TOOLKIT

TOOLKIT

2015
COMMUNICATIONS
TOOLKIT

THANKS FOR JOINING #GIVINGTUESDAY!
WE ARE SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU INVOLVED.
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the
world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.
Anyone, anywhere can get involved in #GivingTuesday and give back in a way that is meaningful to them.
From fundraising to volunteering to pro bono service, #GivingTuesday is a great way to engage your
community and to become a part of a larger worldwide movement that promotes generosity.
You are the most important part of making this movement a reality. We have put together this toolkit to provide
you with all of the resources you need to get started, including:
• #Giving Tuesday Mega Messages
• Ideas to Get Involved
• Social Media Tips
• Sample Outreach Email
• Communications Timeline
• Press Release Template
• #GivingTuesday Team Contact Information
MEGA MESSAGES
Use these mega messages when talking to press, your staff, community leaders, donors, or volunteers, and
become a spokesperson for the wider #GivingTuesday movement:
• #GivingTuesday is a special call to action to create a global day of giving that brings diverse
organizations and communities around the world together to give back.
• #GivingTuesday celebrates generosity by providing people everywhere with an opportunity to give more,
give smarter, and give great.
• #GivingTuesday unifies charities, corporations, small business, and individuals from across the globe to
show that the world gives as good as it gets.
• You don’t have to be a world leader or a billionaire to give back. #GivingTuesday is about ordinary
people coming together doing extraordinary things.
IDEAS TO GET INVOLVED
Below are some examples of ways your organization can activate on #GivingTuesday. Remember to check
our website for the latest ideas, trends and tips to launch your #GivingTuesday initiative!
Raise Funds
• Donate or organize a fundraiser for a nonprofit and leverage #GivingTuesday to expand your donor
base and to raise more for charities around the world.
• Launch a campaign on #GivingTuesday to increase donations through the end of the year.
• Partner with a donor or sponsor to host a matching grant challenge for #GivingTuesday. This could be
a 24-hour challenge, it could lead up to #GivingTuesday, or could launch on #GivingTuesday and run
through December 31.
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

Volunteer
• Volunteer at a charity or organize a larger team volunteer event with your friends, staff, and neighbors.
• Donate pro bono hours to help charities in need of your skills.
• Organize a donation drive for people to donate goods, clothing, and other items for people in need.
Collaborate
• Partner with local organizations to give a donation (money, goods, or services) to nonprofits.
• Ask organizations to work together to build a local #GivingTuesday movement. In 2014, over 40 cities
and states led their own #GivingTuesday movement to benefit local nonprofits.
• Create a #GivingTuesday product to sell during Black Friday and Cyber Monday and donate proceeds to
a partnering charity on #GivingTuesday.
• Get your local government officials to proclaim December 1, 2015 #GivingTuesday in your city or town.
Make this a big press moment and bring the community together to celebrate generosity.
Get Social
• Activate your social media constituency (or open a new social media account) to talk about giving.
• Celebrate community heroes and service leaders on social media and with your local press.
• Email your community to educate them about #GivingTuesday and invite them to give.
• Share photos from past campaigns or volunteer events to teach your followers about how you serve the
community. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday!
• Create a #GivingTuesday video with your family, community, or staff. Share on YouTube and social
media using the hashtag #GivingTuesday.
• Brand your personal and organizational social media accounts with #GivingTuesday graphics and be an
ambassador for the movement.
• Partner with organizations or sponsors to do a social media fundraising campaign, where a certain
amount is donated per re-tweet, like, or post.
Give More
#GivingTuesday is so much more than one day in December. Pledge to do more the following year. For
instance, you can give a certain amount every month to a charity, pledge to volunteer every month, or launch
a payroll giving program to continue to give back after December.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Social media is key to making sure that the #GivingTuesday message grows and reaches new audiences. It’s
also one of the best ways to celebrate giving and to share your organization’s story, mission, and values.
Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday on social media when talking about your campaign.
We want to hear your story and for your followers and network to join the conversation. You can also tag us
@GivingTues or #GivingTuesday on Facebook and we will retweet or promote your messages.
Please refer to our Social Media Toolkit for more tips and ideas for social media. Some sample messages include:
• Twitter: “Help kick-off the giving season & make a difference this 12/1 by joining #GivingTuesday @GivingTues”
• Facebook: “Join the worldwide #GivingTuesday movement and help redefine the giving spirit this
holiday season! Visit www.givingtuesday.org to learn how you can make a difference.”
• Instagram: Post your #UNselfie, or a photo of yourself giving back, or create a short video about why you
give. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and visit www.givingtuesday.org to learn more.
• LinkedIn: Post a blog sharing how you serve the community.
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

