Key takeaways
- GivingTuesday 2026 is Tuesday, Dec. 1, and kicks off GivingTuesday's Generosity Week, Dec. 1-5.
- GivingTuesday 2025 raised an estimated $4.0 billion in the US, up 13%, from 38.1 million participants.
- Call past donors before the day, and call new GivingTuesday donors within 48 hours to thank them and set up a second gift.
When is GivingTuesday 2026?
GivingTuesday is always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2026, Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, so GivingTuesday is Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026. This year it also opens GivingTuesday's Generosity Week, which runs through International Volunteer Day on Dec. 5.
GivingTuesday 2025 results
| Measure | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dollars donated (US) | $4.0 billion, up 13% |
| Participants | 38.1 million, up 6% |
| People who gave money | 19.1 million, up 3% |
| People who gave goods | 13.5 million, up 4% |
| Volunteers | 11.1 million, up 20% |
| Raised since 2012 | $22.5 billion |
More context is on our charitable giving statistics page.
A three-week plan
Now through Nov. 20
- Set one clear goal and one specific use for the money.
- Ask a board member or business for a match or challenge gift.
- Pull lists: last year's GivingTuesday donors, LYBUNT donors, monthly donors and new donors from this year.
- Test your donation page on a phone.
Nov. 23-30 (Thanksgiving week)
- Call or email last year's GivingTuesday donors and LYBUNT donors to tell them about the match.
- Ask monthly donors for a one-time GivingTuesday gift, not a change to their monthly amount.
- Schedule emails and social posts for Dec. 1.
Dec. 1 (GivingTuesday)
- Send a morning email, a midday progress update and an evening last call.
- Post progress toward the goal.
- Have staff or volunteers make reminder calls to donors who said they'd give.
Dec. 2-4 and after
- Thank every new donor within 48 hours, by phone if you can.
- Share what the day raised and what it will do.
- Invite GivingTuesday donors to a year-end or monthly gift before Dec. 31.
Phone scripts
Before GivingTuesday
Opening: “Hi, [name], this is [your name] from [organization]. Thank you for your support last year. Do you have a minute?”
Why now: “On GivingTuesday, Dec. 1, every gift up to [amount] will be matched by [match source], so your gift goes twice as far for [specific need].”
Ask: “Could we count on you for a gift of [amount] this GivingTuesday?”
Close: “Thank you. I'll send a link you can use on Dec. 1.”
Thank-you call after the day
Opening: “Hi, [name], this is [your name] from [organization]. I'm calling only to say thank you for your GivingTuesday gift.”
Impact: “Together, donors raised [total], which means [specific result].”
Listen: “What made you want to give this year?”
For more, see the donor thank-you call script and the full year-end donor call kit.
Turn GivingTuesday donors into second-gift donors
Many first-time donors never give again. A thank-you call, a short impact update in December and an invitation to give monthly are three of the simplest ways to bring a GivingTuesday donor back. Use our donor retention calculator to track how many return.
How KFG helps
Kensington Fundraising Group runs live calling campaigns before and after GivingTuesday: match calls to past donors, reminder calls and thank-you calls to new donors. See phone fundraising.