Top Tips for #GivingTuesday Social Media Posts + Templates

Billions of potential donors consume social media content daily, leaving nonprofits with a big opportunity to get in front of them for Giving Tuesday. But we can’t forget how many accounts are also competing for the attention of these same donors.

What worked last year (or even last month) may not be enough to stand apart on social media. Knowing what to post and when to post it, as well as Giving Tuesday social media posts examples that make life easier, puts you in the best position to create content people will not only be more likely to see but resonate with and drive them to take action.

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The State of Giving Tuesday Social Engagement

Social media has always been a part of the #GivingTuesday global movement, but it’s become a primary fundraising channel in recent years. Below are a few statistics that offer a snapshot of social media's impact to help you see why we’re talking about weaving it into your Giving Tuesday 2024 success.

• Facebook refers 29.4% of traffic to donation pages on #GivingTuesday.
• X (formerly Twitter) sends 700% more visitors to donation pages on Giving Tuesday than on a typical day of the year.
• The #givingtuesday hashtag has over 2.6 million posts on Instagram.
• TikTok launched live-stream fundraisers in 2021 to bring in $7 million in direct donations to various organizations for Giving Tuesday.

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#GivingTuesday trends on social media 

When you think about refreshing your social media strategy for Giving Tuesday, it’s helpful to know what’s landing with today’s donors and how to stay on top of trends. Here are a few #GivingTuesday trends to help you prioritize the most impactful sharing this year.

• Platform diversity: Most donors likely have a social media platform they spend their time on or first visit for new updates. This can differ by preference, generation, or location, so it’s best to spread your message across a few platforms to capture the widest audience. It may even allow for more content repurposing across platforms.
• Authenticity: Social media templates are everywhere, and ChatGPT can now write you a year’s worth of content for any platform of choice. These are great tools (Giving Tuesday sample social media posts later in this post!). Still, donors seek more authenticity from unfiltered visuals, in-the-moment story updates, videos without heavy editing, and storytelling with a human lens.
• Community-building: Social media has broken down location barriers and expanded the meaning of community to include those you follow from across the world like you’d see a friend or colleague. Nonprofits can create more engagement opportunities to foster community among new and existing donors, staff, beneficiaries, volunteers, and corporate partners.
• Influencer marketing: The concept of trusting someone who’s let you into their life through consistent posting and a relatable message is far more common today. Nonprofits can use influencer marketing to spread their stories further, especially on Giving Tuesday, when people are looking for charitable causes to support and may respond immediately to a timely invitation to feel connected to influencers through their gifts.
• Rich analytics: The data nonprofits can see regarding their daily social media performance is more prosperous, more robust, and simpler to understand. Organizations can continue leaning into data-driven posting to resonate with their unique audiences for Giving Tuesday.

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What should I post on Giving Tuesday?

If you’re thinking, “well, that sounds great, but what do I even post?” we’ve got you covered. This is a common question for nonprofits either starting a Giving Tuesday social media strategy for the first time or feeling stuck on what else to post that stands apart from the past.

While we can’t tell you exactly what to post, we can guide you with a few characteristics of the best Giving Tuesday social media posts. If you’re wondering how to enhance your message, you can think of this as a simple checklist.

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Personal and emotion-driven narratives

Your social media posts should convey the emotions you want your audience to feel as they experience your organization online. Great ideas include creating empathy and compassion for your mission, offering an opportunity to express values through charitable giving, and telling stories that help a supporter imagine themselves in others' shoes.

A few ways you can do this are through visuals, video, or audio that includes voices. You can also look to user-generated content that allows supporters to add their personal touch and speak to your audience directly to invoke that emotional appeal.

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A focus on specific outcomes

It’s easy to look at people posting often and start creating social media content simultaneously. While your audience likely wants to hear from you throughout the Giving Tuesday season, you must tie each post to a specific outcome you’d like to see.

For example, in a given week, you may have four posts that drive a different type of action:

• Post 1: Tell your founding story and drive a supporter to your website to learn more
• Post 2: Introduce your Giving Tuesday campaign page and drive a supporter to it
• Post 3: Post an update on Giving Tuesday progress and encourage sharing
• Post 4: Show appreciation to donors to build emotional appeal

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Images and graphics that resonate

Now that most businesses utilize stock imagery, editing tools are abundant, and AI can produce images for you, a supporter will appreciate a raw visual. As you combine your creative strategy to accompany social media posts, consider where you can save time and money to offer more authentic and personal visuals.

Your branding and logos should remain professional, but you may be able to sprinkle in some more realness to your Giving Tuesday social media visuals with:

• Behind-the-scenes content 
• Images of your team members doing what they do best
• Live video streams to share updates
• Images from your volunteers or team members to diversify the point of view

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An invitation to learn more

Especially when it comes to donor acquisition through social media, your posts should help them learn more about you and the greater picture they’re becoming a part of by participating in a Giving Tuesday campaign. Consider where you can drop in statistics, frequently asked questions, or organization history that helps them feel empowered as they give.

