Taking Part In Giving Tuesday? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

This article is sponsored by Salesforce.org - the dedicated social impact team of Salesforce that delivers technology to nonprofits, educational institutions, and philanthropic organisations so they can connect with others and do more good.

Giving Tuesday (often styled as #GivingTuesday on social media) takes place on the 1st of December 2020.

This annual event has gone from strength to strength since its inaugural edition in 2012. Giving Tuesday has quickly become a staple of the charity fundraising calendar.

The movement was created in the US as a response to the commercialisation and consumerism of the lead up to the holiday season - where Giving Tuesday forms part of the post-Thanksgiving period alongside Black Friday and Cyber Monday - and a chance for people to give back in the season of goodwill. The event has been able to spread from the US around the world due to the festive season’s many religious and secular dates highlighting the importance of kindness and giving.

Giving Tuesday can have a big impact on an organisation’s fundraising. And this impact is increasing. In 2019, charities raised almost 28% more for Giving Tuesday than in the previous year. During the first lockdown, the quick turnaround of a one-off #GivingTuesdayNow raised $503M in response to the pandemic.

In the current economic climate, an increased number of charities are competing for a shrinking pool of funds. The end-of-year period is the most important time for charity fundraising. December has historically been the biggest month of the year for giving, with one recent report showing that 35% of online giving took place in the last three months of 2019 - with 18% of all giving taking place during December alone.

Fundraising has been substantially disrupted due to COVID-19, with more than 50% of charities having to cancel or postpone events and a further 65% anticipating income from challenges to decrease this year. This means that this December’s edition of Giving Tuesday will be more important than ever.

We examine how you can maximise your end-of-year fundraising.