7 Giving Tuesday Email Examples to Drive Donations in 2024
These Giving Tuesday email examples will help you craft persuasive messages, inspire generosity, and increase donations for your nonprofit organization in 2024.
Giving Tuesday has grown into a global event for businesses that support charitable causes close to their hearts. This day allows your nonprofit to invite email marketing subscribers, friends, and family to get involved in your cause.
As the non-profit landscape becomes more competitive, crafting an eye-catching Giving Tuesday email is essential to raise your brand image and donations.
We’ll explore effective Giving Tuesday email examples, highlight strategies, and tell compelling stories to inspire donations.
Everything to Know About Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is a global event that falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, it will be on December 3, 2024.
This day fosters generosity, inspiring millions of people around the world to donate to a noble cause. According to Giving Tuesday Data Commons, Americans spent $3.1 billion on Giving Tuesday in 2023.
While it’s a common notion that people donate money on this day, you can also donate a skill, time, or goods toward the cause.
Giving Tuesday was initiated by Henry Timms at the 92nd Street Y in New York in 2012. This day aims to balance the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday by dedicating a day to giving.
As a non-profit, Giving Tuesday emails could be your gateway to maximizing donations and building solid relationships with other businesses.
Importance of Email Marketing for Nonprofits on Giving Tuesday
Email marketing provides a direct and effective channel to reach supporters, share stories, and increase donations.
Whether it’s a warm-up email for consistent supporters or a Giving Tuesday introduction email to new subscribers, email marketing helps you achieve:
- A direct reach to supporters: Email marketing allows you to reach people who are engaged and more likely to contribute. Your opted-in email list is a huge resource to identify interested candidates.
- A personalized outreach: Segmenting your audience provides insights into groups, such as past donors, volunteers, and new subscribers, helping you tailor email content accordingly.
- A high return on investment: Email marketing has consistently had the highest ROI, making it a valuable tool for nonprofits to maximize their limited resources.
- A potential for storytelling: Emails allow you to share in-depth stories and challenges that can inspire millions to come forward and share on Giving Tuesday.
- Clear and direct CTAs: Emails usually focus on a single CTA, such as “Donate Now” or “Make a Difference Today,” simplifying the user journey from a marketing subscriber to a donator.
- An easier way to implement live tracking: During Giving Tuesday, nonprofits can update supporters with real-time campaign success, such as “Only Halfway to our Goal” or “Only $800 Left to Reach Our Target.”
- Encourage social sharing: Email marketing makes it easier for recipients to forward Giving Tuesday emails to friends and family, expanding the reach of campaigns.
- An effortless way to follow-up: With emails, nonprofits can track campaign metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, to determine the success of Giving Tuesday donations.
Elements of a Compelling Giving Tuesday Email
Giving Tuesday emails works the same way as any other email campaign. For example, you can share inspiring teasers, include real-life stories of people, and express gratitude with a thank-you message.
However, these emails usually contain components that set them apart from other types of emails. Paying attention to the details, including the structure, imagery, font styles, and white spacing can help convey your messages effectively.
That’s why it’s important to know the main components of a Giving Tuesday email, outlined in the table below.
| Element | What does it do? | Best Practices |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | It’s short, impactful, and intrigues people to open your emails. | ‣ Be direct and create urgency ‣ Add personalization, such as using the recipient’s name or previous interaction ‣ Highlight matching opportunities in donations |
| Personalized greeting | It enhances customer relations, creates warmer and personal connections. | ‣ Address recipients by their names in your Giving Tuesday emails ‣ Reference past donations or other work with your nonprofit |
| Impactful stories | It motivates people to get inspired and take action promptly. | ‣ Highlight stories that talks about your mission and values ‣ Include a strong image or video to increase email engagement |
| Call-to-action | It provides direct and clear instructions to the final action. | ‣ Use prominent phrases, such as “Donate Now” or “Make a Child Happy” ‣ Briefly include statistics or facts that will let donors understand the impact they create |
| Matching gift opportunities | Matching donations with other donors creates excitement and curiosity for the recipients. | ‣ Emphasize this incentive, such as “Your Gift Will be Doubled Today” to enhance engagement |
| Urgency and deadline reminders | It highlights the time left to take action, increasing immediate action from the readers. | ‣ Use time-sensitive language such as “Only Today” or “Donate Before it’s Too Late” to drive immediate reciprocation |
| Visual appeal and branding | This helps recipients immediately identify and associate with your nonprofit organization. | ‣ Use consistent brand colors, typeface, and images ‣ Use a simple email campaign layout |
| Social sharing options | It helps donors share the cause with their circle. | ‣ Provide clear instructions or links for recipients to forward or share the email |
| Thank you and gratitude message | It makes the donors feel valued and understand the impact of their donation. | ‣ Include a brief “Thank You” ‣ Let recipients know they’ll receive an update on the campaign progress and impact on the donation |
Elements of a compelling Giving Tuesday email
Giving Tuesday Email Template
Subject Line: Today’s your chance to double the impact for children in need
Hi [Name],
Thanks to supporters like you, children like Dave have access to clean drinking water. But we need your help to bring this gift to more communities.
