Giving Tuesday planner and tools: plan, calculator and tracker
A ten-week plan for Giving Tuesday plus three free spreadsheets: action planner, social planner and goal calculator.
TL;DR The planner divides your Giving Tuesday into four phases: prepare, promote, the day itself and follow up. Three spreadsheets go with it: an action planner, a social planner with UTM links and a goal calculator with day tracker. You set up your donation page with WeGlow.world.
Good planning keeps Giving Tuesday from becoming a last-minute sprint. Below you find the steps, ordered by phase and with a date.
The spreadsheets help you calculate and keep track. The percentages are examples, use your own numbers from past campaigns.
The four phases
Your plan runs from about 2 October to after 1 December: first prepare, then promote, then the day itself and finally follow up.
Prepare
- 5 October: Week 1: set the goal and the audience
- 12 October: Week 2: write one core story
- 12 October: Weeks 2-3: line up a matching or challenge gift
- 19 October: Weeks 3-4: build and test your donation page
- 19 October: Weeks 3-4: get the materials ready
- 19 October: Weeks 3-4: fill in the automatic thank-you text
- 19 October: Weeks 3-4: test round and who does what
Promote
- 2 November: Week 5: personal messages to your inner circle
- 9 November: Week 6: public teaser
- 16 November: Week 7: email 1 with story, goal and match
- 23 November: Week 8: email 2 with update and testimonial
- 30 November: Week 9: short reminder, tomorrow is the day
The day itself
- 1 December: 1 December, morning: 07:30 to 10:30
- 1 December: 1 December, midday: 12:00 and 14:00
- 1 December: 1 December, evening: 16:00 to 23:30
Follow up
- 2 December: Within 48 hours: personal thank-you with the result
- 7 December: Week 10: thank your partners
- 2 December: Within two weeks: call your biggest donors
- 7 December: Week 10: figures on one sheet and a learning document
- 22 December: After 3 to 6 weeks: impact update and follow-up
Three free spreadsheets
Three files in Excel and Google Sheets: yellow is for you to fill in, white is calculated.
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| Action planner | A task list per phase with owner and status. |
| Social planner | Twelve posts with date, channel and a UTM link per post. |
| Goal calculator | From goal to number of donors, a split per source and a day tracker for 1 December. |
Frequently asked questions
How early should I start?
About ten weeks before 1 December, so your team can test everything. You set up your donation page with WeGlow.world in a few minutes.
What does the goal calculator do?
You enter your goal, the average gift and your list, and the calculator shows how many donors you need and per source. The day tracker follows your total on 1 December.
Are the spreadsheets free?
Yes, you leave your email address once. They work in Excel and Google Sheets.
Get your Giving Tuesday ready
Create a free account on WeGlow.world and use this straight away in your own branding. the sign-up page, the Giving Tuesday hub, all downloads or a demo.
Sources and check: Giving Tuesday Toolkit for nonprofits, checked on 7 October 2026.