Giving Tuesday 2025: It’s not too late to inspire generosity

Giving Tuesday is right around the corner on Tuesday, December 2. Between Thanksgiving weekend and the start of the Advent and Christmas marathon, there’s plenty to keep you busy. You may think it’s too late to start and wondering how you can add one more thing in the midst of an already overwhelming time of the year. 

But don’t worry! You can still take advantage of Giving Tuesday, even if you haven’t had much time to prepare. Even if you’re starting just days (or hours) before, small steps can have a significant impact. Whether your goal is to strengthen a parish ministry, support your school, or assist families in need, a focused Giving Tuesday effort can spark a spirit of generosity that carries into Advent and beyond.

Choose one clear cause

When time is short, focus is everything. Identify one specific project your church can rally around such as upgrading a ministry space, funding a mission trip, or supporting a local outreach partner.

Keep your messaging simple and consistent and focus on the what, why, and how:

• What’s the need and goal?
• What difference will it make for your parishioners?
• How can parishioners support?

You don’t need a full campaign deck, just a clear story and a confident ask. That clarity helps parishioners feel connected and ready to give right away. Clear communication on all these points will help parishioners feel confident about where their gift is going.

Go all-in on digital giving

Thankfully, today’s donors expect to give digitally and instantly! That’s a win — not only does it save you time and money on mailing and printing, but it also lets you launch your campaign in a single afternoon.

No time for a full web build? No problem. You can create a clean and simple Giving Tuesday landing page in minutes using your existing giving platform. Focus on clarity, headline your goal, drop in one photo, and link directly to your giving form.

Here are a few last-minute digital moves that pack a punch:

• Create a Giving Tuesday landing page featuring your goal, story, and donation form.
• Add QR codes to bulletins, slides, and social posts that link directly to your giving page.
• Enable Tap to Give for quick, seamless, contactless donations.
• Send concise, clear emails leading up to Giving Tuesday
• Schedule push notifications or text-to-give reminders before and during the day to keep your campaign top of mind’’

This doesn’t mean you have to leave out those who want to give traditionally! Learn more about how Everygift™ combines traditional and online giving with things like envelope integrations, custom QR codes, and text giving, to offer your parishioners flexible giving options.

Engage your parishioners

Inspire your community and include them in the campaign. Encourage them to be part of the parish’s story. This helps them feel invested, inspires giving, and builds a spirit of generosity and unity within your parish.

Try these quick engagement ideas:

• Have your pastor, parish priests, or ministry leaders give the first donations.
• Invite parishioners to share stories about how they’ve been impacted by your parish.
• Host a friendly challenge between ministries or small groups, creating a “giving battle” to see who can drive the most donations.
• Celebrate each milestone (like reaching 50% of your goal) online or in person.

Including the community in the campaign not only shows them how important the cause is, but also that you value them as individuals, not just donors. 

Communicate with consistency

When time is short, every message matters! Keep your communications consistent, concise, and encouraging:

• Two weeks out: Announce your campaign at masses, in the bulletin, and on social media.
• One week out: Share stories you’ve collected from your parishioners, and highlight how funds will be used.
• Day of: Post real-time updates, short videos, and celebration messages.
• Day after: Thank each donor and include a message of gratitude from the pastor.

Don’t worry about perfection! Instead, focus on heartfelt, clear, focused communication, focusing on the impact that the donors’ generosity will have on the parish.

Generosity is contagious.

You don’t need months of planning to spark generosity, just a clear mission and a few quick moves. When your parish offers an easy way to give, your community will respond with abundance.

It’s not too late to plan, communicate, and celebrate every gift. Inspire your parishioners to be a part of their church and drive giving for Giving Tuesday and beyond.

Want to make Giving Tuesday impactful for your parish? Use this checklist to simplify your plan, support your parish’s leadership, and empower your community to lean into the spirit of generosity to make an impact that lasts.