SAMPLE OUTREACH EMAIL
The following email offers ideas and language you can use as part of your outreach for #GivingTuesday.
This can be sent to Board members, staff, donors, and other community partners to get them involved in
your campaign.
Feel free to copy, paste, or adjust as you see fit for your organization.
Dear __________,
This year, on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, [ORGANIZATION NAME] are participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated
to giving.
Last year, more than 30,000 organizations in 68 countries came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday. Since its founding in
2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the world, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that
bring about real change in communities. We invite you to join the movement and to help get out the give this December 1.
Some ideas include:
1. Get your workplace and local government officials, nonprofits, and small businesses involved in #GivingTuesday. Encourage
them to officially sign up as partners on the website (www.givingtuesday.org) and to organize a campaign that promotes a
cause or charity that is meaningful to them.
2. Help spread the word about #GivingTuesday. Join the email list by visiting www.givingtuesday.org/join to receive updates,
event invitations, and the latest graphics and tools to share on your social channels.
3. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday to talk about charity and the causes and organizations you support.
4. Localize #GivingTuesday for your town, city, or state. Many organizations have come together to build local #GivingTuesday
campaigns in their neighborhoods. Reach out to other organizations to see how together, you can have a greater impact
this December 1.
There are many ways to get involved in #GivingTuesday. We encourage you to join the movement and visit
www.givingtuesday.org to learn more about how you can make a difference.
Thanks,
[NAME]
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

2015 COMMUNICATIONS TIMELINE
Use this timeline to build your marketing plan and to send us your stories so we can feature them in our
press releases.
July-August
• June 1 – Six months to go! Press release with initial plans, partner highlights and past years’
successes, if applicable.
September
• September 8 – Fall launch press release with new partner updates, planned events and goals.
October
• Focus on helping organizations pitch local press.
• Encourage partners and organizations to submit op-ed pieces to local press and blogs on the power
of giving.
• Secure larger media partnerships.
November
• Build the drumbeat for #GivingTuesday with stories and highlights all month long.
• November 3 – One month to go! Big partner announcement and telling the #GivingTuesday story.
• November 17 – Two weeks to go! Celebrity campaigns and the global movement.
• November 24 – One week left – events and stories that celebrate generosity.
December
• December 1, #GivingTuesday
• December 2, 2015 – Report in results and impactful giving stories. Wrap up press release.
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
[CONTACT NAME]
[CONTACT ORGANIZATION]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]
[INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME] Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
Pledges to [INSERT CAMPAIGN DETAILS]
[INSERT LOCATION] [INSERT DATELINE] – [INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME] has joined #GivingTuesday,
a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to
encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. INSERT ACTUAL PROJECT/DONATION
PLATFORM HERE. Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday
after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday
to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and
to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
[MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON WHY YOUR ORGANIZATION JOINED #GIVINGTUESDAY
AND DETAILS OF YOUR #GIVINGTUESDAY INITIATIVE INCLUDING GOALS, PARTNERS AND PAST
#GIVINGTUESDAY SUCCESS, IF APPLICABLE]
[INSERT QUOTE FROM PARTNER ORG. SPOKESPERSON]
92Y − a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around its core
values of community service and giving back − conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking
individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. In 2014, the third year of the
movement, #GivingTuesday brought together 30,000 partners in 68 countries and registered 32.7 million
impressions on Twitter, with its eponymous hashtag mentioned 698,600 times. Since 2012, online giving on
the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has increased more than four-fold, based on findings by Blackbaud and the
Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, produced in partnership with the Case Foundation.
“We have been incredibly inspired by the generosity in time, efforts and ideas that have brought our concept
for a worldwide movement into reality,” said Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and executive director
of 92Y. “As we embark on our fourth year of #GivingTuesday, we are encouraged by the early response from
partners eager to continue making an impact in this global conversation.”
Those who are interested in joining [INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME]’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit
[INSERT SPECIFIC #GIVINGTUESDAY LANDING PAGE ADDRESS IF AVAILABLE]. For more details about
the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.
About [INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME]
[INSERT ORGANIZATION BOILER PLATE]
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2015 iteration will be held
on December 1, 2015. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits,
businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk
about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to
improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate
and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global
moment dedicated to giving around the world.
To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving,
please visit:
Website: www.givingtuesday.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues
Case Foundation: http://casefoundation.org/blog/givingtuesday-moves-campaign-tradition/
QUESTIONS OR IDEAS?
Feel free to get in touch with the #GivingTuesday team:
General Inquiries:
#GivingTuesday Team
info@givingtuesday.org
Partnership and Press Inquiries:
Kait Sheridan
Director of Partnerships & Programs
Center for Innovation & Social Impact
92Y
ksheridan@92Y.org
Via Twitter:
@GivingTues
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

