by Rachel Ayotte | Nov 11, 2025 | Article
GivingTuesday is one of the biggest days of the year for giving, and when approached strategically, nonprofits can raise hundreds, if not thousands, for their causes on this one day alone—and funnel much-needed gifts to their causes.
But, often, many organisations make the critical mistake of making their GivingTuesday campaigns entirely focused on soliciting one-off donations, and nothing else.
As a result, research shows that an incredible amount of untapped giving happens: a whopping $52 billion to be exact. But the good news is that nonprofits can do something about that, and stop leaving money on the table every December.
In this article, we’ll uncover what GivingTuesday is, why it matters and how nonprofits can strategically pivot so that the special day becomes a launchpad for sustainable, recurring support—not just a one-day opportunity to garner donations.
GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that started in 2012 and occurs on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, GivingTuesday 2025 falls on December 2.
One of the most popular days to give back, GivingTuesday capitalises on the holidays and generous spirit of year-end and offers a one-day opportunity for people to make an impact.
In 2024 alone, a record-breaking $3.6 billion was donated by 6.1 million people in the US, which brings the sum of GivingTuesday donations since its launch in 2012 to more than $18.5 billion.
Despite how popular a giving day GivingTuesday is and how many donations come in, nonprofits are missing out on billions of donations because they aren’t:
Funding as actively throughout the year: Typically, nonprofits raise disproportionately in Q4, then go quiet. But, according to research, if fundraising were as active throughout the year as it is in Q4, nonprofits could potentially raise an additional $23 billion annually.
Prioritising recurring giving: GivingTuesday messaging typically focuses on one-time, day-of gifts. But prioritising recurring giving messaging could pay off tenfold: research shows that increasing the share of new donors who sign up for recurring gifts by 5% could equate to $10 billion a year.
Focusing on cultivating new donors: Often, nonprofits focus on soliciting donations from past supporters, but doing so isn’t always forward-thinking. According to research, 10% of people who aren’t currently being solicited would likely give if they were invited to—an untapped generosity that’s estimated to be worth between $19 billion (conservatively) and $46 billion (more optimistically) per year.
The good news is that there are plenty of GivingTuesday ideas that allow nonprofits to stop leaving money on the table and make the day a springboard for sustainable, year-long giving—and an opportunity to onboard new supporters and convert them into year-round champions of your cause.
A lot of nonprofits give donors options for recurring giving, but they don’t make committing to it easy: clunky donation forms, unclear messaging or unmotivating reasons as to why first-time donors should become recurring ones can all cause friction.
To ensure that monthly giving is a no-brainer for new donors, try:
Setting monthly giving as the default: While you should always give donors the option to donate one time, try presenting recurring giving as the first, default option on your donation form or page—even if the recurring gift amount is small.
Showing the impact: Motivate supporters to give on a recurring basis by showing clear and compelling impact. For example, you might say, “$25/month = food and shelter for 1 disabled dog every month.”
Using tiered suggested amounts: Present 3-5 monthly giving options for people to easily choose from, so donors aren’t left trying to figure out how much to give on their own.
One of the best ways to recruit new donors is by leveraging your current donors. When someone gets a personal invitation from someone they know to donate to your cause, they’re much more likely to give.
To do this, email your existing monthly supporters and ask if they’ll invite 3-5 friends to become recurring donors. You might even make it a competition to see who can recruit the most new monthly donors and even award the winner(s) a gift.
Likewise, send your supporters GivingTuesday graphics, GivingTuesday social media post templates and GivingTuesday email examples they can quickly and easily use to reach out to their networks—so sharing the opportunity is as easy as possible.
Another great way to onboard new donors and create sustainable relationships and support is by offering specific perks. This might include motivating new recurring donors with:
Access to an exclusive inner circle: Run a “Founding Member” flash campaign—new recurring donors get access to private member-only donor events, specific recognition on your nonprofit’s website or even a dedicated messaging or networking platform.
Merch: Everyone loves free swag. When new donors sign up to give monthly, send them an exclusive gift, like a sweatshirt, a water bottle or a t-shirt.
Donation matching incentives: Tell donors that if they start giving monthly, they’ll get matched 2x for their first 3 months—a great way to make donors feel like they’re doubling or tripling their impact right from the jump!
This GivingTuesday, it’s imperative that nonprofits look beyond just the one day of giving and view the day as a ripe opportunity for relationship building—and making first-time donors long-lasting ones.
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