tips are inspired by our 2024 GivingTuesday Toolkit for Places of Worship. But first, let’s explore the purpose behind GivingTuesday and why churches might consider joining this impactful movement. 

About GivingTuesday

Launched in 2012, GivingTuesday is observed annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. As a globally recognized day of giving, it invites people to support causes they care about. For faith communities, it’s a unique opportunity to encourage generosity among your congregants and reach new givers. 

Last year for GivingTuesday 2023:  

• 34 million adults participated with giving totaling $3.1 billion in the U.S. alone  

• Nearly 9,000 churches, places of worship, and nonprofits participated using Givelify  

• Over 20,000 generous donors on Givelify donated $3.3 million to their favorite organizations and causes 

Why churches might participate in GivingTuesday

Participating in GivingTuesday can help your church reach people who are already in a giving mindset and eager to make a difference. This includes your congregants. 

Faith-based individuals are especially motivated to help those in need. The 2024 Giving in Faith report found that 90% of faith-based individuals agree that helping others is a key reason for giving. 

Some of the most important causes faith-based individuals are looking to support include primary needs, elderly support or services, and mental health programs.

As a place of worship, you can harness this generosity and inspire people to give to your organization so you can continue to serve the needs of your community.

How your church can make the most of GivingTuesday in 2024

Here are eight expert tips to ensure the success of your GivingTuesday campaign:

1. Set goals

Take some time to dream about what you want to achieve on GivingTuesday. How many people do you want to reach? How much do you want to raise? What causes do you want to support? 

2. Plan your outreach

Use the free resources and templates in Givelfy’s GivingTuesday toolkit to create a timeline and step-by-step plan for volunteers, communications, and day-of activities.

3. Inspire generosity

Tell your story and show people exactly what they’ll be supporting when they give to your church or place of worship on GivingTuesday. Use pictures, testimonials, and personal videos to highlight the causes, programs, and people that your organization helps throughout the year.

4. Make giving easy

Before you let people know about your participation in GivingTuesday, make sure it’s easy for them to give to your organization. Set up a unique giving link for easy online and mobile giving. Givelify makes it simple for people to give and for you to receive their generous donations.

5. Get the word out

Leading up to and on GivingTuesday, let people everywhere know you’re participating in this special day of giving.  

Use Facebook, other social media platforms, your website, email, text messages, church bulletin or email newsletter, and announcements from the pulpit to get the word out. Our toolkit has ready-to-use templates to make spreading the word effortless.

6. Involve your congregation

Leverage staff, church and family members, board members, and your supporters to spread the word about your participation in GivingTuesday. Encourage them to get the message out through posts on their favorite social media platforms, personal emails, or text messages. 

7. Provide live updates

As you begin to receive donations, give updates on your website and social media. It shows your appreciation and serves as a reminder to others that they can make a difference too.

8. Say thank you

Remember to show gratitude to your volunteers, people who’ve shared your message, and especially those who’ve donated to your GivingTuesday campaign. It can be a letter, an email, or a public thank you on your website or social media pages. Get pre-written thank-you templates for email and social media in our GivingTuesday toolkit.

Givelify makes GivingTuesday simple

For churches participating in GivingTuesday, Givelify offers resources and a GivingTuesday toolkit to support your campaign. With templates, story-sharing tips, and ways to streamline online giving, the toolkit helps make planning easier. 

This year, make GivingTuesday a memorable event by encouraging your congregation to support your church’s mission and goals. If you decide to add GivingTuesday to your calendar, the right resources and a thoughtful plan can help you make the most of this special day of generosity.

Get your 2024 GivingTuesday toolkit

To support your church or place of worship in building a successful GivingTuesday plan, Givelify has created a step-by-step toolkit with you in mind.  

People are ready to be generous and give on GivingTuesday. Help them find you with a well-designed plan made easy.

The toolkit includes the following:

• Copy-and-paste email and social media templates with images that you can personalize to inspire generosity  

• Tips to make the most of Givelify’s mobile giving app and suite of congregation-friendly features, including how to use giving envelopes  

• Resources to create your GivingTuesday plan, tell your story, and get the word out 

This toolkit, created in partnership with the GivingTuesday organization, has worked for thousands of churches and nonprofits. And, to date, they’ve raised millions using the tips and resources included in the toolkit.  

So, add GivingTuesday to your end-of-year fundraising calendar and get your free Givelify GivingTuesday toolkit today! Harness the day’s billion-dollar generosity with a practical plan to help grow your giving.  

Get ready to make December 3, 2024, a momentous day and the most successful GivingTuesday yet!