Targeted Investments to Increase Giving in 2025 by GivingTuesday

TARGETED INVESTMENTS

TO INCREASE GIVING IN 2025.

In Brief

In 2024, 36 million Americans responded to GivingTuesday campaigns Together they committed more than $3.6 billion in resources on that day.

In 2025, changes in the nonprofit funding landscape have made fundraising from individuals more critical than ever.

GivingTuesday’s weekly random sample survey indicates 50% of Americans do not recall being solicited for a gift. 80% would give if asked, meaning there is between $20 and $50 billion in untapped individual giving

Through a combined mass marketing campaign and support for nonprofits’ campaigning capabilities, we predict we can bring up to $1B in new support to the sector this year and for years to come.

GivingTuesday has secured $75,000 toward educational content and an AI Assistant to increase giving from the grassroots up. We are seeking up to $300,000 in support for ad buys that will complement grassroots initiatives by increasing public awareness about GivingTuesday and promise to increase giving by up to $1 billion in 2025

Background

Why investing now is critical

Nonprofits are caught in a negative feedback loop. Decreasing levels of civic engagement – whether through membership in nonprofit associations, donating, or volunteering – means fewer opportunities for people to engage in and learn the value of civic life. This has led to a slow decline in trust for nonprofits which is currently being compounded by politicized attacks on the sector Recent cuts in government funding further compound the problem. As people lose the services and safeguards they once relied on, there are fewer opportunities to experience the value and benefits of the sector which leads to fewer engagement opportunities and less funding for nonprofits; further worsening the negative feedback loop

This is reversible. GivingTuesday’s GivingPulse research indicates that engaging citizens through fundraising and volunteering campaigns is an effective way to do so. GivingPulse, GivingTuesday’s weekly random sample survey of American giving behaviors and attitudes, shows individuals who have recently given are nearly twice as likely to express open, trusting views toward their community, society, and the nonprofit sector. Those who have recently volunteered are 1,500% more likely to do so Further, once they have given, people are more than twice as likely to do so again because as individuals give they report an increased sense of belief that giving is an important act. Inspiring generosity toward the nonprofit sector not only increases engagement, it does so sustainably These findings have been echoed in recent research from the Pew Charitable Trusts, More in Common, and Trust for Civic Life

Finally, across the more than 24,000 Americans served through GivingPulse, 50% do not recall being asked to give and 80% would do so if asked This, in combination with GivingTuesday’s enormous data set about American giving over the last decade, leads to the indication that there is up to $50 billion in individual donations that can be catalyzed through more and improved campaigns encouraging Americans to give.

What will GivingTuesday do about it?

GivingTuesday is working to increase giving in three primary ways this year:

Mass awareness campaign: In 2024, GivingTuesday began its first ad buying campaigns. We know that currently one third of Americans know about GivingTuesday while 11% take action on the day Extensive analysis and testing of the impact of campaigns in communities that have not previously had campaigns indicates that for every $100,000 in paid media, GivingTuesday can increase awareness and engagement by roughly 3-5% of Americans, translating to $300-$500 million in additional giving on the day. Further, analysis of giving on GivingTuesday compared to other days indicates that donors who give on GivingTuesday are 20% more likely to stay committed, leading to a sustained increase in total donations over time

Direct support to nonprofits: Nonprofits need money. GivingTuesday has proven itself effective in the sector. Why doesn’t every nonprofit run a campaign? Simply put, they don’t know how to get started The overwhelming majority of nonprofits in America are volunteer driven and have few staff, much less trained campaigners A plethora of examples show they can be successful on GivingTuesday and leverage new income to grow their impact. But they need support to get going. We are proposing to tackle this issue head-on by pairing educational content for nonprofit leaders with an artificial intelligence campaign assistant.

Community activation: Though not the focus of this brief, GivingTuesday has partnered with a group of foundations across America to support the development of local giving days. The GivingTuesday Community Campaign Accelerator will work on collective giving at the community level and holds the potential to increase the number of Americans giving by 33% over time.

Ad buys Priming the pump

The more people know about GivingTuesday, the more likely they are to give Citizens are generally decent and trusting of nonprofits. Though the number has been dropping, still more than 80% trust nonprofits today, and more than 80% say they will give if asked. With 11% of Americans already taking action on the day and more than 20 billion media impressions during 2024, GivingTuesday makes giving feel like a normative act Ensuring people know increases the likelihood that they will positively respond on the day because it feels like something everyone is doing

The following details what could be done with additional funds raised to spur general awareness about GivingTuesday Additional funds raised will be deployed alongside GivingTuesday’s funds dedicated to raising awareness.

