What is Giving Tuesday? All of your questions answered

Every year, Giving Tuesday sparks a wave of generosity felt around the world. For nonprofits, it’s more than just a single day on the calendar—it’s a launchpad for storytelling, community building, and record-breaking fundraising.

This guide breaks down the who, what, when, and why behind Giving Tuesday, plus proven strategies to help your organization raise more, engage donors, and make the most of this worldwide day of giving.

Key takeaways

• Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement 🌎 It happens every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and unites people worldwide in giving, volunteering, and celebrating kindness.
  
• Mark your calendar for December 2, 2025 🗓️ This year’s Giving Tuesday is the perfect kickoff to year-end giving season—and a powerful opportunity to rally support for your mission.
  
• Any nonprofit can participate—no registration required 💡 Simply launch a campaign, use the #GivingTuesday hashtag, and encourage your community to give back in their own way.
  
• Storytelling and community engagement drive results  📣 The most successful Giving Tuesday campaigns use personal stories, visuals, and social media to inspire donors to take action.
  
• It’s one of the biggest fundraising days of the year 💰 In 2024 alone, Giving Tuesday raised a record-breaking $3.6B in the U.S., and the movement continues to grow every year.
  
• Givebutter makes Giving Tuesday effortless 🧈 Build and launch your free campaign with donation forms, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising—and earn a 1% match on all Giving Tuesday donations stored in your Givebutter Wallet.

What is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is an annual day of giving that encourages individuals, businesses, and organizations to give back to their communities. 

This global movement serves as a powerful platform for nonprofits to raise funds, build awareness, and foster a culture of generosity as year-end giving ramps up. 

When is Giving Tuesday? 

This year, Giving Tuesday takes place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. 

What is Giving Tuesday’s origin & history?

Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a simple but powerful idea: What if there were a day dedicated to giving back, right after the shopping rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

The first Giving Tuesday generated more than $10M in donations, proving the world was ready for a movement centered on generosity. What started as a hashtag quickly evolved into a global phenomenon that inspires individuals, businesses, and nonprofits to give, collaborate, and celebrate kindness.

In 2024, Giving Tuesday raised a record-breaking $3.6B in the U.S. alone, with participation from more than 100 countries and tens of billions of social media impressions.

Who started Giving Tuesday? 

Giving Tuesday was founded in New York City by Henry Timms, then Executive Director of the 92nd Street Y (92NY), through its Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact. The United Nations Foundation joined as a co-founding partner, helping launch the inaugural campaign and expand the movement globally.

In 2019, GivingTuesday became an independent nonprofit organization, and it continues to empower changemakers worldwide to embrace generosity through donations, volunteering, and everyday acts of kindness.

How does Giving Tuesday work? 

On Giving Tuesday, nonprofits harness global generosity to drive donations, recruit volunteers, and raise awareness. The movement thrives online, where campaigns and storytelling inspire action worldwide.

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Why is Giving Tuesday important? 

Giving Tuesday reminds us of the true spirit of the holiday season, encouraging nonprofit supporters to put resources where they’re needed most. 

With Giving Tuesday, nonprofits can look forward to: 

• Increased donations 💰 It's a concentrated day of giving, leading to a surge in support for nonprofits. 
• Community building 🤝 It fosters connection and brings people together for a common cause.
• Raised awareness 📣 Nonprofits can use this day to increase awareness of their mission and impact.
• Philanthropic culture 💛 It helps to promote a broader culture of compassion and generosity.

Giving Tuesday grows bigger every year. What began in the U.S. as a small social media movement has become a global phenomenon, celebrated in over 105 countries. 

How to participate in Giving Tuesday

Whether you’re an individual, team, or organization, you can join the movement by giving your time, talents, or resources to support the causes you care about most.

• Donate 💸 Ask your community to chip in and help raise money for your programs, an upcoming campaign, or a new initiative.
• Volunteer 💪 Invite supporters to give back by helping with an event, joining a project, or assisting with outreach. 
• Advocate 📣 Spread the word about your cause and encourage others to take action—online or in person.
• Fundraise 🎉 Create or join a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Find the right Giving Tuesday platform to help meet your goals. 

In the words of the official Giving Tuesday organization:

Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.

How to create a Giving Tuesday campaign in 5 steps

Big or small, every nonprofit can make a splash on Giving Tuesday. With a solid plan and the right tools, you can turn this global day of giving into your most successful fundraiser yet—here’s how.

1. Choose your campaign type 🤔

Giving Tuesday campaigns can take different forms depending on your goals, needs, and capacity. Here are some tried-and-true options: 

• Plan a fundraiser 
• Launch a crowdfunding campaign
• Harness the power of team fundraising
• Create volunteer opportunities 
• Host a virtual silent auction
• Livestream your event 

💡 Pro tip: Boost excitement for your Giving Tuesday campaign by offering a little extra incentive to give—try a donation matching campaign or sell Giving Tuesday merch.

