GivingTuesday email and social media ideas

GivingTuesday email and social media ideas: which messages to send and when, an example subject line, and how supporters can share your campaign.

For GivingTuesday, three emails, a handful of short social posts and supporters who share for you beat a flood of posts. Start four to six weeks ahead, point every message to the same page, and be around on 1 December itself to reply. Here are concrete ideas for email and social media.

Which emails should you send around GivingTuesday?

The official GivingTuesday guide calls email the channel with the highest conversion and recommends two to three messages on the day itself. It suggests a save-the-date, a call to board members or ambassadors, and the actual donation request. One possible sequence:

Save-the-date (well ahead): a short email, one sentence about the goal, the date 1 December 2026.
The story (two weeks ahead): one person, one change, one button.
The ask (morning of 1 December): clear goal, clear amount, one button to your campaign page.
The running total (afternoon or evening): "only 40 euros to go". A short nudge.
The thank-you (next day): personal, with the result.

An example subject line

On 1 December we cook 100 meals. Will you join us, {{first_name}}?

Personalise where you can, but stay honest. A subject line that promises nothing the email does not deliver works better than an exclamation mark.

What can WeGlow Mail do here?

WeGlow Mail sits inside your WeGlow dashboard. You build an email from blocks (heading, text, button, image), add tags such as {{first_name}}, preview it for desktop and phone, send a test to yourself and schedule sending for a date and time you choose.

The "Check" step looks at sender, reply-to address and legal footer beforehand, and leaves out bounced or unsubscribed recipients. Afterwards you see per campaign how many emails were sent and delivered and which links were clicked. Open numbers are never exact, because they depend on images loading. Mail is free up to 250 contacts in every plan; with the Pro platform plan (€40 per month or €400 per year, excl. VAT) mailing is included up to 2,500 contacts. Check current prices in your dashboard.

What goes in the email itself?

One story, not five.
One button leading to your campaign page, visible without scrolling on a phone.
One sentence explaining what an amount makes possible (for example "10 euros is a warm meal", as an illustration).
A sender people recognise, and a reply address someone actually reads.
A clear unsubscribe link and your organisation details.

Always read the email yourself on a phone before you schedule it.

Social media ideas

The GivingTuesday guide advises short visuals such as Stories and Reels over static graphics, real photos and video of what you do, and supporters posting on their own channels. In practice:

The face behind it: a short video of a volunteer explaining why they take part.
Behind the scenes: how you prepare 100 meals, in a few seconds.
Countdown: one post a week, then one a day.
Running total: a photo of a board showing the amount so far.
Ask a question: "What would you do with 10 euros?" invites replies.
Thank-you post: name (with permission) a few givers or ambassadors.

Ask permission for every photo, especially of children, and use one link per channel so you can see later what worked.

Let supporters share

On WeGlow supporters can start their own fundraiser page for your campaign and share it via Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp or a copied link, among others. Give them a short text, a photo and the date, and ask them to post one message. A personal message from a friend is often stronger than an ad from an organisation.

A simple weekly rhythm

Week -4: save-the-date email, first story on social media.
Week -2: story email, ask ambassadors to share.
Week -1: countdown posts, a short video.
1 December: two or three emails, posts at hours that work for your audience, reply to every comment.
Afterwards: thank-you email and result.

This is our own layout, not a rule. Adjust it to the people and hours you have.

Frequently asked questions

How many emails is too many?

The GivingTuesday guide mentions two to three on the day itself. Keep the rhythm low the rest of the period and give people a clear way to unsubscribe.

Can I email everyone?

Only people who have given you a valid basis, usually consent. Never buy lists. Check your data protection authority for the rules.

Which social network should I pick?

The one where your audience already is. One done well beats four done halfway.

Sources

GivingTuesday Toolkit for Nonprofits: email and social media.
Belgian Data Protection Authority: direct marketing and consent rules.
GivingTuesday, About: date 1 December 2026.

All sources checked on 2 October 2026.