Our Best Results Ever Recorded: Giving Tuesday 2025
December 9, 2025
Giving Tuesday has become one of the most competitive fundraising days of the year. And for good reason: It’s one of the best opportunities to convert potential donors and drive revenue in the final weeks of the year.
But competition is posing a serious challenge for fundraising teams.
Every non-profit is in market at the same time. Every donor is inundated. In a year defined by financial strain and shrinking donor pools, standing out required more than a good story: it required a real digital strategy that had been active long before November and December.
Across our non-profit partners, that strategy delivered. Data Sciences worked with our partners to increase Giving Tuesday revenue 80% year-over-year. Several partners saw triple digit lifts. Others achieved their strongest fundraising day of 2025. These wins were not surprising. They were built.
Research conducted by Data Sciences explains why this matters. Average donations have generally remained stable and frequent donors continue to give at meaningful levels. But the donor base itself is shrinking. High-value donors are giving less often. Younger audiences are harder to reach. One in five Canadians now says they are no longer able to donate due to cost of living pressures.
This is the new reality. If you rely on bursts of fundraising in November, or on cold audiences reacting instantly to a seasonal appeal, you will feel the change. What still performs is presence. Year-round visibility. Warm audiences. Email lists that grow continuously. Multi-channel visibility. Creative and targeting that have been tested months in advance. Momentum starts at the beginning of the year and does not stop until December 31.
That is where the difference showed up. The partners who sustained year-round digital activity outperformed those relying on short seasonal pushes. Momentum, built consistently, translated directly into stronger Giving Tuesday outcomes.
If your results this year did not match expectations, you are not alone. The landscape is changing, and the non-profits who adapt early are the ones seeing measurable growth. 80% growth is proof that the opportunity is still there for teams willing to invest in a modern, always-on digital strategy
If you are planning for 2026, this is the moment to build the foundation that creates real results when it counts.
About the authors
Marina is the Head of Media and Creative Teams at Data Sciences, specializing in performance marketing and omni-channel strategy. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing, she works with corporate, political, and non-profit clients to transform complex campaign objectives into highly efficient and actionable media plans. Her deep understanding of budget constraints and audience insights has been instrumental in helping numerous non-profit foundations and other clients meet and exceed their goals.
Originally from the Netherlands, Matthijs helps political, non-profit, and corporate clients build campaigns that turn data into strategy. Trained in Dutch and EU law with an LL.M. from Maastricht University, he brings a strong grounding in international institutions and governance to his work. He has managed key portfolios as a political attaché for two Montreal-based Members of Parliament and was previously active with a European political party. Matthijs is passionate about combining data insights with creative strategy to make campaigns resonate.
Gabriel Helfant works with political, non-profit, and corporate clients to build campaigns and leverage data in their decision-making. Before his current role, Gabriel was in Ottawa at the Prime Minister's Office and the Liberal Party of Canada, working on digital strategy, content creation, and video production. He is passionate about using data to drive impactful, creative campaigns.