End-of-year bustle doesn’t always lend itself to getting creative in fundraising campaigns. But when Giving Tuesday rolls around, sending out the same copy/pasted emails from last year just won’t cut it.
These days, donors expect personalized, up-to-date content, which may or may not line up with what your nonprofit team is already juggling.
Sometimes starting a task is easier when you have clear examples and guidelines, so that’s exactly what this article is all about.
We teamed up with our customer, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) to provide you with 8 Giving Tuesday email examples. Our hope? That you can leave this article inspired and confident to write your own Giving Tuesday email campaign.
Along the way, I’ll highlight best practice strategies and techniques you can easily use starting today!
All emails that we’ll cover today were created and sent using the email builder tool within Virtuous CRM+.
Email #1: 30 Days Out
As you prepare for Giving Tuesday, create your campaign structure. If using Virtuous, you can build your list using saved queries, segment donors by tags or giving history, and set up your first email with our customizable templates.
30 days ahead of the actual day, send a Giving Tuesday announcement email to your supporters.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Provide some context: Most people know what Giving Tuesday is, but it can be helpful to add just a bit of background for those who might need to be caught up.
→ Reference previous years: If you’ve run similar Giving Tuesday campaigns in previous years, shouting out to earlier successes or goals met is a great way to get the good vibes flowing!
→ Create a theme: You can get creative, centering your Giving Tuesday campaign around a theme that fits your org. This can help your Giving Tuesday campaign stand out vs. previous years.
→ Announce matching gifts: Many people use matching gift incentives for Giving Tuesday, and if this is your plan, it’s a great time to announce the match details.
→ Get everyone behind the goals: Set clear goals, and let your donors in on that goal to increase buy-in. Later, you can provide real-time updates about how close you are to meeting that goal.
Within Virtuous, you can run A/B tests on your subject lines, CTAs, or email content to maximize engagement right out of the gate.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: 30 Days Out
Now, let’s take a look at our first Giving Tuesday email example from NOBTS.
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
This email exemplifies many of the techniques and strategies we talked about above for an effective 30-day-out email.
Let’s take a closer look.
→ Notice how NOBTS immediately points their readers towards the theme of their campaign: “Rally Together, Succeed Together.” Then, they draw on commonalities in their audience, uniting everyone over a frequently referenced Biblical passage.
→ Next, NOBTS invites donors to join them in a giving goal while simultaneously announcing a matching gift, increasing the incentive to give.
→ Finally, you’ll see how NOBTS prompts readers to mark the date in their calendar, helping readers frame this email in the larger context of the year and their lives.
Email #2: 14 Days Out
Your 14-day follow-up can repeat much of the information you already communicated in your previous email. Some repetition here is not a bad thing. Inboxes are incessantly flooded with new emails, as we know, so many people skip or skim emails, sometimes not even intentionally.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Repeat the important parts: Remind readers of the date, gift match, giving goal, and theme as necessary.
→ Give a countdown: Increase the sense of urgency by highlighting that there are just 2 weeks left.
→ Share a story from previous years: If you have any impact stories from previous Giving Tuesdays, this serves as a natural way for donors to connect emotionally to the cause.
With the Virtuous email builder, you can suppress anyone who’s already given using dynamic list exclusions, so each message goes to exactly the right audience.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: 14 Days Out
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ You can see in the Giving Tuesday email example above that NOBTS effectively repeated the important aspects of their campaign (giving goal and matching gift) without coming off as being repetitive.
→ Next, you can feel the sense of urgency they create.
Email #3: 7 Days Out
With 7 days left, it’s a great time to reach out to your supporters again, keeping Giving Tuesday top of mind.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Add any additional incentives: If there are any other creative elements to your Giving Tuesday campaign that could potentially increase motivation for a donor to give, this is a great place to highlight them. If a donor has not yet given, taking a new angle in this email could be effective.
→ Continue the countdown: Just a week out! Take this time to remind your supporters.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: 7 Days Out
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ Notice how NOBTS raised the stakes in this email, building a sense of competition by announcing an alumni contest for prizes.
→ You can also see how NOBTS used emotional appeals to remind donors that their gifts will impact real people. In this case, people like them because they’re speaking to alumni.
→ And finally, we can see yet another countdown reminder, helping orient their readers.
Email #4: Day-Of (Morning)
It’s finally Giving Tuesday, and it’s time to ramp up your emails! This is one of those days where multiple touchpoints with your audience is a great move. The scheduling features in Virtuous make it simple to map out morning, midday, and evening messages without having to be online all day.
For the sake of this article, we’ll show 3 Giving Tuesday email examples you can send on the day of: morning, midday, and evening. That said, you can adjust this based on your nonprofit’s needs. Let’s start with the morning email.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Celebrate the day’s arrival: Since you’ve been cultivating anticipation for this day with your previous emails, mark the day’s arrival as momentous with a celebratory tone.
→ Emphasize the impact: Building emotional appeals and reminding readers of the impact their gift can make is crucial as you open out this day of emails.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: Day-Of (Morning)
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ In the email above, NOBTS doesn’t just ask for a gift; they invite their alumni into a partnership with them. Notice the “together” language as well as the reminder of the ties they feel to the school: “our campus–your campus.”
→ They build on their previous emails when they remind readers that “Today’s the day,” ushering in the arrival of Giving Tuesday.
