ADI: ‘Giving Tuesday’ Is Gaining Momentum

Consumer participation in “Giving Tuesday”—the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—is on the rise, which could represent a big opportunity for nonprofit marketers, according to new analysis by Adobe Digital Insights.

Consumer participation in “Giving Tuesday”—the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—is on the rise, which could represent a big opportunity for nonprofit marketers, according to new analysis by Adobe Digital Insights (ADI).

In 2014, charity sites saw 31% more traffic on Giving Tuesday than the holiday season average, ADI found. Last year, Giving Tuesday saw 39% more traffic to charity sites, a 26% growth year-over-year (YoY).

“We’re finding that consumers don’t donate on their smartphones,” said Trevor Jones, senior analyst at ADI. “Subpar smartphone experiences hamper donations on mobile. Still, we do see that Giving Tuesday results in a huge spike in donations to charities online.”

The holidays accounted for 33% of yearly donations in 2015, according to ADI. Fifty-six percent of donors said they carefully evaluate their donations each year. Religious organizations received the bulk of the donations (36%), followed by animal welfare (33%).

Although Giving Tuesday sees spikes in donations, the day doesn’t get much social buzz, ADI found. Instead, charitable movements associated with a specific cause garner all the social interest.

“When compared with Breast Cancer Awareness and Movember, Giving Tuesday falls short. We’ve seen that brands and social movements tied to a charity or specific cause gather a much higher social following,” Jones said. “It allows for an instant emotional connection with consumers and is much easier to get behind than a generic, albeit charity-related, hashtag like #GivingTuesday.”