$100,000 Investment: Digital and Media Tour Approach

Estimated Outcome: 3-5% increase in awareness (from 33% to 36-38%), potentially generating $300-500M in additional giving

SMT/RMT (Satellite + Radio Media Tour):

Bilingual campaign (English and Spanish) ahead of GivingTuesday

National reach with direct website traffic tracking

Real-time analytics to measure impact

Paid Social:

Facebook/Instagram: Targeted ads to demographics most likely to donate

Short-form content highlighting giving stories

LinkedIn: Professional audience targeting for workplace giving programs

Platform Partners:

Nextdoor: Community-based awareness campaign

Reddit: AMAs and promoted posts in relevant subreddits

Limited Influencer Engagement:

5 micro-influencers per quarter

Alternative Option: USA TODAY Partnership

Sponsored content package with USA TODAY

Largest national reach in the US

Guaranteed placement of GivingTuesday messaging

Basic social amplification package

Optional add-on: Digital display advertising on their network

$200,000 Investment: Full Court Press on Paid Media

Estimated Outcome: 6-9% increase in awareness (from 33% to 39-42%), potentially generating $600M-1B in additional giving

Comprehensive Digital Campaign:

All platforms from $100K tier with increased spend

Google Display Network: Retargeting campaigns

YouTube: Pre-roll ads and partner content

Out-Of-Home (OOH) Advertising:

Strategic placements with OutFront Media or JCDecaux

Mix of urban and rural targeting

Digital displays via LinkNYC or similar city networks

Traditional Media Mix:

Spotify/Pandora: Audio advertising

Limited radio spots in top markets

Year-Round Influencer Strategy:

5-10 influencers per quarter

Content calendar aligned with giving milestones throughout the year

$300,000 Investment: National Integrated Campaign

Estimated Outcome: 11-15% increase in awareness (from 33% to 44-48%), potentially generating $11-15B in additional giving

iHeartMedia National Partnership:

Comprehensive radio ad campaign across stations

Podcast sponsorships and integrations

On-air personality endorsements

Custom content creation

Would build an owned digital campaign around this

USA TODAY Premium Package:

Sponsored content plus display advertising

Premium placement options

Cross-platform promotion

Out-Of-Home Campaign:

Strategic billboard and transit advertising in top 15-20 markets

Digital and static displays

Year-Round Influencer Marketing:

Premium tier: 5-10 influencers quarterly

Content creation and amplification support

Alternative Investment: Event Partnership

Partial sponsorship of major event(s) with LiveNation or similar events company

Negotiated nonprofit rate/partnership

On-site activation and digital promotion

Brand integration with existing events

BootCamp: Building Nonprofit’s campaign confidence.

The BootCamp is a 14-module course designed to help nonprofit leaders understand their options and make informed decisions about the kind of campaigns their organization could be running. Over the years, the key differentiator between nonprofits who run successful campaigns and those who do not has been having a solid campaign strategy. Yet it is clear that most nonprofits don’t have in-house campaign strategists The BootCamp is designed to equip nonprofit leaders with the skills and confidence to be campaign producers and editors vs having to know all creative aspects from copywriting to visual design Each module contains tactical advice, templates, examples from other campaigns, and plenty of additional content if a person decides to go deep on that module’s topic.

AI Assistant - because it is easier to critique than create.

The content that nonprofit leaders will be editing will be generated by an AI Assistant. Building on a 2025 pilot, the AI Assistant will go beyond the production of campaign designs to include copy for various platforms, a calendar suggesting when content should be published, and visual generator to produce the kinds of branded imagery that organizations need to stand out.

The content generated by the AI Assistant will rarely be perfect Like most AIgenerated content, it will be good enough for use, comprehensive and tactically fit for purpose It will, however, work best when paired with a human who has the skills and knowledge built through a process like the BootCamp to react, edit, and tweak the campaign into one that is perfect for their organization. Ultimately, the Assistant alleviates countless hours of work and provides a critical starting point for organizations that otherwise simply would not get going.

A $1B opportunity

Once both components are complete, GivingTuesday will work with TechSoup, National Council on Nonprofits, state-level nonprofit associations, and others to promote the content and Assistant

By removing barriers to adopting campaign techniques at a time when nonprofits are highly inclined to try new fundraising strategies, we are confident that we can engage roughly 50,000 new nonprofit campaigners. We predict the AI assistant and BootCamp alone will increase the number of people giving and total given by between $150-250 million per year starting in 2025. Further, GivingTuesday will have both the content and AI Assistant, and the results of their usage, to work with going forward Therefore, in addition to increased funds raised by participants in year one, there will be new ‘classes’ of users at essentially no cost to the organization going forward, leading to orders of magnitude higher return over time The returns to society will be profound as the positive cycle of trust in nonprofits, investment in them, and their capacity to deliver on their mission is catalyzed for so many more organizations.

Combined with a large ad buy campaign and all other GivingTuesday efforts, we are confident that $375,000 could increase giving by up to $1billion in 2025 at a time when nonprofits need our support, and society will need nonprofits, more than ever.