5 Highlights of Giving Tuesday 2024

This Giving Tuesday (3 December 2024) charities and their partners from all across the world came together once again to celebrate the power of generosity and inspire people to give their time, money or goods. For many UK charities it was a chance to kick off their Christmas campaigns and take advantage of the day’s international platform to reach new audiences.  

We were so pleased that many partners and charities came together to make the day a success. Here are some of my highlights: 

New for this year, we introduced the campaign theme ‘Give Your Way’ to highlight that there are many ways to give that suit each person’s personal goals and financial situation.  

The new theme opened up opportunities for us to encourage the public to learn more about charitable giving and decide how they want to support causes they care about. In the run up to the day itself, we launched a social media campaign that spotlighted the different types of giving, including microdonations, volunteering and gifts in Wills.  

On top of this, we worked closely with participating charities and partners on a media campaign that highlighted the positive difference giving makes for charities and the communities they serve. We received a wide range of inspiring case studies that focused on thanking volunteers who had gone above and beyond, to showcasing the impact of successful appeals and demonstrating how charitable giving can bring people together. You can read some of these stories on the Giving Tuesday website.

Every year the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge offers charities up and down the country the chance to match fund their donations, doubling the impact of people’s generosity. They kick start their campaign on Giving Tuesday so all participating charities can use the day to boost initial donations and maximise the chances of reaching their target.   

This move has proved incredibly effective, and this year they raised almost £13 million in just 12 hours. You can read the latest insight into how the whole Christmas Challenge performed here.

The new Charities Minister Stephanie Peacock used the day as an opportunity to visit YMCA North Staffordshire and Made in Stoke on Trent to learn more about the difference they are making in her constituency. Whilst in the past many politicians have been supportive of Giving Tuesday, the Minister took it one step further, sharing a video announcing her support for the day and encouraging others to give their time, money or voice to charities.   

We are so pleased to see the campaign is becoming an opportunity to help charities and government engage in meaningful discussions. Next year, we hope to build on this by encouraging more MPs and decision-makers to get involved with the campaign.

A motion brought forward by Colette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, formally acknowledged the important role the campaign plays in encouraging generosity and welcomed the new theme ‘Give Your Way’ as an opportunity to make giving accessible for everyone. It also recognised the important work charities are doing right now in East Kilbride, including supporting people in financial hardship, tackling loneliness, and improving mental and physical health.  

The motion was supported by 16 MSPs from across the political spectrum, including the Scottish National Party, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, and Scottish Labor and Co-operative party. This kind of visible and vocal support is a very positive step towards raising the profile of giving nationally and ensuring charities' important work is celebrated across the country. 

Long-standing supporters of the campaign NatWest bank generously offered a combined £300,000 in match-funding to encourage employees and customers to donate to charities they care about throughout December. Through their initiative, any employee who signs up to Payroll Giving or increases their donation before the end of the month will receive £100 pounds to donate to the charity of their choice. Meanwhile, customer donations made through their rewards scheme will be matched by up to £50.  

With giving from the FTSE 100, it’s truly uplifting to see businesses find new and creative ways to encourage generosity and make use of tax-effective giving schemes to support good causes.

We are already starting to think about how we can make Giving Tuesday 2025 reach new audiences and generate more public support. If you took part in the campaign this year, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please fill out this survey or email policy@ciof.org.uk with any feedback.