[Updated Aug. 11, 2016]
Are you thinking about participating in a Giving Day? Good news! There are so many organizations that have given it a try, and YOU can learn from them (the good AND the bad).
Look at their websites, donation landing pages, countdown clocks, emails, social media accounts, images, and hashtags. Do a Google News search to check out the earned media these days have achieved. Reach out to a fellow nonprofit and ask them to share their experience.
Giving Days can be great ways of harnessing the immediacy and connectedness of social networks to raise funds, recruit new supporters, and raise awareness of your mission.
They are not to be entered into lightly. Successful giving days take planning, concerted resources, solid execution…and a reality check (MUST READ: One Lesson from the #iGiveLocal “Give Local America” Fiasco and The Heroes and Villains of the Give Local America Story #GiveDayLessons)
Do your homework, starting with these resources:
- The Knight Foundation Giving Day Playbook
- Give Local America
- Council on Foundations Map of Community Giving Days
- Giving Tuesday
- Kimbia Giving Days
- Razoo Giving Days
Then check out a Giving Day near you! I tried to find as many giving days as possible. There are over 70 here, but I’m sure I missed many.
You can help build this resource by adding a national, regional or collegiate giving day in the comments section.
All of these events either have already happened or will happen in 2016. There are no guarantees for 2017!
NATIONAL
FEB – International Book Giving Day
APRIL – Give Local America Day
AUG – Give OUT Day
*AUG – Trust for Public Land Giving Day
OCT – Great Apes Giving Day
NOV – Day for the Brave
NOV – Giving Tuesday
REGIONAL
FEB – Northwest Indiana Gives
MARCH – Love Utah, Give Utah
MARCH – MatchDay Milwaukee
MARCH – Nevada’s Big Give
MARCH – Fairfield County Giving Day
MARCH – Spring It On Give-a-thon (Western New York)
APRIL – Art Day of Giving (Wichita)
APRIL – Arizona Gives Day
APRIL – Give Big St. Croix Valley (Wisconsin)
APRIL – Spring2ACTion Alexandria (Virginia)
APRIL – Kentucky Gives Day
APRIL – Give STL Day (St. Louis Community Foundation)
MAY – Give Hastings Day (Nebraska)
MAY – Idaho Gives
MAY – The Big Payback (Tennesee)
MAY – Low Country Giving Day (South Carolina)
MAY – Silicon Valley Gives
MAY – The Amazing Give (North Central Florida)
MAY – Give Big Kern (Kern County, CA)
MAY – Give Big Seattle Foundation
MAY – Give to Lincoln Day (Lincoln Community Foundation)
MAY – North Platte Giving Day
MAY – HV Gives (Hudson Valley, NY)
MAY – Giving is Gorges (Tompkins County, NY)
MAY – Pittsburgh Gives
MAY – GiveNOLA Day (Greater New Orleans Foundation)
MAY – MidlandsGives (Central Carolina Community Foundation)
MAY – Go Big Give (Grand Island Community Foundation)
MAY – Give Big San Bernardino County (California)
JUNE – Vermont Gives
JUNE – New Hampshire Gives
SEPT – North Texas Giving Day
*SEPT – Give More 24 (southwest Washington)
OCT – Mississippi Day of Giving
NOV – Give Big Riverside County (California)
NOV – Give 2 Grow Phelps County Match Day (Nebraska)
NOV – The Extraordinary Give (Lancaster County)
NOV – Give Miami Day
NOV – Richland Gives (Richland County, OH)
NOV – Good Giving Challenge (Lexington, KY)
NOV – Give to the Max (GiveMN, Minnesota)
NOV – Georgia Gives Day
*NOV-DEC – GiveGuide! (Portland, Ore.)
*DEC – Colorado Gives Day
COLLEGIATE
MARCH – Sun Devil Giving Day (Arizona State University)
MARCH – Monmouth University Giving Day
MARCH – Cornell Giving Day
MARCH – Giving Day (Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland)
MARCH – NYU Giving Day
MARCH – Brooklyn Law School Giving Day
MARCH – Day for Guilford (Guilford College)
APRIL – Boston University Giving Day
APRIL – Purdue Day of Giving
APRIL – Trinity Giving Day (Trinity College)
APRIL – Worcester State University Day of Giving
APRIL – Canisius WECAN (Buffalo, NY)
APRIL – UCSB Give Day (University of California, Santa Barbara)
APRIL – Give for the Gold Vanderbilt Giving Day
APRIL – Bethel College Online Giving Day (Indiana)
APRIL – Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Giving Day
APRIL – Gator Giving Day (Allegheny College)
APRIL – Giving to Hoos Day (University of Virginia)
APRIL – Day of Giving (Santa Clara University)
APRIL – Help Make BeloitPossible (Beloit College)
APRIL – Giving Day (Hampden-Sydney College)
*APRIL – 40 Hours for the 40 Acres (University of Texas at Austin)
MAY – Giving Day (Flagler College)
JUNE – Grady Giving Day (Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication)
OCT – Columbia University Giving Day
NOV – Lawrence University Giving Day
* These events were submitted by the NPMG community through the comments section.
Did I miss your big day? Let me know in the comments section, and I’ll update the list.
