GivingTuesday lands on December 2 this year. Most small faith-based nonprofits will start building the landing page around Thanksgiving, publish it three days before the ask, and wonder in January why the results felt flat. The ones raising the most have the page up by early October and spend the whole fall pointing traffic at it. That work starts in September.
The page is not a poster you unveil the morning of. It is a room you invite people into for eight weeks. Email teasers link to it. Social posts land there. A board member forwards it to a friend on a Tuesday in mid-November. If the page does not exist yet, or if it says "coming soon," none of that traffic converts and none of it comes back.
Here is what belongs on the page when it goes live. One goal, in dollars, that a stranger could repeat back to you. One story — a person, a family, a program — that shows why the goal exists. A give button that sticks to the bottom of the screen on mobile so a donor never has to hunt for it. A match banner, if you have one lined up; and if you don't, this is the week to ask a board member or founding donor to fund a modest one, because a $2,500 match unlocks a very different October than none does. A short FAQ that answers the questions people don't want to email you about: is this recurring or one-time, are fees covered, is my gift tax-deductible, when will I see the receipt. Two photos of your actual work, not a stock image of hands. Your EIN and a line about where to reach a human.
Here is what to leave off. A countdown timer that reads "89 days" for two months. A hero video that autoplays with sound. A giving form that lives three scrolls below the fold.
September is quiet for a reason. Use it. If you'd like a second set of eyes on the page while there's still time to fix it, we help small faith-based nonprofits get their December campaigns ready in the months when no one is watching.