The Nonprofit Science Podcast · Sheela N. Mahajan

GivingTuesday’s Best Kept Secret: Data for All

November 12, 2025·44 min·4 clips

Host Sheila Mahajan reveals how Giving Tuesday's secret data can transform nonprofit fundraising strategies.

This episode explores how nonprofits can use data to improve fundraising and operations, featuring host Sheila Mahajan and guest Samir Khan, the Director of Research at GivingTuesday. Sheila, a nonprofit consultant with a scientific background, interviews Samir about the organization's role as a major data source beyond its famous global giving day. Samir's work focuses on translating academic research into practical insights for practitioners. The conversation details the GivingTuesday Data Commons, a platform designed to make robust fundraising data accessible to all nonprofit professionals. Samir explains insights from the ongoing Giving Pulse survey, which tracks generosity trends and donor behavior. He discusses specific metrics, like the percentage of donors who give on GivingTuesday but also contribute at other times of the year. The episode covers practical tips for organizations planning their GivingTuesday fundraising campaigns based on this data. Samir describes how the data reveals shifting patterns in donation methods, such as the growth of peer-to-peer and social media-driven giving. He also addresses how economic indicators and global events influence charitable giving behaviors. A key insight is that GivingTuesday data challenges the notion that the day merely cannibalizes donations from other periods, showing it often expands the donor pie. The Giving Pulse survey reportedly captures real-time sentiment, allowing organizations to see how current events immediately affect generosity. Samir emphasizes that small organizations can leverage this data as effectively as large ones, which is a central mission of the Data Commons. The data reportedly shows a significant portion of younger donors are motivated by a desire for tangible impact and community connection. An interesting finding is that donor retention rates can be higher for supporters acquired on GivingTuesday when followed with specific engagement strategies. Samir argues that data literacy is a critical skill for nonprofit leaders to develop for strategic decision-making. The tone is educational and conversational, with a focus on providing actionable advice. The style is interview-based, with Sheila prompting discussions on applying scientific thinking to nonprofit challenges. Nonprofit professionals, fundraisers, and data officers seeking evidence-based strategies would find this episode highly valuable. Listeners looking for broad philosophical discussions on charity rather than tactical data applications might find it less engaging.

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