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Giving Hearts Day

Giving Hearts Day is a vibrant 24-hour fundraising event that brings communities together to support local charities. This day is all about generosity, with individuals, businesses, and schools participating to make a difference!

Charity Helping Others Life & Living72

Marketing angleinferred

Position your brand as a community champion by matching customer donations or hosting a co-branded fundraiser during Giving Hearts Day to drive engagement and goodwill.

Relevance 72medium intent

Match every donation made through our platform—see your impact double this Giving Hearts Day
Join our team challenge: donate, nominate a friend, and watch the kindness spread
Behind the scenes: how local nonprofits use your donations to change lives
Host a Giving Hearts Day fundraiser with us—we'll handle the logistics, you bring the heart

Marketing playbookideas

Notable campaigns5

SCHEELS Home & Hardware (2026): Hosted annual puppy kissing booth with Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue for 4 years, raising awareness and donations for animal shelter. Goal was to drive foot traffic and GHD merchandise sales while supporting partnered nonprofits.
Thunder Coffee (Recent): Offered special Giving Hearts Day roast coffee with proceeds donated to a charity of choice. Branded limited-edition product that tied brand to cause and gave customers tangible way to support while purchasing.
Nodak Mutual Insurance (Recent): Collected and shared employee stories about which charities they personally support and why. Strategy humanized the giving movement, built internal culture alignment, and showcased authentic employee values.
R.D. Offutt Company (Recent): Turned their building lights red for Giving Hearts Day to visually participate in the movement. Simple, high-visibility brand commitment that showed community support without complex execution.
SCHEELS Fargo (Recent): Created in-store GHD displays and live dollars-raised ticker screens showing real-time donation impact. Blended in-store visibility with real-time impact data to motivate continued giving throughout the 24-hour event.

Campaign ideas5

Partner in-store experiential activation: Host a fun, photo-worthy event tied to your brand (SCHEELS' puppy kissing booth model). Drives foot traffic, social shares, and awareness for partnered charities.
Limited-edition Giving Hearts product launch: Create a special product or flavor (like Thunder Coffee's GHD roast) with proceeds or donations to local nonprofits. Builds brand love + direct giving tie-in.
Employee storytelling campaign: Collect and share employee stories about which charities they personally support and why (Nodak Mutual Insurance model). Humanizes giving, builds internal culture.
Red takeover visual branding: Turn your office, website, building lights, or merchandise red for GHD. Simple but high-impact brand visibility + theme reinforcement across all touchpoints.
Corporate matching gift challenge: Announce that every customer donation up to a goal will be matched 1:1 (or 2:1) by your company. Creates urgency and multiplies giving.

Social angles5

"Our hearts beat for our community." Share why your brand cares about local nonprofits with authentic, behind-the-scenes content. #GivingHeartsDay #LocalLove
Tag a nonprofit you believe in and challenge your followers to give. Make it personal, shareable, and action-oriented. #GivingHeartsDay #GiveLocal
Show the impact: Share success stories or testimonials from past GHD donations. Proof-of-impact drives emotional resonance and repeat giving. #GivingHeartsDay #CommunityMatters
"Love looks like..." user-generated content campaign. Ask followers to share photos of them volunteering or giving back. Repost with gratitude. #GivingHeartsDay #LoveInAction
Countdown posts: 5 days to GHD, 3 days, tomorrow! Keep the event top-of-mind with playful, shareable countdown graphics and daily calls to action.

Tips4

Start early: Begin promoting 2-3 weeks before GHD (February 13). Build awareness gradually with countdowns and teases so the day feels like an event, not an afterthought.
Partner authentically: Don't just slap your logo on it. Choose nonprofits that align with your brand values and tell the real story of why you care—employee testimonials, community impact, mission alignment.
Go RED (literally): Lean hard into visual branding. Use bright red across all assets—posters, website, social graphics, even office décor. It signals belonging to the GHD movement and stands out visually.
Blend urgency with purpose: Use deadline language ("24 hours," "Last chance," "Act now") but always anchor it in why giving matters, not just transaction framing. This isn't Black Friday—it's about values.

History

Giving Hearts Day was launched in 2008 by the Dakota Medical Foundation and the Impact Foundation. These organizations wanted to promote charitable giving and community support in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

The idea was simple: encourage people to donate to their favorite charities around Valentine’s Day, linking the season of love with generosity toward those in need. The first event raised $500,000, and the impact has grown each year.

Today, Giving Hearts Day is one of the longest-running and most successful fundraising events in the region. It has raised millions of dollars for various causes, from health initiatives to education and social services. The annual event brings together individuals, businesses, and schools to support local nonprofits.

