The Psychology of Generosity: Why Giving Tuesday Feels So Meaningful

The Heart Behind Giving Tuesday

And the numbers to prove it.

• $3.1 billion donated globally on Giving Tuesday 2023 (GivingTuesday.org)
• 37% of donors say they give because the day inspires them to do good (Classy 2023 Impact Report)
• 52% say they give out of gratitude during the holiday season (NP Trust, 2024)

But numbers aren’t the whole story. Behind every donation is a heart that’s reflecting, remembering, and reaching toward meaning.

And at Overflow, we believe generosity isn’t just something we promote - it’s something we practice. We’ve always believed that you can’t lead people somewhere you haven’t gone yourself. So before we ever encouraged a church to embrace giving as worship, before we built tools that activate generosity at scale, we made a commitment: we would model the same generosity we teach.

That’s why Overflow gives 10% of every dollar we earn back to the very organizations we partner with. It’s not a marketing line. It’s a conviction. We practice what we preach, because generosity begins at home.

From Scarcity to Abundance

Every year, people enter the holiday season facing tension - rising expenses, financial uncertainty, and the pressure of the year’s final stretch. It’s easy to slip into a scarcity mindset: "I’ll give when I have more."

Pastors feel this too. The hesitancy to talk about giving, afraid it will be misunderstood.

But research paints a different picture.

A 2014 study in Current Directions in Psychological Science found that feelings of gratitude directly increase generosity, even among low-income participants. Gratitude expands our sense of “enough” and fuels abundance.

Scripture has said this all along:

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.”
2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)

On Giving Tuesday, this abundance mindset is heightened. People remember what they’ve received and respond by giving.

Gratitude and Reflection Drive Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday works because it meets people in a moment they’re already reflecting.

A Pew Research study found that highly religious Americans are significantly more likely to donate during the holiday season, not because of obligation, but because of gratitude.

Add to that the cultural ritual of Thanksgiving, and Giving Tuesday becomes a natural next step:

gratitude → generosity.

This is why Giving Tuesday becomes one of the biggest giving days of the year:

• People feel thankful
• They’re mindful of blessings
• They’re reflecting on the year
• They want their generosity to mean something

Your church can help connect those emotions to impact.

Practical ways to do this:

• Share quick impact stories on social media
• Tie gratitude moments in your service to a Giving Tuesday invitation
• Show people what their giving makes possible

“Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:8

How Generosity Fuels Joy and Purpose

Research shows that generosity creates more joy than consumption.

A 2018 Harvard Business School study found that giving activates the brain’s reward center longer than buying something for yourself.

People feel different after they give.

And Giving Tuesday amplifies that feeling. It becomes a shared moment of joy, meaning, and purpose.

How your church can cultivate this:

• Celebrate generosity in real time
• Share stories of lives changed
• Thank givers immediately (text, email, video, announcement)
• Frame giving as a joy, not a pressure

More Than Money - Giving Tuesday Is Discipleship

Barna’s 2023 Generosity & the Church report found:

• 55% of practicing Christians see giving as a spiritual discipline
• Nearly 70% say they want their generosity to align with purpose

Giving Tuesday is not just a fundraising opportunity - it’s a discipleship moment.

When your church frames generosity with clarity and conviction, you’re not raising money.

You’re raising disciples.

Does Your Giving Provider Give Back?

At Overflow, we believe in practicing the generosity we invite others into.

That’s why:

We give 10% of every dollar we earn back to churches and nonprofits we partner with.

Because your giving provider shouldn’t just process generosity, it should model it.

This is one of the reasons Giving Tuesday is so significant to us.

It’s not just a day where we help others raise money.

It’s a day where we give too.

Quick Checklist for Your Giving Tuesday Strategy

Messaging

• Lead with gratitude
• Connect giving to impact
• Use stories, not stats

Experience

• Make giving frictionless (Tap, ExpressGive, RoundUps™, web, text)
• Provide multiple giving options
• Personalize the moment

Follow-Up

• Thank givers within 24 hours
• Share results the next day
• Invite them to continue generosity through the end of the year

Overflow Makes Giving Tuesday Easy

Giving Tuesday shouldn’t overwhelm your staff.

It should inspire your community.

Overflow helps your church:

• Remove friction from giving
• Accept more types of gifts (card, ACH, stock, crypto, DAFs, RoundUps™)
• Automate donor receipts
• Streamline accounting
• Capture new givers
• Tell a better generosity story

Generosity is contagious. Let’s help it spread.

FAQ

1. Why is Giving Tuesday important for churches?

Giving Tuesday creates a global moment of generosity when donors are already primed to give. Churches see higher engagement, new givers, and increased year-end momentum.

2. How can churches prepare for Giving Tuesday?

Churches should simplify giving, tell compelling stories, communicate early, and create a frictionless giving experience across all channels.

3. What types of gifts can donors give on Giving Tuesday through Overflow?

Overflow supports card, ACH, stock, crypto, DAFs, and RoundUps™ giving: all from one simple platform.

4. Does Overflow support multi-campus Giving Tuesday campaigns?

Yes. Overflow provides unified reporting, campus-specific funds, and communication tools to make multi-site campaigns easy.

5. Why does Overflow give 10% back?

Because we believe your giving provider should share your mission. We practice generosity as a company, not just encourage it.

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