Community Campaign Accelerator
Building Civic Space & Community
Connection
Engaged, connected citizens are essential for a thriving democracy, individual and community wellbeing, and strong human bonds.
Individual contributions of time, money, kindness, and voice are how the overwhelming majority of citizens engage. Their generous acts are the heartbeat of a civil society. Their generosity:
Builds commitment to community.
Actively contributing to one’s community builds civic leadership and motivation to look beyond differences to find shared spaces where positive change occurs.
Connects citizens through positive action. Through giving and volunteering, people experience and build trust in one another, reinforcing the truth that we do not have to agree on everything to show up for one another.
Declining civic engagement, compounded by intercommunal distrust, undermines trust in civic processes, further reducing engagement, ultimately threatening social cohesion and community resilience. Media reinforces negative interpersonal dynamics. Today, much of American society is caught in a negative feedback loop.
This trend can be reversed. Collective generous action fosters unity and reminds people of shared values.
Our research indicates when people come together in support of the causes they care about, communities become less polarized. People feel more responsibility toward their communities, form the belief that giving back is a virtue, and increase their critical support to civil society.
Recent research from Pew, More in Common, and Trust for Civic Life has come to similar conclusions.
Some Key Findings from our GivingPulse weekly survey:
Our weekly cross-sectional survey of more than 24,000 Americans tracks recent generous actions, civic attitudes, and worldview.
● 80% of respondents are willing to help others regardless of belief, politics, or lifestyle difference.
● People who donate are twice as likely to have trusting, open views of their community and believe civic action is a duty.
● People who volunteer are 1500% more likely to hold such prosocial views.
● Half of Americans want to engage in community life but haven’t been asked. Our research indicates better campaigning could unlock up to $50 billion in additional giving in the US each year.
Putting Insights Into Action: The Community Campaign Accelerator
Community Campaigns
Today, 300+ civic leaders across the US organize GivingTuesday Community Campaigns –campaigns where a group of people or organizations work together to rally a geographical community under the banner of generosity.
For more than a decade, Community Campaigns have proven effective at harnessing people’s generosity and enhancing civic life.
85%
More donors engaged in collective giving 90% in communities with campaigns compared to those without one.
More funds raised
Our Community Campaigns currently cover roughly ⅓ of America and are a key driver of our movement, helping activate 11% of Americans and raise $3.6B in 2024 alone. Our goal is a campaign in every county.
To reach our goal, we have created a Campaign Accelerator. Built on a decade of experience and designed with our current leaders, the Accelerator supports civic leaders to:
● Design, implement, and refine a Community Campaign through six months of cohort-based training and one-on-one coaching.
● Understand and improve through localized analytics.
● Join GivingTuesday’s growing, interconnected peer learning network of hundreds of Community Campaign leaders around the world.
Leverage our research to target growth and for ongoing learning and improvements.
Data-driven growth:
Our data shows which counties have lower levels of giving and can predict campaign results. We know which communities have lower trust in nonprofits. We are prioritizing and cultivating partnerships where campaigns are most needed.
Partner with community foundations, organizers, and their networks to form new Accelerator cohorts.
Run Accelerator, monitor results, support each Community Campaign’s growth while increasing sector-wide awareness about what works.
Partner with national and regional funders interested in a data driven, proven approach to building civic space.
Impact
Beyond millions of citizens engaged and dollars raised, the virtuous cycle of trust and engagement cultivated by Community Campaigns deliver:
Increased awareness and support for civic engagement efforts.
Enduring, sustainable, cultures of participation in local civic life. More resourced and empowered nonprofit sector.
Scalable model for civic learning & leadership development.
Community giving campaigns work. A Campaign in every county will engage millions of Americans in civic life and deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in vital support for communities when they need it most.
Critical to this work is core support for research, program, and partnership development. We believe this program aligns with your ethos and vision, and hope you will join us in this work. Together we can catalyze more generous civic engagement and help counter negative trends from the grassroots up— across the US and beyond.
