Giving Days have never been more crowded—or more important.
For Annual Giving and Donor Relations teams, a single day now has to do a lot of work:
acquire new donors, energize your community, and lay the groundwork for long-term retention.
The teams that consistently succeed aren’t just louder on Giving Day. They’re more intentional—about how they build momentum, how they show gratitude, and what happens after the day ends.
Let’s dive in!
Best Practice #1: Build Emotional Momentum Before You Ask
The most effective Giving Day campaigns don’t start on Giving Day.
They start weeks earlier by reminding donors why the institution matters, and why their participation counts.
What This Looks Like in Practice: Cleveland State University
When Cleveland State University set out to refresh their Giving Day strategy, they didn’t begin with subject lines or dollar goals. They began with storytelling.
Led by Director of Annual Giving John Templeman, CSU partnered closely with their in-house Marketing and Advancement teams to roll out a month-long video campaign ahead of Giving Day. Instead of sending traditional countdown emails, donors were introduced to real CSU students through short, personalized videos that showed the impact of philanthropy in action.
Then, CSU took a creative risk.
Partnering with alumnus and local artist Toby Raps, the team launched a custom rap song and music video celebrating CSU pride. Packed with insider references and school spirit, the video wasn’t just entertaining, it reinforced belonging and identity, making donors feel part of something bigger before the ask ever arrived.
The result? A Giving Day audience that was primed, engaged, and excited to participate.
Best Practice #2: Treat Real-Time Stewardship as a Strategy, Not a Bonus
Most teams plan Giving Day outreach in detail, but leave stewardship to “when we have time.”
The strongest Giving Day campaigns do the opposite: they plan stewardship first, then design outreach around it.
What This Looks Like in Practice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
During their Giving Day, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) made real-time gratitude a core part of the campaign, not an afterthought.
Using ThankView, the UTC team sent 1,100 personalized thank-you videos to donors while gifts were still coming in. Donors didn’t just receive a receipt; they received immediate acknowledgment that their support mattered in the moment they gave.
This real-time stewardship reinforced trust, sustained momentum throughout the day, and made donors feel seen while they were still paying attention.
UTC’s success wasn’t about doing more. It was about deciding in advance that stewardship mattered enough to prioritize during the day itself.
Best Practice #3: Make Creativity Scalable, Not Staff-Intensive
Creativity doesn’t have to mean more work.
Both CSU and UTC used personalized video not as a novelty, but as a way to scale human connection without overwhelming their teams.
CSU used video to build excitement and storytelling in advance. UTC used video to deliver gratitude efficiently in real time
In both cases, technology enabled teams to stay personal without being manual, track engagement meaningfully, and adapt messaging based on donor response.
The takeaway isn’t “everyone should make a rap video.” It’s that creativity works best when it’s supported by tools and planning that make it repeatable.
Best Practice #4: Close the Loop After the Day Ends
Giving Day may end at midnight, but donor impressions don’t.
Both teams treated post-Giving Day stewardship as a continuation of the story, not a formality.
CSU followed up with a thank-you video featuring students expressing gratitude in multiple languages, reinforcing the human impact behind the campaign. UTC used Giving Day engagement as a signal for future outreach and relationship-building.
This intentional follow-up helped ensure Giving Day wasn’t just a spike in participation, but a starting point for retention.
The Common Thread: Design Giving Day for the Full Donor Lifecycle
What ties these campaigns together isn’t a specific tactic, it’s a mindset.
Both CSU and UTC planned storytelling and stewardship early, aligned Annual Giving, Donor Relations, and Marketing teams, and treated Giving Day as a moment in an ongoing donor relationship, not a one-day transaction.
That’s what turns Giving Day from a fundraising event into a growth engine.