CTA: Donate Now
Your gift of $25 provides safe and clean drinking water to a family for a month.
All gifts today will be doubled, thanks to a generous matching donor.
Help us reach our goals by midnight.
Thank you for your generous support. Please forward this email to friends and family who want to help, too.
Best,
[Organization name]
Understanding the Statistics and Numbers Behind Giving Tuesday Emails
34 million adults in the U.S. contributed to Giving Tuesday, according to Giving Tuesday Data Commons.
Let’s go through other interesting Giving Tuesday stats:
- Nonprofits increased donations by 15% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
- Donations on Giving Tuesday have grown by an average of 65% each year.
- More than 6000 trees were planted on Giving Tuesday in 2022.
- Donations saw a decline in 2023, but more people were willing to give and help others.
- Diversity and accessibility were key challenges in getting people to donate.
- More than $1 billion Giving Tuesday donations in the U.S. came online in 2023.
- There was a 2.3% increase in new donor donations in 2023.
- There were 85 participating countries for Giving Tuesday in 2022.
- About 10 million people volunteered in Giving Tuesday donations in 2022.
- Giving Tuesday was a trending hashtag on Twitter in 2022.
While consumers still spend a whopping $51 billion in total during Cyber Week, Giving Tuesday is slowly gaining traction, encouraging people to give back to the community.
Giving Tuesday Email Examples for Inspiration
Consumers are getting more wary about their spending habits on holiday shopping, steering their attention to donations on Giving Tuesday.
These email examples will inspire your next Giving Tuesday email campaign, allowing you to follow best practices for the highest impact.
1. Patagonia — Giving Tuesday Initiative for Alaska
Nonprofits and charity organizations use emotional storytelling to influence recipients to donate. In the example above, Patagonia encourages people to save 20 million acres of Alaska’s public lands from a mining project. This is a powerful cause that needs immediate attention to prevent the threat from intensifying.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- It uses stunning imagery to let people understand the impact of the threat if no action is taken.
- The heading immediately conveys the purpose of the email.
- The email clearly explains the process of donating.
2. Partners Coffee — Giving Tuesday Email for Fundraising
Partners coffee roasters make giving easy through a $6 gift coupon. This kind gesture goes a long way in thanking customers for their loyalty and urging them to make a difference by donating.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- The email begins with a brief history of Giving Tuesday, a good example of powerful email copywriting.
- The brand gives people the freedom to donate to a cause of their liking.
- It mentions the steps to making a donation and redeeming the coupon code.
3. Sevenly — The Giving Tuesday Email Pledge
Doubling the pledges or including matching donations is one way to showcase the impact of a contribution. Sevenly persuades customers to purchase any product collection for a set donation of money. The email segmentation method will help them find customer segments that are likely to purchase the gift sets, helping the brand make more donations.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- The email mentions the doubling of pledges at the start.
- It offers different product collections with a donation amount for each, enabling customers to choose their favorites.
- The brand also introduces holiday boxes to encourage more purchases.
4. AfterShokz — Giving Tuesday Email to Encourage Sharing
AfterShokz sells sports earphones and similar gadgets. The specialty of this Giving Tuesday email is that the company partners with nonprofits to reach more of its customers and their circle, maximizing donations.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- The email copy is clear and straightforward, leading customers to the nonprofit website.
- It lets users choose a nonprofit they want to work with.
- The brand also offers flexibility, allowing customers to donate their reward points to a charity after every purchase.
5. Charity Water — Giving Tuesday Email Emphasizing a Cause
Charity Waters collects gift funds to provide clean and safe drinking water to communities in need. The website allows people to choose a one-time donation or a monthly gift.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- Their Giving Tuesday email has a clean and well-put email campaign template.
- The email copy is placed on top of an image, which increases the impact.
