Giving Tuesday 2024: The Results Are In

As a team that lives and breathes fundraising strategy, we know Giving Tuesday isn’t just a day — it’s a pivotal moment in the year-long push to engage supporters. Every year, we align our cross-channel strategies to help our partners make the most of this global day of giving.

And the results are in — early (and frequent!) messaging, combined with smart use of video and paid media, made a huge impact.

Here’s a closer look at what worked, what surprised us, and what we’ll be thinking about for 2025.

Early Engagement: Email That Works (Both Early and Late)

Let’s face it — getting your donor’s attention on Giving Tuesday isn’t easy. With so many organizations competing for inbox space, we needed to make sure our  emails cut through the noise.

Our strategy was focused: message early and often. Our partners sent an average of 3 emails on the big day itself, using countdown timers and urgent messaging to create excitement and a sense of urgency. But the magic wasn’t just in the day-of emails — those who leaned into early giving saw impressive results.

Last year’s uptick in donations from early giving opportunities (remember our 2023 recap?) meant doubling down on this strategy in 2024. By offering exclusive early-match opportunities with higher multipliers, we helped partners secure critical revenue ahead of Giving Tuesday.

The result? On average, 31% of their revenue came in before the day itself — one organization even exceeded their projections by 27%, generating over 60% of their revenue from early donations! And for those who didn’t see big spikes in early giving? Messaging reminders with match extensions the day after resulted in as much as a 25% increase in revenue — proving once again that it's never too late to maximize the Giving Tuesday match. Paid Media: Video & Meta Lead the Charge

Across the board, video ads took the lead in terms of online engagement. This format performed particularly well on Meta, where we saw higher engagement rates that directly translated into more donations. While Meta’s performance dipped in 2023, this year’s results were strong, with all of our partners seeing year-over-year gains in return on ad spend (ROAS) — a testament to the platform's continued impact when used strategically.

When it comes to Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Google and Microsoft Ads remain heavy hitters for nonprofits aiming to capture high-intent donors. This year, we saw impressive click-through rates (CTR) and cost-per-donation (CPA) lower than expected with Google Ads, driving solid returns. What’s especially interesting is that Microsoft Ads outperformed Google in terms of ROAS this Giving Tuesday, offering a lower CPA, highlighting its untapped potential. With a unique audience and an underutilized platform, Microsoft Ads is one to watch as we approach year-end fundraising.

Conclusion: Early Emails, Video Ads, and Smart SEM = Success

This year, Fuse found that the winning strategy for Giving Tuesday was a blend of early email campaigns paired with video ads on Meta, along with a strong push in SEM to capture donors searching for nonprofit causes. Maximizing efficiency across channels is always a balancing act, even outside of Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising.

If you’re looking for partners to help ensure success across all channels, including your digital fundraising program, reach out to us here!