5 Fun Ways to Get Your Employees Enthusiastic About Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday comes as a reminder for people of kindness, generosity, and doing good at the start of the holiday season.

Since it kicked off in 2012, the largest global generosity movement has raised billions for nonprofits to put toward their causes. Last year, some 34.8 million people participated in the day, representing a 29% increase from 2019, and giving jumped to $2.47 billion from the prior year’s $1.97 billion in the United States alone.

Each year, Giving Tuesday falls on the first Tuesday following Black Friday. This year it takes place on November 30. Companies can help support Giving Tuesday and make it a success by encouraging their employees to participate, even if it means just a small contribution to a nonprofit of their choice.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizing a cohesive Giving Tuesday strategy can be a challenge since many companies are continuing to support a hybrid workforce. Some employees are back in person, while others are still fully remote. However, it’s still possible to generate excitement around the day and to make it a success. Here are 5 fun ways to get your employees excited about Giving Tuesday this year.

Organize a Giving Tuesday launch party

A week or two before Giving Tuesday, host a fun event to mark the occasion and let employees know the day is an important one for your company. You might arrange a happy hour at a local bar, team dinner, trivia night, or even a team building volunteer activity. If your employees are still largely working remotely, or if you have a hybrid team, you could set up a virtual or hybrid trivia session or a game like bingo that people can play both in person and online. Another engaging option is to send staff members on a virtual scavenger hunt. If you plan to match employee donations on Giving Tuesday this year, make sure to mention that during the event.

Share stories through video

Data shows that watching online videos can prompt people to donate.

Another way to build excitement for the day, while also having employees get to know each other better, is to ask your employees to record a short personal video for the occasion. In the videos, employees can talk about the causes that are important to them and why. Perhaps they have a personal connection to a certain nonprofit — they have a relative with heart disease or maybe they themselves have recovered from cancer — and they want to share their powerful story with their peers.

If you post the videos on an internal website, you can also link to content from the nonprofit they mention. Data shows that watching online videos can prompt people to donate.

Partner with a local business

Find a local business that sells appealing products like a coffee shop, bookstore, or a bakery. Then, you can give out gift certificates to your employees throughout the day on Giving Tuesday. For example, if you’ve established a company giving goal for Giving Tuesday, you can hand out a coffee shop gift certificate to the employee with the largest donation once you’ve hit 25% of your total goal, then 50%, 75% and finally 100%. This will keep employees excited all day long. You can talk to the local business owners about supporting each other in other ways during Giving Tuesday, too, such as sharing each other’s social media posts throughout the day.

Creatively celebrate your milestones

Come up with other unique ways to mark hitting different financial milestones throughout the day on Giving Tuesday. For example, maybe a different team member agrees to cut and donate their hair or to temporarily dye it purple for every $500 that’s raised. Or, once $1,000 is raised by your employees, leadership has to come to the office dressed up as their favorite childhood cartoon character the following day. Once you hit $2,000, maybe leaders will perform a hidden talent for the entire team.

Thank donors with small gifts

For anyone that donates, no matter how small their donation, consider giving them a small token of appreciation for participating in Giving Tuesday.

For anyone that donates, no matter how small their donation, consider giving them a small token of appreciation for participating in Giving Tuesday. Participating means they helped promote a giving and caring company culture. Small gifts might include merchandise with your company logo, such as a hoodie, a tote bag, comfy winter socks, or a travel coffee mug. Other small, thoughtful, and functional gift items might include a holiday candle, a charging cable, or even a certificate to an interesting online class.

However you decide to engage employees this year for Giving Tuesday, start early so that excitement can build slowly. A fun, visual way to keep the day top of mind is to have a physical countdown at the office, or put a virtual countdown on your company intranet— or both. For more ideas, Giving Tuesday has a Giving Tuesday toolkit for small businesses.