Email #5: Day-Of (Midday)
The midday Giving Tuesday email plays an important role in the day-of emails because it will most likely be the first time you give your donors a progress update on the goal.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Remind readers of the goal: Revisit the total goal here, so donors don’t have to go digging in previous emails.
→ Give a real-time update: This is a great opportunity to let readers know how far you’ve come in meeting that goal. Seeing these real-time numbers can inspire action and remind readers that they can make a difference.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: Day-Of (Midday)
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ You’ll see that NBOTS does exactly what we just mentioned when they give an update about how much of the goal has been met. Notice that they also remind readers that every gift will be matched “dollar for dollar,” helping the goal feel more attainable.
→ Their messaging here also works well because they make clear that every gift makes an impact. This tactic helps prevent objections from stopping supporters who might have more limited means of giving, inviting everyone to join in the cause.
Email #6: Day-Of (End of Day)
This is the final email to go out on the day of, and it’s a good opportunity to increase the sense of urgency with this final push.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Build urgency: This final email can build in urgency, reminding readers that these are the final hours of the giving window.
→ Keep a positive tone: As you build this urgency, keep a positive tone and focus on the impact of people’s generosity, rather than fixating too much on whether or not the goal has been met.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: Day-Of (End of Day)
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ NOBTS provides a clear deadline (midnight) for donors, providing clarity and increasing urgency.
→ Notice the positive tone NOBTS takes as they gently nudge their readers towards accomplishing a common goal.
Email #7: Results Email
Just as it was important to provide frequent communication with donors on Giving Tuesday, it’s equally important to provide a results update on the other end.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Celebrate generosity. Not the numbers: The giving goal provides a helpful incentive during your Giving Tuesday campaign, but ultimately, Giving Tuesday is about a common day where people unite in generosity. So, regardless of whether or not your goal is met, this “Results” email can celebrate exactly that: generosity within the context of a collaborative effort.
→ Put it all in context: If your org has participated in Giving Tuesday before, place the year’s goals in context with other years. If previous years resulted in higher donations, you can use your best judgment whether to use or skip.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: Results Email
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ Notice how NOBTS did not meet their original goal of $50,000. They are still clear with their donors about the amount they received, and they use a grateful tone throughout the email, celebrating what they received (which was already impressive!).
→ They also place it in context with their other Giving Tuesday campaigns, highlighting that they raised more this Giving Tuesday than ever before.
Email #8: Bonus Thank You
This email is optional, but taking a creative approach to this email can be effective! If you’re planning a creative “thank you” message, Virtuous makes it easy to embed images or video, pull in personalized donor details, and design something that really stands out.
Focus Areas for This Email
→ Vary up the media: Tap into a video or images to increase interest and make this email stand out from the rest.
→ Show leadership: If your nonprofit has leadership or a specific figure who your donors might expect to hear from, this email is a chance to connect them with a message from this person.
→ Impact Stories: If there are real, specific outcomes of the generosity that can already be attributed to the generosity of Giving Tuesday, show this to your donors.
Giving Tuesday Example Email: Bonus Thank You
Why This Giving Tuesday Email Example Works
→ Their video from Dr. Dew right at the top of the email provides a personalized thank-you experience, allowing donors to hear from a pivotal figure in the organization. Adding this right at the top of the email ensures it will be seen and adds a visual element.
→ They also remind donors of the amount that was given, along with an added stat of how many people gave.
→ Finally, notice how they revisit the theme they established in earlier emails, ensuring a unified experience from beginning to end.
Best Practice Tips for Giving Tuesday Emails
Now that you’ve taken a look at some stellar Giving Tuesday email examples, let’s explore a few tried-and-true best practices to keep in mind as you craft your Giving Tuesday emails. Think of these as small tweaks that can make a big difference in driving generosity.
Acknowledge the Donor Relationship
Speak directly to your donors by referencing their past involvement or support. Even small touches of personalization can help donors feel seen and valued.
Segment Your List by Donor Type
Create different messages for different groups. First-time donors, recurring givers, and lapsed supporters each need a unique approach. Segmentation helps you meet donors where they are.
Use Storytelling
Stories help people understand and feel the impact of their gift. Share a short, specific example of how generosity is making a difference in the lives of real people.
Include a Clear Call to Action
Every email should lead to a next step. Make sure your CTA is easy to find and clearly states what you want the reader to do.
Explain the Impact
Donors want to know how their gift will be used. Connect dollar amounts to specific outcomes, like “$50 provides school supplies for one child.”
Run A/B Tests
Experiment with subject lines or CTAs to find what performs best. Testing allows you to improve results based on real data, not guesses.
Invite Recurring Monthly Giving
Use Giving Tuesday as a starting point for longer relationships. Add a monthly giving option and show donors how ongoing support creates lasting impact.
Offer a Matching Gift
Matching gifts can be a powerful motivator. Consider adding a competitive element, like offering a prize to early donors or setting a timed challenge to boost engagement.
Craft Every Giving Tuesday Email with Ease (and Impact)
Special thanks to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for allowing us to use their Giving Tuesday email examples in this post!
All the Giving Tuesday email examples in this post were built and delivered using the email builder inside Virtuous CRM+. That means real-time segmentation, donor personalization, and A/B testing are already baked in.
Whether you’re scheduling your full campaign series or sending day-of updates, you can build mobile-optimized, visually compelling emails that reflect your theme and drive generosity without ever leaving the platform.
Start building your Giving Tuesday email series in Virtuous CRM+ today.