CASE
STUDIES

ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
DOWNTOWN ALLENTOWN ARTS GROUP
7 Allentown arts organizations, including the
Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley,
joined #GivingTuesday to raise public awareness
about their organizations and highlight the unique
strengths and offerings of each partner. The group
founded a shared platform to engage donors and
educate them about each participating
arts organization.
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
The Houston Grand Opera created special
video messages from performing artists, polls,
and incentives (including matching gifts and
backstage tours) to encourage donations. Their
campaign name #AllInForHGO helped them on
#GivingTuesday raise more than $235,000
for programs.
THE ARTS COMMISSION IN TOLEDO, OH
2014 was the Arts Commission’s third
#GivingTuesday. Their goal was to raise $5,000 as
part of a larger year-end campaign goal of $25,500,
with funds going toward hiring area youth for the
21st season of their Young Artists at Work (YAAW)
program, a six-week paid summer apprenticeship
for local teens fostering job skills and an intense
exposure to the arts. Their #GivingTuesday
campaign raised $1,000-$2,000 more than their
original goal—and helped them have a strong kick
off to their end-of-the-year campaign.
THE JOHN PAUL GETTY MUSEUM
The John Paul Getty Museum transformed into a
food drop-off center on #GivingTuesday by inviting
visitors to donate items of non-perishable food at
the Visitor Center. Getty staff collected donations,
sorted and weighed them, and made sure they were
delivered to the Westside Food Bank. The Getty
then matched food donations pound for pound to
have a greater impact.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
The Metropolitan Museum of Art secured and met a
$500,000 matching grant from their trustees to make
#GivingTuesday the start of their
end-of-year campaign.
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
The Philadelphia Orchestra performed a free public
concert for #GivingTuesday to celebrate local
generosity and the holiday giving season.
CASE STUDIES

CORPORATE PARTNERS
ANTHROPOLOGIE
Anthropologie, the women’s retail store, organized a
corporate volunteering event in Philadelphia to show
their corporate #philanthropie. The company also
produced a video which they shared in the months
after #GivingTuesday to celebrate their
staff’s generosity.
BANK OF AMERICA
Bank of America organized a campaign to support
(RED) in the fight to end AIDS by doubling each
donation made on #GivingTuesday to the US Fund
for the Global Fund, up to $2,000,000. This was part
of the company’s $6,000,000 pledge to fund the
prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
BITCOIN
The Bitcoin Foundation and the BitGive Foundation
encouraged their community members to give
microdonations to organizations that accept Bitcoin
in 2014. Bitcoin saw record-breaking on-blockchain
transactions on #GivingTuesday, an all-time high
for Bitcoin.
CVS HEALTH
For the second year, CVS Health recognized
its colleagues’ spirit of volunteerism by inviting
employee volunteers to nominate a charity in their
local communities for a grant from the CVS Health
Foundation. In response to the overwhelming
success of the 2013 #GivingTuesday campaign,
in 2014, the foundation more than doubled its
commitment and awarded a total of $100,000 to 50
organizations nationwide.
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS
Dick’s Sporting Goods donated 100 basketball
hoops to communities around the country. The
campaign launched with a big event at a Cleveland
school, where Cleveland Cavalier star Kevin Love
joined DICK’s staff and local youth to install new
basketball hoops.
EBAY
eBay launched a #GivingTuesday sweepstakes to
connect consumers to their favorite nonprofits from
#GivingTuesday through December 31. In addition,
eBay awarded three grants totaling $50,000 to the
nonprofit organizations who drove the most favorites
on eBay during the sweepstakes.
H&M
Retailer H&M paid it forward on #GivingTuesday by
donating $7.5 Million of new apparel to help dress
people in need during the holiday season. H&M
also encouraged shoppers to give back through a
customer register donation drive.
HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION
Home Depot Foundation launched a month-long
campaign on #GivingTuesday that invited people
to tweet using the hashtag #DoingMore4Vets
to support US veterans. From December 2 -
December 31, the Foundation donated $1 for each
re-tweet to four of their nonprofit partners up to
$400,000 total or $100,000 per organization.
HOME GOODS
Home Goods designed and sold a limited edition
water globe and donated 50% of each purchase to
St. Jude.
HSBC
HSBC helped spread the word about
#GivingTuesday by placing the #GivingTuesday
logo on the company’s nationwide ATM system,
encouraging their clients to participate in the
movement.
HYATT HOTELS
Hyatt Hotels participated in their first
#GivingTuesday in 2014 by encouraging its hotels to
identify local charities in their communities that truly
make a difference. Hyatt awarded 31 local grants in
cities across the globe.
CASE STUDIES

