Giving Days 2025: Proven Strategies to
Maximize Donations

Overview

Giving Days are no longer a novelty—they’re one of the most reliable ways to raise meaningful dollars fast and to acquire new donors you can steward for the long haul. In a recent live conversation, John Hornby pulled back the curtain on how UD grew from 3 people and a spreadsheet to a million-dollar Giving Day—and what first-timers should (and shouldn’t) do next.

Why Giving Days Matter (and How to Run One Well): Lessons from University of Delaware’s John Hornby

Why Giving Days Work

• High-impact, short window. Concentrate attention and energy into 24 hours (with smart pre/post windows) to “blow things up” financially.

• Donor acquisition engine. UD acquires most of its new donors via crowdfunding and Giving Days, expanding the pipeline for future major gifts.

• Real-time momentum. Live totals, matches, and leaderboards create visible progress that energizes donors and project teams.

“Our Giving Days are where we acquire most of our new donors.” — John Hornby

Communication: Clear, Concise, Timely—And Segmented

• • Plan early (ideally 6 months out). Build timelines, brief leadership, and map dependencies.

  • Assemble a team (or augment with volunteers). Even a one-person shop can recruit campus allies.

  • Choose a robust platform. Automation, mobile giving, digital wallets, matches, leaderboards, and self-serve tools matter.

  • Run a real marketing plan. Internal buy-in + segmented external outreach (alumni, parents, friends) across email, text, and social.

  • Steward like it determines next year—because it does. Immediate receipts and personalized thanks, then targeted follow-ups.

Timing: When Should You Run It?

The 5 Building Blocks of a Successful Giving Day

There’s no single “best” date. UD runs Giving Tuesday in late fall on December 2nd which is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and a campus-wide spring day (often May), prioritizing the spring event for bigger challenges and matches.

Guiding principle: Pick dates that don’t compete with other big campus moments (homecoming, finals, major events). If running two days is a heavy lift, do one extremely well.

Start Small (and Smart)

UD’s first Giving Day: ~35 projects and <$30K. Today: 200+ projects and ~$1M.

If you’re new:

• Limit scope (e.g., 5 projects for Giving Tuesday).

• Set realistic goals and focus on execution quality.

• Use the day to prove value and win campus FOMO for next year.

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small, learn fast, grow annually.”

Communication: Clear, Concise, Timely—And Segmented

• Recruitment messaging: Convince campus partners early; explain the “why,” the process, and the support you’ll provide.

• Donor messaging: Personalize by interest/affinity (team, major, program).

• Data-driven follow-ups: Reference last year’s gift and impact to invite repeat support.

• Crisis plan: Have a pause/shift protocol ready (UD needed one with a campus tragedy two days before a Giving Day).

“When you confuse, you lose. Keep it cogent, clear, concise, and compelling.”

Participation & Urgency: Ambassadors, Power Hours, and Matches

Three layers of reach:

1. Central marketing team (mass communications)

2. Project leaders (own their outreach)

3. Ambassadors/advocates (students, alumni, staff) to extend into personal networks

Mechanics that move the needle:

• Power Hours: Award bonus funds for the most donors in a 60-minute window (1st/2nd/3rd prizes).

• Matches & Challenges: One-to-one, two-to-one, or milestone unlocks (e.g., every 50 donors unlocks $2,500 up to $10,000).

• Unique donor goals: Example—unlock a large gift if the institution hits 500 unique donors.

Pro tip: Cultivate match/challenge funds from boards, leadership, and inspired major donors who want their gifts to spur participation.

Social + Mobile: Meet Donors Where They Are

• Encourage project leaders and ambassadors to push platform links on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and direct messages.

• Texting works. (Open rates are huge; always include a direct gift link.)

• Ensure the giving experience is mobile-first and frictionless (Apple Pay/Google Pay, Stripe or similar).

“Make it ridiculously easy to donate.”

Stewardship: Day-Of and Day-After

Day-of (instant):

• Confirmation + tax receipt

• Project-specific thank-you message

Post-event (48–72 hours):

• Campus-wide recap + gratitude

• Securely share limited donor lists with project leads (name/email/amount) after confidentiality agreements, so they can send personalized thanks

• Flag significant gifts for gift officer outreach (calls/meetings)

Why it matters: Great stewardship turns first-time Giving Day donors into repeat and major donors.

Practical Windows: Beyond the 24 Hours

UD promotes a single marquee “day,” but:

• Opens the platform ~2 days early for early birds

• Keeps it open until Friday at 5pm to catch those who missed the window

Most gifts still land on the day—but these buffers add lift without diluting urgency.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Trying to do everything in year one. Start focused; excellence beats breadth.

• Spray-and-pray emails. Segment by affinity; speak their language.

• Manual chaos. Use a platform with automation (emails, texts, tracking, matches, leaderboards).

• No contingency plan. Build a pause/shift protocol for unexpected events.

Quick-Start Checklist

• 90–180 days out

  • Pick date(s); confirm leadership support

  • Define goals (revenue, donors, participation)

  • Select platform; confirm features (automation, mobile wallets, matches, leaderboards)

  • Recruit core projects; provide toolkits (copy, timelines, social assets, thank-you templates)

  • Begin match/challenge cultivation with boards and key donors

  30–60 days out

  • Lock segmentation and send schedule (email/text/social)

  • Train project leads & ambassadors; finalize links and assets

  • Set Power Hours and prize rules; test live scoreboards

  • Draft stewardship flows (instant + post-event)

  Event week

  • Soft-open platform (2 days prior)

  • Run the day with command-center monitoring (leaderboards, matches, power hours)

  • Keep open through Friday at 5pm

  Post-event (within 72 hours)

  • Send campus-wide results & thanks

  • Distribute donor lists to project leads (under confidentiality)

  • Trigger gift officer follow-ups for significant gifts

  • Run a retro: what to improve, who to recruit for matches next time

Looking Ahead

You don’t need a perfect plan or a big team to start. UD’s growth came from starting small, iterating yearly, and investing in clarity, segmentation, and stewardship. Do that, and you’ll see both short-term dollars and long-term pipeline rise, year after year.

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