The Ultimate Email Marketing Playbook for Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is more than a day; it's a global celebration of generosity that unites people around the world. But how do you channel this global movement into tangible support for your cause? The answer lies within a solid generosity strategy and marketing plan.

From email marketing for Giving Tuesday to social media tactics to website copy updates, it's important to have a clear marketing strategy for this important opportunity.

We will leave the brilliant generosity strategy to our dear friends at Generis; however, if you are in need of a solid email marketing or social media marketing plan, you have come to the right place.

We've previously delved into the principles of email marketing success. Now, we'll examine how to tailor those principles into a focused strategy that aligns with the unique spirit of Giving Tuesday. Whether you're a ministry seeking to tackle a specific cause or a business leader aiming to make an impact, your email strategy for Giving Tuesday can be the bridge that connects intention with action and we are here to help!

Below is a short excerpt from our resource: Unlocking Giving Tuesday: The Ultimate Marketing Playbook for the Biggest Giving Day of the Year.  

The Master Calendar

Before anything else, let's sketch out a thoughtful timeline for a successful email marketing campaign. This helps you plan when to send your messages leading up to, during, and after Giving Tuesday. From initial announcements to progress updates and heartfelt thank-yous, this step involves assessing your needs and crafting a strategic roadmap to guide your communication efforts. 

Below is our proposed send-schedule for Giving Tuesday; however, it would be wise to not send every email to every person on your list. Think of these emails as being stacked. For a contact to receive the 3rd one, there needs to be a reasonable level of engagement with the first two, otherwise you risk bombarding your contacts and setting new records with your unsubscribe rate. 

• November 20-24: Campaign teaser or countdown 
• November 27: Day-before campaign reminder 
• November 28 (MORNING): Day-of opening announcement
• November 28 (MIDDAY): Progress update & reminder to give 
• November 28 (EVENING): Final call to give 
• November 29 (MORNING): Outcome and general thank-you
• November 30: Personalized thank-you emails to new donors
• December 1: Personalized thank-you emails to existing donors 
• December 4: Beginning of welcome series for new donors]

Craft Your Message

Now that we know when to send these emails, let's craft your message to connect.

Since teamwork makes the dream work, we encourage you to collaborate with your communication crew to come up with a theme, a clear call-to-action, and a message that resonates with your audience. We break down the steps to communication for Giving Tuesday in our Game Plan Guide, but here are some specific key elements you should keep in mind when crafting your message:

 👏 Speak to Your Audience: Make your readers feel like an essential part of your cause. As you aim to inspire the changemaker in everyone this Giving Tuesday, make sure to address them directly using words like "you," "we," "us," and "together."

📜 Tell Stories That Matter: Every good communication has a story. Share impactful anecdotes or quotes from people who've been touched by your work. Personal stories bring a human touch to your emails.

📣 Create a Clear Call to Action: Guide your readers to what you want them to do. Whether it's donating, attending an event, or sharing on social media, make sure your call to action is front and center.

🔗 Add Strategic Links: Sprinkle the link to your campaign page throughout your emails, using buttons, images, or text. By providing multiple links in various styles, you increase the chances of engagement, recognizing that different links may appeal to different readers. 

🎨 Make it Pop: Aesthetics matter. Keep your emails visually pleasing and consistent. Need to bring your graphic design to the next level? Clever has a team for that.

📜 Make it Easy to Read: Keep your font simple and easy on the eyes, no Papyrus please! Use bold text for important points, and remember that accessibility is key.

✨ Show off Your Brand: Showcase your brand colors and logo to reassure your readers that you're the real deal, not some random sender.

📜 Craft Memorable Subject Lines: Your subject lines should be short and intriguing, enticing recipients to open your emails. Think of them as a sneak peek to your email story.

💬 Write Engaging Preview Text: The preview text gives a hint of what's inside — it's the "why" someone should open your email. Your copy needs to spark curiosity and encourage readers to learn more inside your email.

⏳ Create Urgency: Urgent language like "Limited time offer" or "Only a few hours left" can motivate readers to take action swiftly.

😂 Use Humor and Emojis: A touch of humor and well-placed emojis can add personality to your emails, but don't overdo it. Keep it light and appropriate.

🙌 Add a Personal Touch: Address your readers by their names to make them feel valued and connected. You can do this with personalized tokens in most email platforms. 

Evaluating Success

Once the campaign concludes, assemble your team for a thoughtful retrospective and celebratory meeting. What worked? What didn't? Take the learnings and use them to shape and enhance your next campaign. Go ahead and set a calendar appointment right now to make time to reflect on your Giving Tuesday campaign. After all, a retrospective helps you learn from the past to build better campaigns in the future.

Beyond the Campaign

Giving Tuesday represents a significant opportunity to unite people around the world in a shared act of generosity. Email remains a powerful channel to reach and engage supporters, providing a direct and personal way to communicate your mission and call to action. Implementing these strategies can elevate your email campaign from a fundraising tool to a bridge that connects your mission with the hearts of your supporters on Giving Tuesday.

Next Steps for Your Email Marketing Playbook for Giving Tuesday

We hope these tips were helpful. If you need help executing this campaign or the next one, margin and expertise is only one short conversation away — we would love to connect!

P.S. Did we leave anything out of our Giving Tuesday Email Marketing Playbook? Tell us in the comments below.