Evaluate Giving Tuesday: what to do differently next year
How to evaluate Giving Tuesday: a one hour team review, results per channel, a list of donors and a plan for next year, built for small nonprofits.
TL;DR Evaluate Giving Tuesday within 2 weeks, while everything is fresh. Collect the numbers per channel first, then hold a 60 minute conversation with your team and write down what you keep, drop and try next year. Build a list of your donors straight away, so you can reach them again in January and next year. Finish with a plan that starts in September.
After 1 December the temptation is to close the file and move on. Yet most of the learning sits in the weeks that follow: you still remember what happened and your team still has energy. This article helps you turn that into a plan.
You need no large team or expensive software for it. A document, an hour and honest questions are enough.
Why evaluate Giving Tuesday right after it ends?
Evaluate within 2 weeks, because then everyone still remembers what worked and what did not. After 4 weeks half of it is forgotten and your team is busy with other things. A short, quick review is worth more than a thorough one that never happens.
Giving Tuesday 2026 falls on Tuesday 1 December. So plan the review for mid December, before the holiday rush. The official GivingTuesday toolkit also stresses thanking your donors. Do that first, then evaluate.
How do you run the evaluation conversation?
Plan a 60 minute conversation with everyone who helped, including volunteers. Send the numbers round beforehand, let each participant write down three things and discuss them one by one. Always end with three concrete agreements with a name and a date attached.
- Send the numbers and your original goal round 2 days beforehand.
- Let everyone write down what worked, what did not and what they missed.
- Discuss what went well first, then what can be better.
- Choose at most three things you will do differently next year.
- Note who does what, and by when.
Keep the conversation friendly and factual. It is not about who did something wrong, but about how the process can improve.
What worked per channel?
Look at each channel separately: email, social media, partners, ambassadors and your own network. Note per channel how many people it reached, how many clicked through and how many gave. That shows where your time paid off most and where you spend less energy next year.
| Channel | What you look at | Question you ask |
|---|---|---|
| Opens, clicks, gifts after an email | Which email worked best, and why? | |
| Social media | Reach, shares, clicks to the donation page | Which post or photo moved people? |
| Ambassadors | Who shared, who brought in gifts | Whom do we ask earlier next year? |
| Partners and companies | Replies and commitments | When should we approach them sooner? |
| Own network | Personal messages and replies | What called for a personal ask? |
How to collect the numbers is explained in the article on measuring Giving Tuesday results. You find a spreadsheet to lay the numbers side by side for free on the downloads page.
Which questions should you ask yourself?
Ask about the goal, the message, the timing and the follow up. Compare what you wanted to achieve with what happened, and pay special attention to surprises: things that went better or worse than expected. That is where the learning is.
- Did we reach our goal, and was it chosen realistically?
- Was our story clear to someone who does not know us?
- Did we send the first email too late or too early?
- Where did people drop off on the donation page?
- How quickly did we thank the donors?
- What cost us the most time, and did it bring the most?
If you set a goal, the article on setting a goal helps you choose it more sharply next year.
How do you build a list from your results?
Make one list of everyone who responded: donors, people who shared and people who opened an email. Split them into new donors, returning donors and supporters who have not given yet. That tells you whom to thank in January and whom to invite early next year.
Mind the privacy rules, though: you may only email people who gave consent or where the law allows an exception. Rules on direct marketing differ by country, so check your national data protection authority. Inside the EU the GDPR applies everywhere, and the European Commission explains the GDPR rules for organisations. Always keep an unsubscribe link in your emails.
- New donors: thank them personally and ask later whether they would give monthly.
- Returning donors: tell them what their support did.
- Supporters who have not given: invite them to a small next step.
With WeGlow Mail you send such emails to a list, with the recipient's first name through {{first_name}}. The thank-you pack is ready, so you do not have to copy anything. More in the article on saying thanks after Giving Tuesday.
How do you plan Giving Tuesday for next year?
Start in September with a plan in four moments: goal and team, story and images, emails and posts, and the weeks after the day. The earlier you have the story and images ready, the calmer the final weeks. Use your evaluation as the starting point.
| Moment | What you do |
|---|---|
| January | Finish the evaluation, thank donors, send tax receipts where your country has them and your organisation may issue them |
| March | Decide what you keep, drop and try |
| June | Gently sound out ambassadors and partners |
| September | Set the goal, build the team, collect story and photos |
| October and November | Prepare emails and posts, test the donation page |
A good day by day plan is in the guide with the plan for 1 December. You simply keep your donation page, because you do not have to rebuild it every year. With WeGlow.world you adjust the title, amounts and thank-you text next year and put the page live again.
The most common evaluation mistakes
Most evaluations fail because they come too late, are too broad or produce nothing. Keep it short, choose at most three improvements and write them down with a name and a date. What is not written down usually does not happen.
- Evaluating only after 2 months, when nobody remembers anything
- Looking only at the total amount and not at the channels
- Choosing ten improvements instead of three
- Not thanking donors before you evaluate internally
- Not keeping the report, so you start from zero next year
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to evaluate Giving Tuesday?
Within 2 weeks after 1 December, while everyone remembers the day. Thank your donors first and evaluate afterwards. WeGlow.world helps you reach those donors quickly with a thank-you email.
Who should be at the evaluation?
Everyone who helped: board, staff and volunteers who handled posts, emails or the donation page. A group of four to six people works well. With WeGlow.world you can prepare your donation page and your emails in advance, so everyone knows what goes out.
Which numbers do you need at minimum?
The number of donors, the total amount, the average amount and which channel brought the gifts. More is nice, but this is enough. A simple spreadsheet is enough, and WeGlow.world offers one for free in its downloads.
What if we did not reach our goal?
That is normal and instructive. Check whether the goal was realistic and the story clear. A lower amount with new donors can still be a success. With WeGlow.world you can adjust your target amount and progress bar next year.
How do you keep donors involved until next year?
Send an update after a few weeks about what their gift did and invite them to a small next step. With WeGlow.world you can also offer monthly gifts on your donation page.
Set up your Giving Tuesday follow up
Create a free account on WeGlow.world and get your Giving Tuesday donation page ready. No setup fees and no contract. If you want to talk first, request a demo. Start via the sign-up page or get in touch.
Sources and check: the official GivingTuesday toolkit and the European Commission guidance on the GDPR, checked on 7 October 2026.