Plan your December appeal: GivingTuesday, Chanukah, and year-end
December has three giving moments: GivingTuesday (Dec 1), Chanukah (Dec 4–12), and the end of the tax year (Dec 31). Pick one for your main appeal and use the others lightly. Here’s how to choose, and what to check before you ask.
Book a 15-minute readiness call · Start a Fundraising Sprint
Pick one moment
| Moment | Date | Works best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GivingTuesday | Tuesday, December 1 | You have a confirmed matching gift and donors who respond to a one-day push | GivingTuesday itself doesn’t match gifts. A full appeal on Dec 1 and another on Dec 4 is two asks in four days |
| Chanukah | Friday evening, December 4 to Saturday night, December 12 | Your community gives around Chanukah | It starts and ends on Shabbat; schedule messages before Thursday, December 3. Eight identical asks tire donors |
| End of the tax year | Thursday, December 31 | Your larger donors give before the year closes | We can’t promise which tax year a last-minute gift will count in; personal follow-up beats a final broadcast |
Not sure? Book a call and we’ll decide together, then write down the plan.
Check your page before you ask
- The right program and sponsor are named on the page.
- Your goal and story are clear, with no made-up impact figures.
- A photo of real people, used with their permission.
- The give button works on a phone.
- Every link you’ll share opens the right page, with the right preview.
- Only the payment methods your program supports are mentioned.
- A test gift goes through and the receipt arrives.
- Recurring-gift and fee-cover options look the way you expect.
- Progress totals are right, and nothing shows a match that isn’t committed.
- You know who is watching the page on the day and how to reach us.
Matching gifts, the real kind
A match helps only if it’s real. Before you announce one, have in writing: who is matching, the amount and cap, the dates it covers, how the match will be paid, whether you can name the matcher, and what you’ll say if the cap is reached early. Then tell us, and we’ll set it up on your page.
Free tools for your December appeal
BrightLeaf program operators can use the Fundraising Sprint at no charge, from your dashboard:
- An email sequence for your appeal
- Social posts for launch and the final push
- Personal-message scripts for people who know you
- A script for asking a donor to put up a match
Your drafts arrive by email as a PDF, the same day you request them.
Starting a new program now?
There’s still time. Most applications are reviewed within one business day. After approval, give yourself at least a week to set up your page, send a test gift, and tell the people closest to your cause before you ask everyone else. Approval isn’t guaranteed, and a rushed launch is worse than a January one, so if the timing gets tight we’ll help you plan for the end of the year or for early 2027 instead.
Start a Community Support Fund · Social Impact Campaign · Education Opportunity Fund
Here to give?
BrightLeaf doesn’t collect donations. Give through the program’s own page, using the link its organizer shared. Every program page names its sponsor charity, which sends your receipt.
Questions
- Does GivingTuesday match my donors’ gifts? No. GivingTuesday is a global day of giving; it doesn’t match gifts. A match has to come from a donor who has committed to it.
- Can BrightLeaf email my donors for me? No. Your appeal comes from you. We help you prepare it.
- Will December gifts count for 2026 taxes? We can’t promise which tax year a last-minute gift will count in. Ask donors to give before the last days of December.
- Who do I contact on December 1? Use Message Us in your dashboard. Our support hours that day are the usual 9–5 US Eastern, with replies within one business day, and our team will be watching the platform around the clock in case anything goes wrong.
- When do donations reach the people we help? Request a grant from your dashboard. Approved grants go out within 7–10 business days, and usually sooner.