JOHNSON’S BABY
JOHNSON’S BABY launched More Hands, More
Hearts in the US and the UK with Jennifer
Hudson and Save the Children. The program
donated essential resources, including JOHNSON’S
BABY care kits and a special grant to help moms
ensure their babies thrive.
RYDER SYSTEM, INC.
Ryder System, Inc., a leader in commercial fleet
management and supply chain solutions, invited
employees to volunteer on #GivingTuesday to
local charities of their choice. 220 employees
participated from 29 Ryder commercial rental
locations across the country.
VISA
On #GivingTuesday 2014, Visa donated $15 to
the American Red Cross each time a donation
was made using Visa Checkout (up to a total of
$250,000).
WALGREENS
Walgreens matched every pneumonia vaccine
administered at Walgreens pharmacies between
Black Friday and #GivingTuesday to the UN
Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, up to $25,000.
SALESFORCE.COM
Salesforce.com launched Pledge 1%, a movement
that encourages and challenges companies to
pledge 1% of equity, product, and employee time
for their communities. The program kicked-off on
#GivingTuesday 2014 with the goal to secure 500
pledges by #GivingTuesday 2015.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Southwest Airlines donated a total of $25,000
to 10 charitable partners and featured these
organizations on the company’s Twitter account on
#GivingTuesday. The airline also highlighted these
charities in their NUTS About Southwest blog.
TOYS ‘R’ US
Toys ‘R’ Us partnered with the MarineToys for Tots
Foundation to help bring Christmas joy to some
of the 14.7 million U.S. children living in poverty.
Through a new #PlayItForward Challenge, Toys
‘R’ Us asked customers and supporters to take a
“selfie” while donating a toy in any Toys ‘R’ Us store
across the country. For every selfie shared using
#PlayItForward, Toys ‘R’ Us donated an additional
toy to Toys for Tots (or the equivalent cash value up
to $150,000). On #GivingTuesday Toys ‘R’ Us gave
even more by tripling donations to Toys for Tots.
CASE STUDIES

GIVING PLATFORMS
BLACKBAUD
Blackbaud provided its webinar platform, ON 24, to
host free #GivingTuesday webinars throughout 2014.
In addition, the company organized a staff #UNselfie
campaign, which was featured on the NASDAQ
Tower in Times Square on #GivingTuesday.
CATCHAFIRE
Catchafire donated $24,000 worth of memberships
to 10 deserving social good organizations.
CROWDRISE
Crowdrise offered a free app that allowed people to
see the amount of giving on #GivingTuesday. The
app created a virtual giving tower when a smartphone
was pointed at a dollar. It also created the tower on
a bigger scale inside the app for users who pointed
it at the National Mall and Worldwide Plaza in New
York City. The tower was designed to put a visual
perspective on #GivingTuesday, with each brick
representing a donation that helped build the tower
throughout the day.
EVENTBRITE
Eventbrite supported nonprofits’ #GivingTuesday
event efforts with the launch of Give More Together.
Through this program, Eventbrite waived ticketing
fees for any nonprofit using Eventbrite for their
#GivingTuesday fundraising events from 12/1 - 12/6.
Organizations also had the chance to win technology
from DoubleDutch, Mad Mimi, SurveyMonkey, and
Tweetwall to help power their events.
INDIEGOGO
Indiegogo launched their #GivingTuesday campaign
in the early summer of 2014 by partnering with
PayPal and local nonprofits on the Indiegogo
#GivingTuesday Road Show, or local events that
shared best practices for crowdfunding. Indiegogo
hosted over 20 events around the country, and
continued to provide additional toolkits, resources,
and waved a portion of their fees for #GivingTuesday
campaigns. On December 2, 2014, Indiegogo had
over $9 Million raised for nearly 450 campaigns.
NETWORK FOR GOOD
Network for Good launched N4G Gives, a special
campaign to unleash generosity on #GivingTuesday
2014. As part of N4G Gives, Network for Good
offered $100,000 in matching funds and provided
resources to help small and medium nonprofits get
ready for #GivingTuesday.
PAYPAL
PayPal created Giving Cheer and matched 1% of
every donation made through the PayPal Giving
Fund from #GivingTuesday through the end of
December. In 2014, PayPal saw donations rise by
66% and mobile donations grow 101%.
CASE STUDIES

