The copy tweak that boosted American Cancer Society’s revenue by 165%

Year-end is the best time to learn what really drives giving. 

With inboxes crowded and urgency high, even small tests or tweaks in strategy can reveal big insights.

Some nonprofits run true A/B tests — one variable, two versions, fast read. Others compare year-over-year performance when they can’t split in real time. 

Either way, the goal is the same: generate actionable learnings you can roll into the next send or the next season. 

Here’s how two nonprofits approached #GivingTuesday tests:

Oakville Hospital Foundation
The play: With the help of NVISION, Oakville spearheaded a 13-email, four-wave Giving Tuesday sprint by donor segment (Friends, Occasional, Active, Major).

They ran Mailchimp A/B tests on subject framing (impact-first vs. urgency-first), sender (brand vs. leader), CTA language + placement (“Donate now” vs. “Fund better care today,” above-the-fold vs. lower), and match framing ($50k match vs. “double your gift to fund patient monitors”). 

Live tags auto-suppressed new donors between morning and afternoon sends, and Send Time Optimization layered timing by segment to hit predicted peak engagement.

The results: Donations increased by 75% compared with the previous year, and results finished 26% above the campaign goal. Email accounted for 69% of all Giving Tuesday gifts.

American Cancer Society
The play: Over a 36-hour window on Giving Tuesday, the American Cancer Society replaced formal, organization-focused language with earnest email creative that spoke directly to the donor’s impact on their life-saving work.

The results: Gifts increased by 227% and revenue by 165% compared with the previous year’s Giving Tuesday, giving a clear read on how the new messaging performed.

Make your year-end tests work harder
Pick one lever per send. Subject line, sender, CTA language, or placement of a button.

Compare YoY when A/B splits aren’t possible. Use identical dates or cadences from last year as your control, then benchmark against sector data (like M+R Benchmarks).

Ship early, roll winners. If running an A/B test, ship to a meaningful slice in the morning and push the winner to the full list later that day or the next.

Track, track, track. Record winning subject lines, CTAs, timing, and outcomes! It’s your roadmap for 2026.

The bottom line
You don’t need a big experiment to test smarter. A/B one variable when you can; read year-over-year when you can’t. 

Measure, adapt, and apply fast — that’s how December learnings turn into stronger campaigns next year.

Check our events list for more or reply to this email to submit one for consideration.

'Til next time!
Sara

P.S. Looking to add donors to your email list before year-end comes knocking? See how Civic Shout can help.