The success of Giving Hearts Day lies in its ability to unite communities. Participants learn about the power of giving and experience the joy of making a difference. This day of giving has created a lasting culture of philanthropy, encouraging people to continue supporting charities throughout the year.

The collaboration between the Dakota Medical Foundation and the Impact Foundation ensures that participating nonprofits receive the training and resources they need to maximize their fundraising efforts. The excitement is palpable as donations flow in, directly benefiting hundreds of nonprofits in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

Participants experience the joy of contributing to a greater good, knowing their donations are making a real impact. Plus, this day fosters a spirit of unity and compassion, reminding everyone of the power of collective generosity.

How to celebrate

Spread the Love with Donations

Pick a charity close to your heart and donate. Every bit counts! It could be for kids, animals, or the environment. Imagine the joy when your favorite cause gets that boost. Encourage friends and family to join in. The more, the merrier!

Host a Fun Fundraiser

Throw a quirky event to gather donations. Plan a bake sale, organize a mini-marathon or even a themed party. Let your creativity run wild. Everyone loves a good time, and it’s for a good cause! Share the fun on social media to inspire others.

Volunteer Your Time

Offer your skills to a local nonprofit. Got a knack for organizing? Help plan their next event. Love chatting? Spend time with elderly or kids. Your time is as valuable as money. Plus, you’ll meet amazing people and make a difference.

Start a Giving Challenge

Challenge your friends to donate and pass it on, creating a ripple effect of generosity. Think of it like a game of tag but with kindness! Post updates and shoutouts to keep the momentum going. Watch the donations roll in and hearts warm up.

Spread the Word

Use social media to amplify the cause. Share stories of those helped by donations. Post about the impact and why it matters. Get creative with videos, photos, and hashtags. Your voice can reach far and wide, inspiring others to give.

FAQ

How can someone tell if a charity is actually using donations effectively?

An individual can review a charity’s independently audited financial statements, annual reports, and IRS Form 990 (in the United States) to see how money is spent, then compare this with clear, measurable outcomes the charity reports for its programs. Independent evaluators such as Charity Navigator and CharityWatch recommend looking at a mix of indicators—like transparency, governance practices, and evidence of impact—rather than focusing on a single number such as overhead percentage.

Is it true that “good” charities should have very low overhead or administrative costs?

Experts in nonprofit management widely caution that an extremely low overhead rate can signal underinvestment in essentials like staff, training, evaluation, and technology, which can reduce long‑term impact. The “overhead myth” campaign led by organizations such as the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar (now Candid), and Charity Navigator urges donors to judge charities primarily by transparency and results, not by overhead alone.

What are some evidence‑based ways to choose where to donate?

Research organizations like GiveWell suggest donors first decide on a cause area they care about, then look for charities with strong evidence of effectiveness, cost‑effective programs, room for more funding, and a track record of learning from data. Donors can also diversify by supporting both highly evaluated global programs and locally important organizations, while still asking each charity to clearly explain its goals and impact.

Do small donations really make a difference to nonprofits?

Nonprofit fundraising data show that small gifts matter because they make up a large share of total donor counts, help charities build broad community support, and can be combined with matching funds and recurring monthly gifts to create substantial, reliable income. Studies of online giving trends by groups like the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy also find that many donors begin with smaller contributions and increase their giving as trust grows.

Are matching‑gift campaigns actually effective at increasing generosity?

Experimental and field studies in behavioral economics have found that offering a match can increase both the likelihood that someone donates and the amount they give, even when the match ratio is modest (such as 1:1). Research published through initiatives like Innovations for Poverty Action and analyses of online campaigns indicate that matches work partly because they signal legitimacy, amplify perceived impact, and create a sense of urgency.

What psychological benefits do people get from donating or volunteering?

Psychology and public‑health research consistently link prosocial behavior—such as giving money, helping strangers, or volunteering—to higher self‑reported life satisfaction, lower levels of depressive symptoms, and in some cases better physical health markers. Reviews in journals like Nature Human Behaviour suggest these benefits arise from increased social connection, a stronger sense of purpose, and the feeling of contributing to something larger than oneself.

How can businesses structure workplace giving so it genuinely helps communities?

Guidance from organizations such as the Council on Foundations and CECP recommends that companies align workplace giving and volunteering with clear social goals, involve employees in choosing focus areas, provide options like payroll giving and employer matches, and regularly report results to both staff and community partners. When programs are well‑planned and co‑designed with local nonprofits, they are more likely to build long‑term capacity rather than just deliver one‑time donations.