NONPROFIT
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington
launched their first-ever BIG Bail Out on
#GivingTuesday by locking Thurston County Sheriff
John Snaza, his twin brother and neighboring Lewis
County Sheriff Rob Snaza, in a cell at the local mall
and asking the community to donate to bail them
out. The minimum posted bail was $20,000.
CENTER FOR NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP
The Center for Nonprofit Leadership launched
Western Nevada County’s first annual
#GivingTuesday Nonprofit Wish List, which was
a full 2 page ad across the center fold of the local
paper that included a logo, brief description and
‘wish list’ of possible donation amounts for over 50
local nonprofits.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS AND FERGIE
FOOTWEAR
Dress for Success and Fergie Footwear teamed
up once again in 2014 to turn #GivingTuesday
into #GivingShoesDay to encourage women to
donate their professional women’s shoes to their
closest Dress for Success affiliate to help get the
disadvantaged women of their communities back to
work. The top 10 individual shoe donors throughout
the world received a complimentary pair of limited
holiday-edition Raegan heels from Fergie Footwear,
and the brand also donated a gift of new shoes to
the three Dress for Success affiliates that collected
the most total shoe donations. Over 70 Dress for
Success branches participated.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF
EAST TENNESSEE
Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee,
Knoxville Leadership Foundation and Emerald
Youth Foundation collaborated to create
#GiveTuesKnox to build on awareness and funds
for local at-risk urban youth programs.
MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION
Michael J. Fox Foundation received a $100,000
matching grant from a long-time supporter of the
foundation to leverage on #GivingTuesday. The
Foundation built on its success with the #UNselfie
in 2013 to engage donors in sharing why they give.
Altogether, the Foundation raised $348,201 on
#GivingTuesday in addition to the $100,000 match.
They also shared 107 #UNselfies and received over
5,000 word of mouth endorsements supporting the
Foundation on social media.
PANTHERA
A generous group of donors at Panthera assembled
a challenge pool of $320,000 to raise more
than $640,000 in one day to support Panthera’s
Conservation and Education Programs to protect
tigers, lions, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs,
cougars and leopards around the globe.
PDS SERVE FOUNDATION
PDS Serve Foundation, which provides free
dentistry to communities in need, created the Give
Up Your Coffee Challenge, which asked people
around the world to donate $5 instead of making
their daily coffee run.
CASE STUDIES

ROAD TO HOPE FUND
Road to Hope Fund partnered with Stevie Nicks,
who donated Fleetwood Mac tickets and a Meet
& Greet after the show to donors who donated on
#GivingTuesday.
WATERAID
WaterAid challenged everyday heroes from across
the country to help keep 100,000 kids under the age
of five alive by giving them the gift of safe water. The
campaign launched before #GivingTuesday with a
walk around Manhattan by a WaterAid staff member
and built up to December 2, when WaterAid kicked
off its largest US matching gift campaign to date.
WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF
World Bicycle Relief organized a campaign to
raise funds to buy 500 bikes for students in Africa.
They created fun, goal-focused graphics and
a social media toolkit to spread the word about
their campaign. On #GivingTuesday, they ended
up blowing that goal out of the water and raised
enough funds for 754 bikes.
YMCA OF THE USA WORLD SERVICE
YMCA of the USA World Service raised support
for Y education programs around the globe. The
organization created a #GivingTuesday landing
page with materials, graphics, and tools for Y
communities around the world to spread the
word about World Service and to encourage their
communities to donate.
HELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL CENTER
For #GivingTuesday, Helen Woodward Animal
Center provided unique donor and volunteer
opportunities, both online and at the Center’s
campus. In 2014, the Center raised much-needed
funds online to provide for the care of ten orphaned
huskie puppies taken in by the Adoptions program.
Meanwhile, junior advocates from a nearbly
elementary school packaged food for the Center’s
AniMeals program, which feeds the beloved pets of
homebound seniors in San Diego county.
CASE STUDIES

