GivingTuesday 101 Training Webinar

GivingTuesday is a global day of generosity held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and in 2026 it falls on December 1. It’s one of the best days of the year to reach new supporters online, and a few simple setup steps in DonorSnap make it easy to track every gift, show progress toward your goal, and follow up with new donors.

In this webinar we cover:

• Choosing a campaign type and setting a shareable goal
• Setting up a GivingTuesday appeal in DonorSnap for tracking and reporting
• Building a GivingTuesday donation page and Responsive Form that tags gifts automatically
• Social media content that performs well right now: video and carousels
• Email timing, list cleanup, and segmenting with DataMiner Platinum
• Adding a Goals tracker to your DonorSnap dashboard
• Retention, partnerships, and a pre-GivingTuesday checklist

Download the presentation slides

Quick recap

GivingTuesday matters less as a nonprofit’s biggest fundraising day (that’s usually December 31) and more as a chance to reach new donors, volunteers, and newsletter subscribers while people are active online. The trainer walked through planning a 2026 campaign, held on December 1, starting with choosing a campaign type and setting a specific, public goal such as $20,000 or 50 new volunteers. She then showed how to create a GivingTuesday 2026 appeal under Maintenance > Site Setup > Field and Screen Customization, link it to a dedicated Responsive Form through a hidden field, and optimize the donation page for first-time visitors. The session covered social media (original video and carousel posts over shared templates), email timing and list cleanup, segmenting past GivingTuesday donors with DataMiner Platinum, and adding a Goals app to the dashboard. It closed with retention, partnership ideas, and a planning checklist.

Summary

Choosing Your GivingTuesday Campaign Type
Many nonprofits use GivingTuesday to launch their year-end campaign; others spotlight one program or project. Because it isn’t usually the biggest giving day of the year, it also works well for non-monetary goals like new volunteers or email sign-ups. Whatever you choose, set one specific goal and keep it front and center all day.

Telling a Consistent Story Across Every Channel
Build your content around stories that connect to your goal, such as a long-time volunteer describing what the work means to them. Keep the same message across your website, email, social media, and any events. GivingTuesday recommends experiential messaging that shows what a gift or volunteer shift will feel like and accomplish, rather than transactional asks.

Setting Up a GivingTuesday Appeal in DonorSnap
Go to Maintenance > Site Setup > Field and Screen Customization, choose Appeals from the dropdown, and add “2026 GivingTuesday,” then click Save. The trainer treats the campaign as the broad effort (your 2026 year-end campaign) and each appeal as one way you raise money. Keeping a separate appeal per year keeps reporting, goals, and thank-you lists clean.

Creating a GivingTuesday Donation Form
Under Online Forms > Responsive Forms, create a new form or start from last year’s GivingTuesday form, which is saved as a template. In the form builder, fields highlighted in peach are hidden from donors. Set the hidden Appeal field to the 2026 appeal and save, and every gift through that form is tagged automatically.

Optimizing Your Donation Page for New Visitors
Many GivingTuesday visitors have never heard of you, so add a short explanation of who you are and what you do, your goal, and what different gift amounts accomplish. Highlight a matching gift if you’ve secured one in advance. Include links to volunteer or join your newsletter for people who aren’t ready to give yet.

Social Media Content for GivingTuesday 2026
This year, GivingTuesday suggests making your own content instead of shared Canva templates, because algorithms push down posts that look alike. Short videos (from your executive director, a board member, or a volunteer) on Reels or TikTok, and multi-image carousel posts, are performing best. Ask engaged supporters ahead of time to share your posts, and use #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday2026.

GivingTuesday Email Timing and Segmenting
Clean up your mailing lists first and exclude anyone marked do not email. Send a few emails in the weeks and days before, one the morning of, a midday progress update, and a thank-you at the end of the day. Use DataMiner Platinum to segment past GivingTuesday donors and long-time supporters, then send through the mass email tool, Campaign Studio.

Tracking Your Goal on the Dashboard
On your dashboard, click Add App, choose Goals, then Set Up Goals > Add New Goal. Name it, choose a goal type (dollar amount, or counts like new contacts), base it on your GivingTuesday 2026 appeal, and enter the target. Extend the end date a few days past December 1 to catch late gifts. The chart fills in as donations arrive.

Retention, Partnerships, and Your Checklist
The biggest value of the day is the relationships you build, so set up a welcome email series in Automated Task Manager for new donors before the year-end rush, and prepare a GivingTuesday-specific thank-you letter tied to a batch code. Consider cross-promoting with a similar nonprofit, partnering with a local business, or asking a larger organization for a matching gift.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is GivingTuesday 2026? Tuesday, December 1, 2026. GivingTuesday always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the U.S., following Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Do I have to register my nonprofit to participate in GivingTuesday? No. GivingTuesday is an open global movement, not a sign-up giving day like many local events. Any nonprofit, individual, or business can take part by fundraising, volunteering, or sharing content.

How do I track GivingTuesday donations separately in DonorSnap? Create a GivingTuesday 2026 appeal under Maintenance > Site Setup > Field and Screen Customization, then set the hidden Appeal field on your GivingTuesday Responsive Form to that appeal. Every online gift through the form is tagged automatically.

Can I reuse last year’s GivingTuesday donation form? Yes. Previous forms are saved as templates under Online Forms > Responsive Forms. Copy last year’s form, update the header, and change the hidden Appeal field to the 2026 appeal so new gifts aren’t tagged to last year.

How do I show a fundraising thermometer or goal chart for GivingTuesday? Add the Goals app to your DonorSnap dashboard, create a new goal based on your GivingTuesday appeal, and enter your target. The chart updates as gifts come in, giving you a visual you can share throughout the day.

Can a GivingTuesday goal be something other than money? Yes. Many nonprofits aim for new volunteers, newsletter sign-ups, or new contacts. The DonorSnap Goals app supports goal types beyond dollar amounts, such as new contacts.

How many emails should I send for GivingTuesday? About five in total: a couple in the weeks and days before, one the morning of, a midday progress update, and a thank-you that evening. Avoid flooding inboxes on the day itself.

Should I use the GivingTuesday Canva templates for social media? Use them sparingly. For 2026, GivingTuesday recommends creating original, branded content, because platforms push down posts that look identical. Short videos and carousel posts are getting the most reach right now.

How do I keep GivingTuesday donors from lapsing? Plan follow-up before the day. Set up a welcome email series in Task Manager, send a GivingTuesday-specific thank-you letter, and use DataMiner Platinum to segment new versus returning donors for tailored outreach.

Related Pages:

Mass Email Campaign Studio Training Webinar
GivingTuesday Resource Round-Up
Automated Task Manager Training Webinar