- The CTA guides people to visit the website and start donating.
6. Lyft — Ride for Giving Tuesday Campaign
Lyft uses a different approach to encourage donations — it urges customers to take a ride for a cause. They can round up the fare, and the company will donate the difference to a good cause.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- The Giving Tuesday email outlines the steps to donate to a cause using the app.
- The email specifies the money collected by riding Lyft.
- The email follows good design principles.
7. Leesa — Why We Give Beyond Giving Tuesday
Leesa is a mattress company that donates one mattress for every ten sold to the homeless and domestic violence causes. The brand also plants one tree for every mattress sold, making charity an everyday practice.
Here’s Why This Giving Tuesday Email Works
- The Giving Tuesday email heading is cleverly placed above the image, increasing impact.
- The email allows people to view the impact they create.
- The brand demonstrates the numbers and stats, displaying social proof.
Including psychological triggers, such as emotional storytelling, can go a long way in persuading people to act. It’s about making the customers feel proud and satisfied for doing good for a community or nature.
5 Best Practices for Effective Giving Tuesday Emails
Giving Tuesday email requires strategic planning, persuasive storytelling, and clear call-to-action phrases.
The below best practices guide will help you implement the right tactics to make the most of Giving Tuesday donations.
1. Build Anticipation Early
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching, it’s easier for customers to forget about donating during the shopping frenzy. Let supporters know that Giving Tuesday is around the corner by sending them “Save the Date” emails.
A series of teaser emails can build excitement and give recipients more time to prepare for the donations. You can use segmentation methods to divide subscribers, such as past donors, newcomers, or volunteers. This will help you send the right type of Giving Tuesday email to increase gift spending.
2. Pay Attention to the Subject Lines
Your Giving Tuesday email subject line is the first point of reference and decides if people will open the messages.
Create urgency using phrases like “Today only” or “Last Chance to Make an Impact.” Make your emails feel more personalized by including the recipient’s name or referencing their past donations.
Use the preheader text to convey the essence of the email immediately.
3. Tell a Powerful Story
Storytelling increases the impact of Giving Tuesday emails by highlighting how the donations changed someone’s life. Create email content around a specific individual or community impacted by your work to create a personal connection with customers.
Include visual storytelling by using high-quality images and videos to showcase the need for change.
4. Time Your Giving Tuesday Emails Well
Craft a series of emails to allow customers to become familiar with Giving Tuesday and its benefits.
For example, you can start by sending:
- The first email 2-3 weeks before Giving Tuesday, helping clients know what it is and what you achieved the previous year.
- A reminder email between 3-4 days before Giving Tuesday.
- Send the main email on the day of Giving Tuesday, encouraging donations.
Understand the best time to send Giving Tuesday emails based on your audience’s preferences and purchase behavior.
5. Include Social Sharing Options
Encouraging people to share your Giving Tuesday emails can reach more people who want to make a difference. Include a “Forward this Email to a Friend” link or social media buttons to help customers pick the most viable platform for sharing.
Follow Up Emails to Show Appreciation and Drive Regular Donations
The follow-up Giving Tuesday email is as necessary as the awareness email. Keep donors updated about the donation numbers, such as total funds raised and specific milestones reached.
Use the recap email to invite recipients to become long-term supporters, sign up for your marketing newsletters, or engage with other programs offered by your nonprofit.
Finally, monitor your Giving Tuesday emails to understand your email performance and help you set measurable goals.
Using a reliable email marketing platform is critical to ensure clean email sending, monitoring, higher email deliverability, and increased email engagement.
Send Clean Giving Tuesday Emails With Campaign Refinery
Campaign Refinery focuses on clean email-sending practices to ensure your Giving Tuesday emails are efficient and impactful. Our advanced authentication protocols and email deliverability system work to give clients the highest inbox placement rate on the market.
Beyond the technicalities, clients can also access our:
- Pre-built campaign templates: Our Campaign Library offers pre-made campaign templates to help you put together Giving Tuesday emails quickly and efficiently.
- Dynamic email content: Use our dynamic content blocks to tailor messages according to each customers’ preferences and behavior.
- Powerful automation tool: Schedule your Giving Tuesday emails in advance to avoid delays or lost chances.
- Real-time analytics: Track Giving Tuesday email’s open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and deliverability status through a single-view analytics dashboard.
Send clean, professional, and personalized Giving Tuesday emails with Campaign Refinery — apply to become our client today!