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
BAPTIST PEACE FELLOWSHIP OF
NORTH AMERICA
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA)
created the Colour the Dove! campaign to run from
October 1 through #GivingTuesday with the goal of
raising $25,000. The campaign started with a blank
outline of the usually colorful logo, and as people
donated they helped restore the logo to its bright colors.
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Catholic Relief Services organized a global
fundraising campaign and received over $149,000 on
#GivingTuesday alone to support the organization’s
work in 93 countries.
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER
METROWEST NJ
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ brought
together 370 adults and children and 48 community
partners, including schools, synagogues, and
Jewish organizations, on #GivingTuesday to braid
and bake 800 challahs (loaves of bread consumed
on the Jewish Sabbath) for local residents in need.
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
In 2013, the United Methodist Church organized a
global campaign that raised over $6.5 Million for the
church’s Advance Projects. Building on this success,
in 2014, the General Board of Global Ministries, the
mission sending agency of The United Methodist
Church, provided a $1 million matching grant to help
raise more than $3 Million on GivingTuesday 2014. The
Church also created toolkits, graphics, logos and other
materials for branches around the world to download
and lead their own #GivingTuesday campaigns.
WORLD VISION
The Christian humanitarian agency World Vision
partnered with Thirty-One Gifts, a direct sales
company that focuses on personalized handbags
and accessories, to double the impact of donors on
#GivingTuesday. For every donation made to World
Vision on #GivingTuesday, Thirty-One Gifts donated a
Hope Kit (up to 3,100) filled with essential supplies such
as a toothbrush, shampoo, hairbrush and soap to help
a woman or girl in need in the U.S. get back on her feet.
LUTHERAN SERVICES IN AMERICA
In 2014, Lutheran Services in America (LSA)
launched the LSA 20-500 Fund, LSA’s first threeyear
fundraising campaign commemorating LSA’s
20th anniversary and the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation. For #GivingTuesday, LSA partnered
with the Thrivent Financial and the Thrivent Financial
Foundation to match individual donations to the LSA
20-500 Fund, dollar for dollar, for the first $25,000.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Presbyterian Church (USA), through the
Presbyterian Foundation, publically endorsed
#GivingTuesday and encouraged members to give
to charities and causes that are meaningful to them.
CASE STUDIES

SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES
NIGHTINGALE- BAMFORD SCHOOL
The Nightingale- Bamford School in New York
created a Guide to Giving: Philanthropy Lessons
in Preparation for #GivingTuesday to provide K- 12
teachers around the country with a curriculum to teach
students about philanthropy and leadership. The nine
lessons explore why people give, how to find a cause,
how to raise awareness and fundraise, and how to
celebrate generosity. The curriculum was available to
download for free on #GivingTuesday’s website.
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
2014 was Seton Hall University’s first
#GivingTuesday. The school received a $100,000
pledge from an anonymous donor, which they
leveraged as a 1:1 match and as motivation to
attract 1,000 donors by midnight of #GivingTuesday.
In the two weeks following this announcement,
over 1,060 donors gave more than $415,000 to the
university, which is more than double the amount
raised during comparable periods in the past. In
response to this success, the same anonymous
donor announced a second $50,000 challenge on
#GivingTuesday for the Seton Hall community to
raise through December 31.
ST. JEAN THE BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL
St. Jean the Baptiste High School in New York
celebrated their 85th anniversary by launching the
“85 Acts of Kindness” campaign on #GivingTuesday,
which asked students in each homeroom class to
perform a combined 85 acts of kindness by May
2016, and to post photos of their works to Instagram,
Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #85KindActs.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
University of Michigan organized #GivingBlueDay,
the university’s first ever 24- hour online giving
campaign. The university had the goal of $1 Million
and reached out to alumni and students to raise
awareness and drive donations. On #GivingTuesday,
#GivingBlueDay helped the university raise over $3.2
Million for university programs.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
University of North Carolina at Charlotte asked
students and faculty to write holiday cards for
troops. The school was founded in 1946 to serve
the needs of veterans returning home from WWII,
so this project had a special meaning to the faculty,
staff and students. Over 900 cards were created
and sent to troops during the holidays.
CASE STUDIES

FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHEN IS #GIVINGTUESDAY?
#GivingTuesday is held annually the Tuesday after
Thanksgiving, this year on December 1, 2015.
HOW CAN #GIVINGTUESDAY BENEFIT
MY ORGANIZATION?
#GivingTuesday can build on the strength of a global
movement to increase exposure and build support for
your organization’s philanthropic activities, especially
during the holiday giving season. The #GivingTueday
team will provide a variety of plug-and-play materials
created by industry experts that can help you use
social media and innovative marketing to draw
attention, support, and funds to your cause.
Your organization will have the opportunity to join
over 30,000 partners around the world to enhance
the philanthropic sector as a whole; just as the retail
world has benefitted from coordinating national
shopping days across many brands and platforms,
#GivingTuesday will do the same for giving.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Everyone! #GivingTuesday is an initiative to start
the giving season and we encourage everyone to
be involved. To be an official partner, you must be a
registered non-profit [a 501(c)3 in the United States]
with a specific #GivingTuesday initiative, or a forprofit
business, school, religious or community group
who commit to spearhead a project that will benefit at
least one registered charity or non-profit.
WHAT CAN MY ORGANIZATION DO TO BE
INVOLVED IN #GIVINGTUESDAY?
Interested in participating? It’s easy! Here are
some ideas:
• Launch a special campaign to support your
favorite cause
• Partner with major philanthropic media channels
and aggregators
• Match your employees’ donations on that day
• Commit a portion of proceeds on #GivingTuesday
to your favorite cause

• Create a volunteering initiative
• Offer your community the chance to add a
donation to their purchase on #GivingTuesday
• Announce a major donation or new initiative
• Partner with shops to donate a portion of sales to
a charity on #GivingTuesday
• Organize a local toy drive, consignment sale or
holiday goods sale to raise money and goods
• Organize a holiday bake sale with proceeds
benefiting a local charity
• Get your community together to start a
#GivingTuesday movement that engages your
neighbors and local nonprofits and businesses
ARE THERE ANY COSTS TO PARTICIPATE
IN #GIVINGTUESDAY?
No! #GivingTuesday is a free and open movement to
encourage giving. All of our resources are available
for free through our website.
CAN ORGANIZATIONS GET DONATIONS
THROUGH THE #GIVINGTUESDAY WEBSITE?
No. #GivingTuesday is a movement. We are not
an organization and do not accept or distribute
donations. All donations need to be made through
partner websites. Official partners are responsible for
their own fundraising initiatives.
HOW CAN I HELP SPREAD THE WORD ON
SOCIAL MEDIA?
• Talk about giving using the hashtag #GivingTuesday
• Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/GivingTuesday
• Follow us on Twitter @GivingTues and use the
#GivingTuesday hashtag
• Follow us on Pinterest - pinterest.com/
givingtuesday/giving-quotes/
• Share all of our social media channels in your
organizational and personal social networks
• Announce your participation in #GivingTuesday to
your networks and email lists
• Use the #UNselfie hashtag to talk about how you
are giving and why

IDEAS &
EXAMPLES

IDEAS FOR CITIES
GET YOUR CITY INVOLVED IN #GIVINGTUESDAY!
There are many ideas and resources to get
your city involved. Please check out the
following resources and contact us to talk
about how we can help you organize a local
#GivingTuesday movement.
• Build a committee or coalition of nonprofits,
small businesses, and other community leaders
to organize a #GivingTuesday movement in
your neighborhood.
• Baltimore’s BMoreGivesMore took
#GivingTuesday to a whole new level in 2013.
Now, over 40 cities, states, and counties have
organized local #GivingTuesday movements.
Check out the movement around the country on
our USA page or read the giving day e-book for
tips and strategies to launch a giving day in
your community.
• Start a hashtag – join #GivingTuesdayPHL
(Philadelphia), #GivingTuesdayBucks (Bucks
County, PA), #GivingTuesdayHI (Hawaii),
#ILGiveBig, and others to build buzz locally.
• Get your mayor to proclaim December 1,
2015 #GivingTuesday. Use our Mayoral
Proclamation Toolkit to get your local officials on
board.
• Partner with small businesses to host local
events that celebrate giving and local charities.
• Organize a community clean up day – get
local volunteers together and work on community
beautification projects in your neighborhood.
• Email us – we know there is a lot of planning and
organizing that goes into building a movement.
Let us know how we can help!

