Combine Giving Tuesday and Christmas: one December plan
Combine Giving Tuesday on 1 December with Christmas: one campaign or two, a timeline to 24 December, what to reuse, what not to ask twice and how to say thanks.
In short Treat Giving Tuesday (Tuesday 1 December 2026) and Christmas as one story with two asks, not two separate campaigns. You reuse your donation page, your core story and your e-mails, never ask anyone the same thing twice and thank everyone within 48 hours. Between 1 and 24 December you give donors a reason to come back.
This article describes the rules in Belgium.
For a small vzw (a Belgian non-profit association), Giving Tuesday almost runs into the start of the Christmas season. That feels like double the work, but it need not be. This article helps you choose between one campaign or two and gives a timeline for the 24 days that follow.
One campaign or two: how do you choose?
Choose one campaign with two peaks if both asks serve the same goal. Choose two campaigns only if you have two different projects, each with its own amount and story. In both cases the team, the page and your list of supporters stay the same.
- One goal, two peaks: 1 December is the first ask, Christmas the closing moment. The target amount keeps running.
- Two goals: for example equipment on 1 December and a Christmas parcel for 24 December. Keep the two amounts apart and name them separately.
If your team is small, 2 or 3 people, choose the first option. Two full campaigns in 24 days ask more than your team can carry. Read about the day itself in the Giving Tuesday hub.
What do you reuse from Giving Tuesday for Christmas?
Reuse three things: your donation page, your core story and your e-mail series. You only change the headline, the photo and the ask. That way you sound the same from 1 to 24 December and save hours of new copy.
- The page: the same link, the same amounts with labels, a new Christmas headline and a Christmas photo.
- The story: write it once in five sentences and shorten it per channel. See the article on reusing a story.
- The e-mails: the thank-you e-mail of 2 December is the bridge to the Christmas e-mail. You will find examples in the Christmas e-mails for donors.
How to build the Christmas page itself is covered in the article on the donation page for your Christmas campaign.
Timeline from 1 to 24 December
Use the 24 days as four blocks: asking on 1 December, thanking within 48 hours, a quiet middle with stories and a Christmas moment before 24 December. This is our own planning, not a fixed rule. Adjust it to your team.
| When | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1 December | Appeal by e-mail and social media, two to three posts on the day itself |
| 2 and 3 December | Thank top donors personally, share a thank-you post |
| Around 8 December | One story from your work, still without an ask |
| Around 15 December | Christmas ask to those who have not given yet, with a Christmas headline on the same page |
| 22 and 23 December | Last reminder, short e-mail |
| 24 December | A short Christmas message, without an ask |
After Christmas comes the update 3 to 6 weeks after Giving Tuesday, so between 22 December 2026 and 12 January 2027. See the article on the update after Giving Tuesday.
What should you not ask twice?
Do not ask someone who gave on 1 December for the same amount for the same goal again. Send that group a different message in December: a story, a thank-you and only then, for a second goal, a gentle Christmas ask.
- Segment your list: donors from 1 December and non-donors do not get the same e-mail.
- Limit the number of e-mails: two to three on 1 December is normal, after that preferably one a week.
- Do not ask for the same thing twice: you can suggest a monthly gift once, not in every e-mail.
For your e-mails in Belgium, assume consent for fundraising e-mails and put an unsubscribe link in every e-mail. According to the Data Protection Authority, the right to object to direct marketing is unconditional. So process an unsubscribe straight away.
What does this mean for the tax certificate?
The tax benefit is 30 percent for gifts since 1 January 2025, with a minimum of €40 per year and per institution. That only applies if your organisation is recognised. A gift on 1 December and a second one in December therefore count for the same year and the same institution. Never promise the benefit if you are not recognised.
Do not add up the amounts yourself from loose notes. Record every gift per donor, so you know later who reaches the €40. Not sure whether you are recognised? Ask FOD Financiën (the Belgian federal tax authority). For collective collections, membership fees or gifts with a counterpart, the rule is: you cannot issue a certificate for those.
How do you say thanks between the two moments?
Thank every donor within 48 hours, with an automatic confirmation on 1 December and a personal word from your team on 2 or 3 December. Also thank those who gave in December separately. That way nobody feels like a number, not even someone who gave twice.
- 1 December: automatic thank-you e-mail, as soon as you have filled in a thank-you text.
- 2 and 3 December: top donors personally, for example the ten biggest gifts.
- Mid-December: one sentence in the Christmas e-mail about what 1 December already made possible.
You can read more about tone and timing in the article on saying thanks after Giving Tuesday.
How to do it with WeGlow.world
With WeGlow.world you use one donation page for both moments: three steps, one-off and monthly, with a label on each amount, usable on mobile. You change the headline and photo for Christmas. Supporters can start their own fundraising page, for example with their colleagues.
The thank-you e-mail goes out automatically if you fill in a thank-you text. You send tax certificates yourself with one click to the donors who qualify. You can start free with an account, but you first create it via the sign-up page.
Do you want the feeling of 1 December to carry through to 24 December? Then one of our Christmas experiences fits, still a concept until the official launch. In the Starry Sky every gift becomes a star and you fly from star to star. Read more on the Starry Sky page. In the Glow Room every gift becomes a decoration on the Christmas tree. You will find more ideas in the Christmas campaign ideas for a charity and the step-by-step plan in the playbook for a Christmas campaign.
Frequently asked questions
The five questions we expect most often.
Can I really do Giving Tuesday and Christmas with the same team?
Yes, if you reuse instead of starting over. One page, one core story and one e-mail series for 24 days ask far less than two separate campaigns. Do plan up front who does what on 1, 2 and 15 December.
May I e-mail people who gave on 1 December again in December?
You may, as long as you meet the privacy rules: consent as the starting point and an unsubscribe link in every e-mail. Make sure anyone who unsubscribed receives nothing more. If you are unsure about your list, ask the Data Protection Authority.
Do I have to choose two different target amounts?
Not necessarily. If you have one project, keep one target amount with two peaks. If you have two projects, give each its own amount and its own label, so donors know what they are giving to.
Do gifts from 1 December and from Christmas count together for the tax certificate?
The minimum of €40 applies per year and per institution, so gifts in the same calendar year to the same recognised institution belong together. Whether your organisation may issue certificates, you check with FOD Financiën.
How many e-mails do I send between 1 and 24 December?
On 1 December two to three messages are normal. After that about one e-mail a week is enough, four to five in total for those who have not given yet. Donors get fewer, mostly a thank-you and a story.
Sources
- FOD Financiën, tax reduction for gifts, checked on 9 October 2026.
- Data Protection Authority, direct marketing checklist, checked on 9 October 2026.
- GivingTuesday, toolkit for non-profit organisations.