Inspiring GivingTuesday Examples to Spark Your 2025 Fundraising Strategy

The numbers from GivingTuesday 2024 tell a remarkable story: $3.6 billion donated in the United States alone—a 16% increase from 2023—with 36.1 million people participating in this global day of generosity. But behind these record-breaking totals lies a more complex reality for individual nonprofits: with inboxes overflowing and social feeds saturated, standing out on GivingTuesday is a huge challenge.

Fundraising success depends on breaking through the noise with strategies that spark action and build lasting connections to your mission.

Impactful GivingTuesday campaigns don’t happen by chance. They’re built on data, storytelling, and strategy. In this guide, you’ll see how three nonprofits turned GivingTuesday into a powerful catalyst for year-round impact and learn how you can do the same.

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge Exceeds End-of-Year Goals with Matching Gift

In 2024, we surpassed our end-of-year appeal by $30K! The direct ask really helped.

Mary Katlyn MacMaster
Development and Database Coordinator

The Challenge

• Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge needed to boost end-of-year campaign results with limited resources.

Their Strategic Approach

• Secured a major donor to match gifts—doubling donations and inspiring greater generosity
• Used past giving data to identify high-potential donors:
  • Those who gave $750+ in previous year-end appeals
  • Those who hadn’t yet donated this year
• Sent 87 personalized letters with specific asks
  • Followed by segmented emails to non-responders
  • Messaging emphasized urgency and impact
• Promoted the matching gift across their website and social media
• Created a unified, multi-channel push

The Results

• This thoughtful, data-driven approach helped the Refuge exceed their fundraising goals and strengthen support for their mission.

UNCF Turns Supporters into Storytellers Through Social Sharing

The most important thing to our donors is the story. They want to know ‘Where are the students? What are they doing? How did the money that I sent help them?”The most important thing to our donors is the story. They want to know ‘Where are the students? What are they doing? How did the money that I sent help them?’

Denise Scott
Vice President, Direct Response Programs and Prospect Research

The Challenge

• As GivingTuesday neared, UNCF faced the challenge of standing out in a crowded season.

Their Strategic Approach

• Activated their community instead of relying solely on traditional appeals
• Encouraged supporters to share:
  • Branded content
  • Personal donation pages
  • Student success stories
• Amplified their message through influencers, alumni, and students
  • Created a ripple effect beyond UNCF’s own channels

The Results

• By encouraging supporters to share their own stories, UNCF turned a campaign into a movement.

Washington’s National Park Fund Energizes Its Community on Giving Tuesday with Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is how we get our board and volunteers involved in fundraising, all while reaching new audiences during this high traffic day.

Kacee Saturay
Digital Marketing and Donor Stewardship Manager

The Challenge

• Washington’s National Park Fund (WNPF) has made GivingTuesday a cornerstone of its year-end fundraising strategy and wanted to expand its reach.

Their Strategic Approach

• Used JustGiving to empower board members and volunteers to fundraise on its behalf, tapping into new networks
• Provided:
  • Personalized campaign pages
  • Real-time updates
  • A strong peer-to-peer strategy
• Focused on:
  • Seamless tech
  • Compelling storytelling
  • Relationships

The Results

• The campaign exceeded its goal, raising over $50,000 to support critical projects in Washington’s national parks.
• Turned GivingTuesday into more than a moment—it became a movement that energized its community and set the tone for a successful year-end.

What Made These GivingTuesday Campaigns So Successful?

Matching Gift Challenges

Matching gifts work because they create urgency and amplify impact—but only when implemented strategically. Rather than announcing the match broadly, leverage past donor data to identify the prospects most likely to respond, then craft personalized appeals that connect the matching opportunity to supporter interests and giving history.

The key is making the match feel urgent and within reach. Set a clear deadline, communicate progress toward the goal, and help donors understand exactly how their gift will be doubled. Most importantly, secure your matching funds in advance—don’t rely on hoped-for matches that may not materialize.

Social Media Amplification

The most powerful amplification comes from real people sharing authentic connections to your mission. Provide supporters with ready-made content that feels genuine, not corporate. Make it simple for supporters to participate by offering:

• Three to four caption options that include your organization’s name, mission, call to action, and relevant hashtags.
• Compelling, high-quality visuals that include your logo and URL.
• Mobile-optimized sharing options that let supporters tap and share instantly.

Personalized Storytelling

Successful GivingTuesday campaigns overcome common hurdles because they make giving personal and meaningful.

Authentic messages connect your donors to real impact. Personal connections—whether through targeted asks, peer sharing, or individual fundraising pages—will help your cause stand out and inspire action.

Social Media Examples That Drive Engagement

The organizations featured here succeeded partly because they made social sharing simple and genuine. Here are specific tactics you can adapt:

Ready-Made Social Content: Provide supporters with customizable content in multiple formats, including high-quality images with your logo and URL, plus three to four caption options that include your organization’s name and mission. For example:

• “It’s #GivingTuesday and I just donated to [@yourorganization]. Join me in supporting [your mission]!”
• “This holiday season, you can help [your mission] by donating to [@yourorganization].”

Visual Consistency: Provide branded graphics that supporters can share alongside their personal messages. Include your organization’s logo and website URL on all images to maintain brand recognition as content spreads through social networks.

Multi-Platform Strategy: Meet supporters where they already spend time online. Design platform-specific content—square for Instagram, landscape for Facebook, video for TikTok, and mobile-friendly designs that look good everywhere.

Real-Time Engagement: Share progress updates throughout GivingTuesday to maintain momentum and encourage additional sharing. Celebrate milestones, thank supporters publicly, and create excitement around reaching your goal.

Your GivingTuesday 2025 Planning Roadmap

Start Early for Strategic Advantage

The most successful nonprofits begin their GivingTuesday planning at least three months out. This allows time to secure matching gifts, develop compelling stories, and build supporter engagement well before the busy season begins.

Use the summer months to analyze last year’s results, identify potential matching gift donors, and begin crafting the stories that will drive your campaign. As many nonprofit leaders have learned, planning during less hectic fundraising periods ensures your thoughtful campaign is ready when the end-of-year rush arrives.

Apply These Proven Tactics to Your Mission

The strategies showcased here—matching gifts, supporter storytelling, and peer-to-peer fundraising—work across missions and organization sizes. The key is adapting them to your unique community and goals:

• Analyze your donor data to identify the most likely matching gift prospects and highest-potential supporters.
• Empower your community to share authentic stories about your mission and impact in their own voices.
• Create multiple ways to participate beyond direct donations, including peer-to-peer fundraising and social advocacy.

Ready to Build Your Winning Strategy?

Whether you’re planning a matching gift challenge, peer-to-peer campaign, or social media amplification strategy, the foundation is the same: compelling stories, targeted outreach, and clear calls to action that make giving both meaningful and urgent. Get our updated GivingTuesday Email and Social Media Templates—complete with ready-to-use templates, timelines, and proven strategies—to fuel your success on the biggest giving day of the year.