IDEAS FOR NONPROFITS
• Get creative! Many nonprofits are rebranding
#GivingTuesday for their organizations. From
#GivingShoesDay to #GivingZooDay, give a twist
to our name and logos to promote your brand
and mission.
• Did you know many donors work at companies
that double the donations made by employees?
Encourage your donors to submit matching
gift requests.
• Use social media to launch a new
fundraising or awareness campaign. Use
the #GivingTuesday hashtag early and often on
Twitter. Your constituents should know that you
are part of this movement.
• Integrate #GivingTuesday into your end-ofyear
campaign. Use this day to experiment and
try a new strategy to close those end of year gifts.
• We’ve seen a lot of success with matching
grants. Ask a board member or sponsor to put
up a matching gift. You can use this to incentivize
new or larger donations or to kick-off your
end-of-year campaign.
• Consider trying mobile or online giving.
#GivingTuesday is a great day to engage your
online community and transform followers and
fans into donors.
• Organize a volunteer project for your
organization. Invite donors, employees and your
neighbors to get together to celebrate giving by
creating a day of service.
• Share your story! Reach out to press outlets in
your community and spread the word by sharing
your story with us at info@givingtuesday.org! Feel
free to use our sample press release to pitch
your story.
• Obtain skilled volunteers. Nonprofits can
access professional expertise in HR, technology,
strategic planning, and marketing through skilled
volunteering. Learn more from the
Taproot Foundation.

IDEAS FOR SCHOOLS
GET YOUR CAMPUS INVOLVED IN
#GIVINGTUESDAY!
Here are some tips to learn how students,
teachers, teams and clubs can lead
#GivingTuesday initiatives for their schools:
• Launch a school-wide giving day. On
#GivingTuesday, the University of Michigan
launched #GivingBlueDay as the university’s first
online giving campaign. The day raised more
the $3.2 Million for the school and helped build
excitement amongst students and alumni.
• Utilize social media in the lead up to and
on #GivingTuesday to highlight your cause –
encourage fellow students to take action that day
to support something they care about.
• Appoint #GivingTuesday student
ambassadors at the beginning of the semester
to help bring together existing groups to promote
#GivingTuesday on campus.
• Host an on-campus volunteer fair on
#GivingTuesday for student groups and potential
non-profit employers.
• Announce a new fundraising initiative
– for example, Northwood University used
#GivingTuesday to announce their
capital campaign.
• Organize a blood drive, clothing or book drive,
or another giving activity on your campus.
• Engage parents and alumni –Arizona State
University had great success by securing a
matching grant from a proud mom.
• Engage professors and start a discussion about
philanthropy and volunteerism, and what students
would like to see more of on campus relating to giving.
• Present an award to a student leader on
#GivingTuesday.
• Contact your department dean and ask about pro
bono projects for students.

IDEAS FOR RELIGOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Did you know that religious organizations received 40% of all donations on #GivingTuesday?
It is a great opportunity to engage constituents with the service work you do during the
holidays and throughout the year.
• Create a toolkit to share with your
organization’s branches to spread the word
about your mission and to fundraise for
service projects. Remember to share what
you are doing on social media using hashtag
#GivingTuesday!
• Organize a community-wide event on
#GivingTuesday to unite your constituents and
engage them in giving or volunteering.
• Create a holiday gift wish list for your
parishioners and constituents to purchase gifts
for others in need.
• Get the head of your church or organization
to dedicate a sermon to giving the week of
#GivingTuesday.
• Secure a matching grant and ask constituents
to double the impact of their gift by supporting
your organization’s service work.
• Host a donation or goods drive to collect
goods to donate to those in need.
• Use #GivingTuesday to kick-off a longer
holiday celebration that teaches your
community about service opportunities and how
they can give in December.
• Organize a community event at your center
for worship to talk about philanthropy and the
importance of helping others.

IDEAS FOR FAMILIES
It’s never too early to talk to your kids
about philanthropy. Here’s some ideas for
how you can get your family involved in
#GivingTuesday:
• Ask your children to select a toy or gift to
donate to charity to give to children in need.
• Volunteer with your teens in the
local community.
• Use the Family Dinner Project toolkit to talk
to your kids about giving back at family dinner.
Work together to brainstorm ideas for how your
family can help others.
• Hold a neighborhood yard or bake sale and
donate proceeds to an organization of your
choice on #GivingTuesday.
• Help your kids collect spare change or
donate part of their allowance to a charity fund
once per week. Work with them on researching
causes and charities and select a nonprofit to
donate the funds to at the end of the month.
• Ask your kids what they are thankful for and
encourage them to say thank you by doing
something kind for others.
• Make a family challenge to have each family
member to at least one act of kindness per
day. Help with your siblings’ chores. Open the
door for a neighbor. Do one small act a day to
make a difference.

To learn more contact Info@GivingTuesday.org
Follow us on Twitter @GivingTues