10 Successful Giving Tuesday Campaign Examples
Innovative online fundraising and campaigning tools to help you raise more money and win more campaigns
The world always feels a little smaller after GivingTuesday. Millions from around the world join efforts to raise funds for worthy causes that provide critical support to underserved people, animals and issues in our communities. This day of generosity not only kicks off the holiday season, but also serves as a unique opportunity for organizations to educate the public on their most pressing goals and campaigns.
The Engaging Networks team pulled together a shortlist of some of our all-time favorite and most successful Giving Tuesday campaigns to showcase what great planning and creative thinking look like in action.
“Amnesty launched a fun new donation form feature that celebrated donors with an animated pop of confetti for each donation made. The unique splash page was a custom form integration developed by our partners at 4Site Interactive Studios. They were able to keep the left side of the page as Javascript and the right side as a fully editable iFrame so that staff could easily add steps or edit content.”
Marcie Lenaghan
Director of Partnerships,
Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Enhance your GivingTuesday campaign donation experience to make it feel more engaging and rewarding. The confetti animation added a sense of celebration that made each donor feel seen and appreciated. It also turned what can feel like a very transactional moment into something memorable and shareable. By adding a playful, unexpected element, Amnesty created a moment of delight that encouraged users to stay on the page longer and feel good about taking action.
Oceana
“Oceana sent a very effective GivingTuesday email campaign that identified supporters as ‘Wavemakers’ and allowed them to choose what their gift represents: $20 to celebrate Oceana’s anniversary, $33 for the 33 billion pounds of plastic in the ocean, $74 to support Southern Resident orcas facing starvation and $330 for the 330 North Atlantic right whales in existence. It was a very compelling message.”
Cat Kustes
Account Success Manager,
Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Consider providing supporters with a clear identity and a personal connection to their impact. By Oceana calling donors “Wavemakers”, they made them feel like part of a movement, not just a mailing list, and letting people choose what their gift represented added meaning and gave them control over how they showed their support. Tying donation amounts to real-world issues made the message more powerful, turning a simple ask into something people could genuinely connect with.
Refuge UK andWAMU
“Organizations like Refuge UK and WAMU cleverly modified a GivingTuesday donation page as a Christmas gift shop. Upon donating on Refuge’s donation page, supporters could choose from a variety of thoughtful gifts for women and children escaping domestic abuse situations. WAMU celebrated GivingTuesday and their 60th anniversary with a holiday gift shop that included retro socks, retro bluetooth speaker or even providing meals to D.C. area families in need.”
Clinton O’Brien
COO, Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Use your Giving Tuesday campaign to give supporters a tangible way to connect their gift to something meaningful. Whether it’s choosing a thoughtful item for someone in need or picking a nostalgic gift, the experience feels more like giving a present than making a donation. This tactic brought together generosity and the holiday spirit in a way that made supporters feel more involved and appreciated.
“Mercy Home for Boys & Girls shared a series of very powerful video testimonials from children who’ve overcome great adversity thanks to the support of Mercy’s community programs. The stories were shared on social media posts that linked to a custom donation page that included a matching visual connection.”
Austin Dressman
Marketing Manager, Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Use video in your Giving Tuesday campaign to bring the impact of your work to life in a way that feels real and immediate. Sharing these stories on social media can help draw people in, and a custom donation page can be used to reinforce the connection. This was a thoughtful way to carry the emotional thread from the first click all the way through to the donation.
“Talking tapirs? This super fun Rainforest Action Network GivingTuesday email campaign used the voice of a Malayan tapir to help supporters understand the importance of reaching their goal. My favorite line: ‘Normally, I’m a chill little dude, Jenn, and I know I’m not nearly as famous as some of my rainforest neighbors, but I’m getting really fired up!”
Jenn Morrison
Product Communications Manager, Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Leverage something unique and fun about your Giving Tuesday fundraising effort to add personality, make the message more memorable, and make it fun to read. It can help cut through inbox noise with something supporters didn’t expect while still clearly communicating the urgency and importance of the campaign. The mix of charm and clarity that Rainforest Action Network used made the email stand out and gave people a reason to engage.
“The images of Native American students shared throughout the American Indian College Fund’s GivingTuesday campaign made their goal very personable and impactful. The effective lightbox on their homepage led supporters to a donation form that included imagery and testimonials from real-life beneficiaries of their fund. Their call out for supporters to consider a monthly donation as opposed to a one-time gift was simple and effective.”
Kathy Powers
Director of Marketing, Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Make your GivingTuesday campaign feel personal and powerful by humanizing it. In this case, the homepage lightbox was clear and effective, guiding visitors to a donation form that included real testimonials and photos of students supported by the fund. Also, highlighting the option to give monthly instead of just a one-time gift was a smart move that encouraged long-term impact without overcomplicating the ask.
Reprieve UK
“One email I received that really stuck with me was from Reprieve UK and Jon Snow (from Channel 4 news) saying ‘Today is GivingTuesday. It’s a day of global giving after the mayhem of ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ in the US – and, yes, here in the UK too. I am writing to ask you to support Reprieve.’ It was an influential message that led to a nicely designed donation page that included a great donation match.”
Corin Hartley-Pearce
Director of Account Services (UK and International), Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Featuring a well-known voice can make your GivingTuesday message stand out. Reprieve UK teamed up with Jon Snow to send a simple, heartfelt email that gave the day meaning and made a clear ask. It linked to a clean donation page with a match offer, making it easy for people to follow through. A familiar name, a strong reason to give, and a smooth experience can go a long way.
The Humane Society of the United States
“The Humane Society of the United States just recently went live with Engaging Networks but was able to incorporate a great deal of effective donation form tools for their GivingTuesday campaign. Their message was paired with adorable photos of rescued animals, a triple match challenge fund, goal progress bar and countdown clock. Along with a call out to attract recurring gifts, donors could also request a ‘Humane Hero’ t-shirt as thanks for their gift. The whole page felt very rich with useful information and enticing gift options.”
Sean Dotson
Account Success Manager,
Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Layer in real-time elements to your Giving Tuesday campaign like a countdown clock and goal tracker to keep supporters engaged and focused on progress. The triple match offer added immediate value, while the Humane Hero t-shirt gave donors a tangible reward and sense of identity.
“Cute puppies FTW! I love this CNIB GivingTuesday campaign to raise $150k to cover the cost of raising three adorable guide dogs for those with sight loss. I really appreciate the story they are trying to tell and how tangible their goal is.”
Morgan Radbourne
Account Success Manager,
Engaging Networks
Key Takeaway: Keep your Giving Tuesday campaign simple, focused, and easy to connect with. By centering the campaign around a clear, tangible outcome (training puppies to support people with sight loss), they gave donors a story they could rally around. Also, let’s face it, the use of adorable images of puppies will draw people in, but it was the meaningful and specific goal that made the campaign feel purposeful and worth supporting.
As we’ve outlined in this post, the best GivingTuesday campaigns do more than ask for donations. They create an experience that connects with supporters, inspires action, and leaves a lasting impression. Whether through creative storytelling, interactive donation forms, or meaningful incentives, strong campaign choices can make your message stand out and drive real results. Engaging Networks Online Fundraising Platform gives you the tools to bring campaigns like these to life, with flexible donation forms, personalized messaging, automated email journeys, and real-time analytics. Whether you’re building something new or leveling up your current strategy, the platform helps you create memorable experiences that turn one-time donors into long-term supporters.