As Fundraising Expert Floyd Jones reminds us: 

Giving Tuesday is one of the best days in the world for giving. Whether this is your first Giving Tuesday or you’ve participated before, don’t miss out on the opportunity to get involved. Just start—take a chance, get in the game, and make things happen. 

Get inspired

Explore even more Giving Tuesday fundraising ideas →

2. Set up your campaign on Givebutter 🧈

Sign up and access a full suite of free fundraising features in just a few minutes. 

Many organizations create a fundraising page or fundraising event for Giving Tuesday because they're easy to set up, give you space to share your story, and let you engage donors in real time with a live supporter feed. You can take it up a notch by adding a silent auction onto your event—or keep things simple with a modern, donor-friendly donation form.

If you prefer to host your Giving Tuesday campaign on your own website, you can easily add a donate button to any page or embed your Givebutter donation form directly.

3. Map out your timeline 📅 

Even though Giving Tuesday is technically only 24 hours, many organizations choose to fundraise for a longer period. Select a timeline that will drive you toward your goals. Here are a few options:

• Start your campaign a week before Giving Tuesday
• Use Giving Tuesday to kickstart a year-end campaign
• Host a virtual fundraiser and leave the video up for ongoing engagement 

Whichever route you take, plan ahead and map everything out at least one month in advance.  

4. Create a communications plan 📣 

Strong communication is key to a winning Giving Tuesday campaign. Make sure you have these essentials completed before launch day:

• Craft your message 💌 Think of this as your core story—share why donors should contribute to your cause and the positive impact their gift will have. 
• Choose your channels 📺 Review last year’s results to see where your supporters were most active (email, social media, website, etc.). Focus on the places your donors are most responsive. 
• Plan your messaging sequence 🧭 Decide what Giving Tuesday emails and social media posts you’ll use at each stage of your campaign. 

💡 Pro tip: Keep your Giving Tuesday messaging clear and consistent. Include attention-grabbing subject lines that build urgency and provide a concise overview of your goals and mission. 

5. Design a Giving Tuesday follow-up strategy 💌 

Your Giving Tuesday strategy shouldn’t end when the day is over. Instead, continue showing gratitude to your supporters and share how their donations have impacted your mission—without making another ask. 

Here are some easy ways to connect with donors: 

• Send an automated thank-you email with their donation receipt
• Follow up with a personalized Giving Tuesday video
• Mail handwritten letters or make phone calls 
• Highlight your supporters on social media 

Saying thank you to supporters promptly is one of the best ways to set up your next big fundraising campaign for success. With Givebutter, you can create segmented lists of Giving Tuesday donors and engage them with targeted emails and text messages.

Fundraising Expert Kait Cogswell says it best: 

A lot of your donors will be giving for the first time. And once someone has given to your cause, they want to feel part of your success. Say thank you, and let your supporters know how your campaign went. This way, donors are being thanked before you ask to give again.

Dive deeper

Level up your Giving Tuesday social media messaging →

What are the best Giving Tuesday platforms to use? 

The right platform can take your Giving Tuesday campaign from good to record-breaking. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a quick look at five fundraising tools nonprofits love.

1. Givebutter: Best free, all-in-one fundraising platform 

Givebutter brings together everything nonprofits need to raise more this Giving Tuesday—customizable donation forms, event ticketing, auctions, peer-to-peer fundraising, and a nonprofit CRM—all in one easy-to-use platform. 

And this year, Givebutter is matching 1% of all funds raised on Giving Tuesday and stored in Givebutter Wallet—where nonprofits can stack 2.5% APY rewards on top of that. There are no monthly fees or minimums for Givebutter Wallet, just mission-driving rewards on every dollar you raise.

💸 Price: Givebutter is free to use when you enable optional donor tips. The Givebutter Guarantee ensures your nonprofit pays $0—no platform fees or processing fees. Givebutter Plus, which adds advanced automations, workflows, bulk texting, and QuickBooks integration, starts at $29/month.

⭐ Best for: Nonprofits of all sizes looking to fundraise, manage donors, and grow their impact—without paying platform or processing fees.

2. GoFundMe: For individual online crowdfunding

GoFundMe makes it easy to launch a simple crowdfunding campaign in minutes. However, the main platform lacks more advanced nonprofit tools—like donor management, reporting, and CRM integrations—that organizations often need for long-term fundraising. These features are available through custom pricing plans through GoFundMe Pro.

💸 Price: GoFundMe doesn’t charge a platform fee to create a fundraiser, and donor tips are optional. A 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee applies per donation. GoFundMe Pro offers advanced fundraising and reporting tools for nonprofits, but you’ll need to reach out to their team for custom pricing.

⭐ Best for: Individuals or small teams running one-time crowdfunding campaigns.

3. BetterWorld: For nonprofits hosting raffles or giveaways

BetterWorld helps nonprofits host online raffles, giveaways, and auctions. The platform allows unlimited team members and includes access to core fundraising tools, though its multiple pricing tiers can be a bit confusing for new users.

