The 2024 #GivingTuesday Playbook
My Goal for this Playbook
“My goal in preaching is for you to come back next week and bring a friend.” I once heard Andy Stanley make that comment at a preaching conference. When it comes to the goal of this playbook, let me borrow that phrase and tweak it a bit. The goal of this playbook is for people to give to your church and then come next week with another gift. We want to help you use #GivingTuesday as a springboard to building your church’s generosity culture.
It’s a given that the money we raise will go to help make an impact on the Kingdom. But why not use this event to help new donors discover the joy of generosity? #GivingTuesday is perfect for this.
What is #GivingTuesdsay?
#GivingTuesday started in 2012 and is a push by non-profits to use the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving to garner financial support for their work. It has been, up to now, a mostly non-profit-driven event. #GivingTuesday this year will be on December 3rd.
Churches have typically not participated in #GivingTuesday. A few years ago, I attempted to get my clients to utilize this day as a generosity starter. I came up with seven reasons why every church can benefit from #GivingTuesday. Here is my list of why you should consider #GivingTuesday.
- You give members a unique opportunity to express their generosity as a part of the worldwide #GivingTuesday movement.
- It shows the compassionate side of your church.
- It allows you to show an outward focus.
- It allows you to connect with your community.
- It allows your church to model generosity.
- It gives your church great PR when we desperately need it.
- It gives you a chance to attract new donors.
After convincing my clients of the value of #GivingTuesday, we have seen thousands of dollars raised by churches across the country. The money raised did immense good, and they gained new donors.
This playbook will show you how to use #GivingTuesday to do the same at your church. Here are my #GivingTuesday keys to success –
- Make the offering about a cause outside your church.
- Give all the money away to that cause.
- Develop a plan of action for #GivingTuesday and work on your plan.
Plan? Don’t worry. We have a plan laid out for you—a game plan that will lead to a successful #GivingTuesday! Let’s start by learning how to use the power of vision to connect generosity.
The Connecting Power of Vision
Dollars follow vision. Big visions get big dollars. Do you know what else follows vision? People. The more people you have, the more dollars you can raise. The more dollars you raise, the easier ministry is. Since dollars follow vision, the story of the cause of your #GivingTuesday offering strategy must connect with people. We need to use The Connecting Power of Vision.
Your first step is to decide what cause or mission you are attempting to connect people to.
Determining your cause. I encourage you to look for some cause in your community that needs help. Is there a mission that supports the homeless in your city? While it doesn’t have to be Christian-based, gifts given through your church should be consistent with your overall mission and direction. One question to ask is, who needs our help? Another is, who would benefit most from our help? The greater the need, the greater the response.
Can it be something within the church walls? My advice would be only if it pertains to helping your mission to others. For instance, a low-income daycare that needs toys, furnishing, etc., might be compelling to new donors. I still advise using #GivingTuesday as an outward-focused event. Remember, one of our keys is to give the money away.
Once you determine the cause worth giving to, it is time to Visioneer your appeal.
What is vision? My friend, Herb Buwalda, came up with what I think is the best definition. He says, “Mission,” answers the question, “Why are you here?” “Vision” answers the question, “Where are you going; What is God asking of you now to impact the mission?”
To successfully use the connecting power of vision, always run your appeals through what I call…
The Three C’s of Vision – Your vision must contain these three C’s to be heard. Your vision needs to be:
- Clear – What are you asking people to give to, and why? What difference will their gift make? Remember, Keep It Simple Somehow!
- Concise – Can people repeat back in two to three sentences what you are asking them to give to? Try writing the vision driving your “ask” in one short paragraph. Then write a one-page more specific information sheet. We live in an information-overloaded society; thus, we must be short and to the point.
- Compelling – Does it touch their heart? If not, then the response will be less than you hoped for. What stories can you focus on or show that will move people to support the cause of your “ask?”
Start thinking about how best to use the Three C’s to connect people to the power of your vision.
Here is my one-page playbook for #GivingTuesday.
Pre #GivingTuesday Planning and Preparation
- Start planning now! The greater the planning, the greater the results. So, start now thinking and planning how to make #GivingTuesday impactful.
- Decide where the money will go. Again, I think this should be outside the church to support some ministry or cause your members would willingly support. New donors will be attracted to giving to support a cause they feel is worthy. As with every offering, the more compelling the “ask,” the more likely new donors will give to support it.
- Use multiple platforms to get the message across.
* Set up a page off your website that explains the cause your #GivingTuesday offering will go to support. At least one week before #GivingTuesday, make that page public. That URL will be used in multiple places.
* Set up your giving portal to allow for a designated gift to #GivingTuesday.
* One week before #GivingTuesday, use your Social Media platforms to tell the story of what causes your #GivingTuesday offering will support. Use your #GivingTuesday URL page on all posts.
* Send an email one week before #GivingTuesday explaining your church’s drive. Use the URL to link them back for more information. I call this my Save the Date email.
* The Sunday before #GivingTuesday, announce it from the platform, use screen announcements, bulletin inserts, and other means to get the message out.
* Use the offering time to preview #GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday Actions:
- Use social media throughout the day to highlight your campaign.
- Send the email asking for support for the cause you are championing. Your email should be short and to the point, containing multiple links to your giving portal.
- Send a text to give appeal later in the day.
- Rejoice and Follow Up! Remember, the goal is to gain new donors. You want to thank them immediately for their gift and keep their information for putting another cause in front of them in a few months. A short email thanking them for their generosity will help pave the way for the next “ask.” Consider an email blast out within 24 to 48 hours, sharing the success of your #GivingTuesday offering results to the entire congregation.