The more education you can share in your posts, the more people will connect to your mission and feel equipped to share it with others. Imagine someone landing on your profile and looking through the first four posts; will they take away enough about who you are to want to continue engaging? 

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A clear call to action

Even the most amazing Giving Tuesday social media post can fall flat on your goals if there’s no call to action or it's too hard for someone to find. Social media gives you the benefit of having your profile available for those who are looking to visit your website or campaign pages, so be sure they’re visible right away in your bios. 

Include direct links in any stories or posts that allow it, and point a supporter to your bio for any that don’t.

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When should I post on Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is unlike other days, where a supporter may be more active than usual. To strategically post on social media that day, you can also look at your analytics per platform your nonprofit plans to use so that you can identify peak giving times, days, and hours.

You can also use social media scheduling apps to gain deeper insights. Sprout Social shares more general posting times when audiences are engaged on various platforms, noting that between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, are peak posting times.

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Timeline: Social media posts for Giving Tuesday

Aside from the exact times and days to post your Giving Tuesday campaign updates, we outlined a timeline to prioritize content around below.

• One month before Giving Tuesday social media post: Pre-launch, your campaign, share that you are participating, and build excitement around what’s to come with sneak peaks.
• The week before Giving Tuesday social media post: Share your goal for the global day of giving this year, and showcase the impact it could have to help people envision their “why” for getting involved. You can also share a “save the date” or use the countdown features on various channels to remind people when to tune back in and give.
• Thanksgiving day social media post: Offer gratitude early on to any donor who has brought you to this point in the year and how much each donor means to your organization. This can remind your community why they donate and help potential donors see how they might be valued by deciding to participate.
• The day before Giving Tuesday social media post: This is a great time to officially launch your campaign, share links to give directly, and discuss what this year means to your nonprofit. Your posts should help people take action directly and feature graphics or messaging they can share with their family and friends to increase participation.
• Giving Tuesday social media post: The big day is here, and you can maximize your reach by posting several times throughout the day. Think about building excitement, sharing progress updates, recognizing donors, and interacting with your community in real-time.

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Giving Tuesday Social Media Posts Examples + Templates

Let’s help you better visualize what your Giving Tuesday global day giving posts might look like at these various points in the timeline we spoke to above. While these are samples, you can use them as templates to plan your message and visuals across the platforms you plan to use.

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Sample TikTok video for Giving Tuesday

Message: Did you know that just $25 can provide a week’s worth of meals for a family in need? We’re kicking off a #GivingTuesday effort like no other this year to help over 100 families ahead of the holiday season. 

Interactive Element: Comment below with a 🍽️ if you’re as excited as we are to make this type of impact!

CTA: Join our email list (link in bio) to be the first to know when this campaign launches!

Visuals: Video playing in the background of the on-screen text showcasing families connecting through food around the holidays.

Timing: One month before Giving Tuesday

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Sample Instagram Carousel for Giving Tuesday

Message: 

• Slide 1: Save the date for Giving Tuesday! 🎁✨ 
• Slide 2: It's just around the corner, and we’re gearing up for a day of making a difference for students nationwide. 
• Slide 3: The impact begins December 3, 2024

Interactive Element: Include a calendar reminder with your post that shares activity feed notifications 24 hours before, 15 minutes before, and during your campaign launch.

CTA: Save our date

Visuals: Showcase images of grateful and happy students who’ve benefited from donations.

Timing: One month before Giving Tuesday

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Sample Facebook post for Giving Tuesday

Message: Today, we are bursting with gratitude for every donation, volunteer hour, and event attendee who helped us raise 80% of our annual fundraising goals, which will equate to clean water available in nine third-world countries! That’s huge, and you all did that!

We wish you a connective and grounding Thanksgiving day with those who mean the most to you. 

We’re also thinking of the families abroad who cannot express enough thanks to you all. We can’t wait to share a big #GivingTuesday opportunity to bring us to the 100% mark for them. 🌍❤️

Interactive Element: Tag someone below who inspires you to express kindness and give back

CTA: (optional) link to an impact video or your website

Visuals: Giving Tuesday campaign logo or creative Thanksgiving image

Timing: Thanksgiving day

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Sample X (Twitter) update video for Giving Tuesday

Message: Set your alarms ⏰— our goal is to raise $5,000 in 24 hours! Will you help us reach it? 

CTA: link to your Giving Tuesday campaign

Visuals: Giving Tuesday campaign logo 

Timing: The day before Giving Tuesday

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Sample Instagram Story for Giving Tuesday

Message: DOUBLE your impact! For every $1 you give, a generous donor will match it! 🧡 We’re only $4,000 away from our goal…Let's make this #GivingTuesday count!

CTA: link to your Giving Tuesday campaign

Visuals: Visual fundraising thermometer 

Timing: Giving Tuesday