GivingTuesday 2026 is Tuesday, December 1, 2026
One day in the year when people are already looking for somewhere to give. This is how a team, booster club or nonprofit gets ready for it — and keeps 100% of what comes in.
On a day built on small gifts, the fee is the whole argument
GivingTuesday runs on $25 and $50 donations from people who were not planning to give until that morning. A platform fee of 5% or 8% is barely visible on one gift and enormous across four hundred of them.
Fund My Squad charges a 0% platform fee. Organizers keep 100% of what they raise apart from card processing, and the platform is funded by optional tips supporters can choose to add at checkout. Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 still applies — and donors can choose to cover that too, in which case the full amount reaches you.
On $10,000 raised across four hundred gifts, a 5% platform fee is $500. That is a set of uniforms.
What to do, and when
Ordered by what actually blocks what. The Stripe step is first because it is the one that strands campaigns on the day.
- 1Six weeks out
Connect Stripe before you need it
This is the step that strands campaigns. Identity verification is federal law for anyone collecting funds, it asks for bank details and the last four of an SSN, and it is not instant. Doing it in October means the last week of November is about your story, not your paperwork.
- 2Four weeks out
Write the ask, and make it specific
"Help the program" raises less than "$40 buys one wrestler a singlet, and we need 22." Name the thing, name the number. Set a goal you can actually explain to a parent.
- 3Two weeks out
Get your people on the page first
Add team members so each has their own shareable page and their own slice of the goal. A campaign that reaches families through twenty people goes further than one that reaches them through one account.
- 4The week before
Warm the list
Tell your supporters what is coming and when, so the Tuesday ask lands on people who were expecting it. Email and text both work; the point is that the first message they get is not the ask.
- 5On the day
Post progress, not reminders
A live total moving toward a goal is the thing that pulls the next gift. Share the number three or four times across the day rather than repeating the same request.
- 6The week after
Thank everyone, then ask the monthly question
The gap between a one-off December gift and a recurring donor is usually one well-timed thank you. This is the week that decides whether GivingTuesday was a day or the start of something.
Questions people ask about GivingTuesday
When is GivingTuesday 2026?
GivingTuesday 2026 is Tuesday, December 1, 2026. It always falls on the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving, so the date moves each year.Do you have to be a registered nonprofit to take part?
No. GivingTuesday is not restricted to 501(c)(3) organizations — booster clubs, school groups, PTAs, teams and community groups all run campaigns. You do need a way to collect money that donors trust, and an organizer who can verify their identity to receive payouts.What does it cost to run a GivingTuesday campaign on Fund My Squad?
Fund My Squad charges a 0% platform fee, so organizers keep 100% of what they raise apart from card processing. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment, and donors can choose to cover that so you receive the full amount. The platform is funded by optional tips supporters can add at checkout.How long does it take to set up a donation page?
The page itself takes a few minutes. The step that takes longer is connecting a Stripe payout account, because federal identity law requires anyone collecting funds to verify who they are — bank details and the last four digits of a Social Security Number. Start that early rather than on the day.Can supporters give monthly instead of once?
Yes. Donors can set up a recurring monthly donation and change, pause or cancel it themselves at any time. A GivingTuesday donor who becomes a monthly donor is worth far more than the single gift.When will the money reach our bank account?
Donations are held in your connected Stripe account while the fundraiser runs and are released about a week after your end date; fundraisers with no end date release on a rolling basis roughly 30 days after collection. Once released, funds reach the bank in one to two business days. The holding period is what protects both sides against a stolen card or a disputed gift.
72 days is enough time — the Stripe step is not.
Setting up the page takes minutes. Verifying a payout account does not, and it is the only part you cannot do on the morning itself.