💸 Price: The free plan comes with a suggested donor contribution of 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction. Paid plans add 2.2–5% platform fees and up to $129/month subscription fee. 

⭐ Best for: Nonprofits running raffles, giveaways, or online storefronts as part of their Giving Tuesday campaign.

4. Donorbox: For international nonprofits

Donorbox offers powerful fundraising tools and supports 44+ currencies and 11+ languages. Most tools are available through the standard plan, but features like employee matching and text-to-donate cost extra. 

💸 Price: Donorbox’s standard plan comes with a transaction fee of 2.95% to 3.95%, depending on the feature. The Pro Plan costs $150 per month, plus processing fees between 1.75% and 2%. 

⭐ Best for: International nonprofits that need multi-currency and multilingual fundraising tools. 

5. Fundly: For simple, customizable crowdfunding

Fundly offers standard fundraising features and the ability to integrate donation forms onto your organization’s Facebook page. However, some public reviews report that Fundly’s fundraising forms look a bit outdated. 

💸 Price: Fundly doesn’t charge any platform fees, but its payment partner, Stripe, takes 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit card processing. 

⭐ Best for: Individuals, nonprofits, and schools looking for a simple, customizable campaign page.

Make Givebutter your Giving Tuesday hub 

Every act of generosity starts with the right tools—and the right community. Givebutter brings together everything changemakers need to power campaigns, engage supporters, and raise more for their missions.

This year, we’re celebrating generosity by matching 1% of all Giving Tuesday donations stored in your Givebutter Wallet, which also earns 2.5% APY rewards on every dollar raised. Join thousands of nonprofits using Givebutter to make giving go further—today and every day. ✨

Visit our Giving Tuesday hub

Explore top Giving Tuesday resources and full campaign details →

‍Create your free Givebutter account today and drive impact this Giving Tuesday and beyond! 🚀

Other Giving Tuesday FAQs

Looking for more Giving Tuesday facts and info? You’ve got questions—we’ve got answers. 

Define Giving Tuesday 📖

The Giving Tuesday definition is simple: a global day of giving aimed at inspiring generosity and creating a culture of charitable giving. Beyond just raising money, it’s about encouraging people to give back—whether through time, energy or expertise. 

Is Giving Tuesday Global? 🌎

Yes! Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, currently spanning 105 countries. 

What day is Giving Tuesday? 🗓️

It’s always the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. 

When does Giving Tuesday start? 🏃‍♂️

Giving Tuesday begins at midnight on the designated Tuesday. This year, the date of Giving Tuesday is December 2, 2025. 

How long does Giving Tuesday last? ⌚

Giving Tuesday lasts for an entire day. However, many nonprofits start fundraising early and keep their campaign going, using it as a kickoff for a larger year-end giving campaign. 

Is Giving Tuesday one word or two? 🤔

Both! The official organization that champions it is one word: GivingTuesday, but the day itself is two words. 

Do I need to register for Giving Tuesday? ✅

Registration is not required. Any organization or individual can participate by adding the Giving Tuesday hashtag and logo to social media posts and donation forms. 

Are there any Giving Tuesday rules? 📏

There are no official rules for Giving Tuesday. It's a grassroots movement that encourages people to give back in their own way. Learn more from the official website. 

When is Giving Tuesday 2026? 📅

The next Giving Tuesday will be on December 1, 2026.

What are some fun Giving Tuesday themes? 🥳

If you’re ready to launch a generosity-inspiring Giving Tuesday campaign, try a coffee morning, community service day, or virtual gala. Choose a theme that connects with your supporters and keeps them engaged long term. 

Which organizations participate in Giving Tuesday? 🤝

Anyone can join! From local nonprofits and small businesses to major organizations like the American Red Cross, Amnesty International, and the ACLU—millions participate each year. Companies (like Givebutter!) also get involved in Giving Tuesday through donation matching. 

Dive deeper

Learn how to secure a Giving Tuesday donation match →

How to donate on Giving Tuesday? 💰

Donating on Giving Tuesday is simple—you can give directly through a nonprofit’s website, donation form, or campaign page. Many organizations create a dedicated donation page for the occasion to highlight their goals and impact.

With Givebutter, nonprofits can launch fully customizable fundraising pages in minutes, complete with photos, videos, and live donation feeds. Supporters can give however they prefer—with flexible payment options, quick donation buttons, and a seamless, mobile-friendly checkout experience.

What are some facts about Giving Tuesday? 🤓

Since 2020, Giving Tuesday’s total donations have grown from $2.5B to $3.6B, with 2024 marking a record-breaking year for participation. Individuals donating directly to nonprofits made up the largest share of giving in 2024—over 36.1 million people gave on Giving Tuesday in the United States alone. 

More to explore

Discover top Giving Tuesday statistics →