For more ideas and tools, check out # GivingTuesday’s website at: https://www.givingtuesday.org
You can use the following samples in your setting by simply editing the information. We are using a non-profit charity in Tulsa, Oklahoma that houses and feeds the poor called John 3:16 Mission.
Announcement Text – Use this in any print material like your bulletin or social media.
Help us feed the poor of Tulsa! December 3rd is a worldwide giving event called #GivingTuesday. We want to participate by taking up an offering we will give away! One ministry we support at First Church is John 3:16 Mission, which cares for our city’s homeless and poor. We want to help them feed the poor this Christmas. We encourage everyone to give a special gift before or on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd. Every penny given will be donated to this great cause. Help us care for the poor by giving generously. For more information, go to http://FirstChurch.org/#GivingTuesday.
Offering Talk – Use the following on the Sunday before #GivingTuesday, before the offering time.
Caring For Those in Need
As we approach our worship time through the offering, I wanted to take a few minutes to say a word about what your offering accomplishes. Each week, because of your generosity, we impact scores of children, students, and adults with hope and healing. We could never do what we do without you. So, thank you.
Yet, some needs are simply outside of our abilities to meet. For instance, we can’t (mention a cause that your #GivingTueday appeal is about) feed the poor of Tulsa. So, from time to time, we have partnered with John 3:16 Mission, which does that daily. We think it is important for us to model generosity outside the walls of our church.
This Tuesday, an international giving event called #GivingTuesday will be held. Launched in 2012, this charitable initiative will raise millions worldwide for charity this Tuesday.
So, we thought, why not use the emphasis of #GivingTuesday to raise money we could give away to John 3:16 Mission? Every dollar in our #GivingTuesday special offering will go to John 3:16 to help them care for those in need. Every Christmas, they feed the poor and homeless of Tulsa. What if our offering paid for everyone’s dinner?
So, while we encourage your continued support of our work here through this offering, we want to challenge you to participate in our John 3:16 #GivingTuesday offering. You’ll get an email from me on Tuesday, so keep an eye out for it. It will show you what to do to help feed the poor of Tulsa. You can also go to our web page http://FirstChurch.org/#GivingTuesday for more information.
Let me end by reading Psalms 41, which says, “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.” Let’s show our regard for the weak this #GivingTuesday.
Save the date email one week before #GivingTuesday – Email something similar to your entire congregation to put #GivingTuesday on the radar.
Subject Line: Help Us Feed Tulsa!
Dear ______________,
For less than $2.50 a meal, John 3:16 Mission feeds hundreds of people every year in the heart of Tulsa. This Christmas, we at First Church wanted to help John 3:16 feed the homeless and poor of our city through a special offering.
December 3rd is a worldwide giving event called #GivingTuesday. We want to participate by taking up an offering we will give away! Find out more at,http://FirstChurch.org/#GivingTuesday.
We encourage everyone to give a special gift before or on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd. Every penny given will be donated to this great cause. To give or find out more information, go to
http://FirstChurch.org/#GivingTuesday.
Watch for our special email on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd! Let’s show Tulsa that First Church cares and loves them!
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
PS. You can give ahead of time by going to http://FirstChurch.org/give/#GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday suggested email copy.
Subject Line: Help us feed the homeless of Tulsa!
Dear ________________,
Did you know that for less than $2.50 a person, John 3:16 Mission will be able to host a Christmas meal for the homeless and poor of Tulsa? Our First Church family has supported John 3:16 Mission in the past, and we want to help them provide a Christmas meal for those in need. Give now at http://FirstChurch.org/give/#GivingTuesday.
Today is #GivingTuesday, an international event focusing on giving gifts to charitable causes. We have decided to participate by giving away every penny to our special #GivingTuesday offering. We chose this year to support the work of John 3:16 Mission. You can learn more about this amazing ministry and how you can help by giving to our #GivingTuesday offering athttp://FirstChurch.org/#GivingTuesday.
Let’s show our love for Tulsa with an amazing offering of support! Remember, every penny given will go directly to John 3:16 Mission! Let’s feed the homeless of Tulsa!
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
PS. For around $2.50, you can feed one person. How many people will your gift feed? Give now at http://FirstChurch.org/give/#GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday text blast sample:
Did you know that for less than $2.50 a person, we can provide a Christmas meal for the homeless and poor of Tulsa? Our First Church family, working with John 3:16 Mission, wants to ensure that no one in Tulsa goes without a Christmas meal! Give today at http://FirstChurch.org/give/#GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday thank you email to be sent out after Tuesday, December 3rd.
Subject Line: Thanks to you, homeless Tulsans will eat this Christmas!
Dear _______________,
Generous donors like you contributed $12,285 to our #GivingTuesday special offering, which will help John 3:16 Mission feed the homeless this Christmas! Every penny of that $12,285 will be donated to John 3:16 Mission. Thank you for your generosity.
Our First Family stepped up in amazing ways! From the youngest to the oldest, the stories of how our church rallied to support our church’s homeless and poor are truly amazing. I am grateful for the generous spirit in our church, not simply during the holidays but year-round. Thank you, First Church family!
I am reminded of Psalms 41, which says, “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.” I’m praying that for you today!
Thanks again, First Family, for showing the love of Christ to Tulsa!
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
PS. Please find out more about our special #GivingTuesday results at http://FirstChurch.org/give/#GivingTuesday.