The 2027 Cause and Giving Calendar

Four of the biggest service and giving days of 2027 fall on a weekend, including the 9/11 Day of Service and International Volunteer Day. If your company runs volunteering during work hours, those dates need planning early.

Quick answer: GivingTuesday 2027 is Tuesday, November 30. National Volunteer Week runs from April 18 to 24 in the United States and Canada. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is Monday, January 18. The 9/11 Day of Service (September 11), Make a Difference Day (October 23), and International Volunteer Day (December 5) fall on weekends, so plan workday events for the nearest Friday.

A cause and giving calendar is a year-long plan of the dates a company uses for employee giving campaigns, volunteer events, and donation matching. This calendar covers the giving days, days of service, and cause awareness dates that matter most for CSR and social impact program managers in 2027. For heritage months and identity observances, see our 2027 ERG Observance and Heritage Month Calendar.

How should you use this 2027 cause and giving calendar?

Not every date deserves a campaign. We recommend sorting each date into one of three levels before the year starts.

Choose one major moment for giving and one for volunteering. For most companies, that means the year-end giving season and either National Volunteer Week or a company day of service. Then pick two to four supported moments that match the causes your employees care about most.

Why do most giving calendars fall short?

Most giving calendars are lists of awareness days. They tell you what is happening, not what to do about it. That leads to three common problems:

• Every date becomes a campaign. Employees tune out, and the team running the program burns out by summer.

• Giving and volunteering are planned separately. A volunteer day with no way to give, or a giving campaign with no way to serve, leaves participation on the table.

• Weekends and regions are ignored. A Saturday service day or a U.S.-only date does not work for a global, office-based workforce without adjustment.

This calendar pairs every date with a campaign idea, flags weekend dates, and includes regional days for teams in the UK, Canada, and India.

Which 2027 service and giving days fall on a weekend?

If your company runs volunteering during work hours, move these events to the nearest workday.

What are the key giving and volunteering dates for each month of 2027?

What should CSR teams plan for January 2027?

January opens the program year. It is the month to reset match rules, promote recurring giving, and hold the first day of service of the year.

Look ahead: Ask each nonprofit partner what it needs this year, and open sign-ups for spring skills-based projects.

What should CSR teams plan for February 2027?

February is a quieter month, which makes it a good time for low-effort entry points that bring in first-time participants.

Look ahead: Confirm partners and match settings for Earth Month in April.

What should CSR teams plan for March 2027?

March centers on water and climate, and it is the last month to finish planning for a busy April.

Look ahead: Open sign-ups for National Volunteer Week and plan any extra Dollars for Doers grants for that week.

What should CSR teams plan for April 2027?

April is the biggest volunteering month of the year. It is Global Volunteer Month and Earth Month, and it includes National Volunteer Week and Earth Day.

Look ahead: Invite ERGs, offices, and teams to plan their own community campaigns for May and June.

What should CSR teams plan for May 2027?

May is a good month to hand the calendar to your employee communities, while you prepare for disaster season.

Look ahead: Agree who can activate a disaster response campaign and how much match budget they can release.

What should CSR teams plan for June 2027?

June opens hurricane season and brings two environmental days, plus Volunteers' Week for UK teams.

Look ahead: Plan short, family-friendly volunteer options for the summer months.

What should CSR teams plan for July 2027?

July is a slower month for participation, so keep options short and flexible.

Look ahead: Start back-to-school campaign planning with education partners.

What should CSR teams plan for August 2027?

August is back-to-school season in many regions, which makes education the natural focus.

Look ahead: Draft your year-end giving plan, including the GivingTuesday match.

What should CSR teams plan for September 2027?

September is Hunger Action Month and includes two global days of giving and service. It is also the deadline for locking year-end plans.

Look ahead: Set the GivingTuesday match and lock the year-end budget by September 30.

What should CSR teams plan for October 2027?

October is full of service and food security dates, plus India's festival of giving.

Look ahead: Brief leaders on their role in GivingTuesday and prepare year-end communications.

What should CSR teams plan for November 2027?

November is the start of the year-end giving season, the peak period for employee giving. GivingTuesday 2025 raised an estimated $4.0 billion in the U.S., and the number of people who volunteered that day rose 20%.

Look ahead: Set the deadline for logging volunteer hours so Dollars for Doers grants can be paid before year-end.

What should CSR teams plan for December 2027?

December closes the giving year. Focus on recognition, final reminders, and records.

Look ahead: Archive the year's records, share an annual impact report, and set next year's budget and match rules.

What should a monthly giving and volunteering plan include?

Copy this template for each month. Fill it in with your program team, then share it with your executive sponsor.

How can you run a full year of campaigns without burning out your team?

A full calendar only works if the program can run without one person carrying it. A few habits make the difference:

• Limit company-wide giving asks to one a month. Community campaigns led by ERGs, offices, and teams can run alongside it.

• Let employee communities own their campaigns. When an ERG or office can run its own campaign, with its own goal and match settings, the central team sets the rules instead of running every event.

• Automate the routine work. Standard matches, tax receipts, reminders, and hours logging should not need manual effort.

• Keep a reserve for the unplanned. Disasters do not follow a calendar, so keep budget and pre-approved relief partners ready all year.

• Write your nonprofit rules once. Our employee program compliance checklist covers what reviewers look for before a program launches.

Ready to plan your 2027 giving and volunteering with less manual work?

Teleskope runs employee giving, donation matching, volunteering, and Dollars for Doers inside the ERGs, events, and communities employees already use, with no separate portal to log into. Employees give in a few clicks and receive a tax receipt automatically, and program managers choose which verified nonprofits fit company values.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cause and giving calendar?

A cause and giving calendar is a year-long plan of the dates a company uses for employee giving campaigns, volunteer events, and donation matching. It helps program managers choose which moments get a full campaign, which get a lighter touch, and how to pair giving with volunteering.

When is GivingTuesday 2027?

GivingTuesday 2027 is on Tuesday, November 30, 2027. It always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States and marks the start of the year-end giving season for many employee giving programs.

When is National Volunteer Week 2027?

National Volunteer Week 2027 runs from Sunday, April 18 to Saturday, April 24, 2027, in both the United States and Canada. In the UK, Volunteers' Week runs from June 1 to 7 each year.

What are the best dates for a company day of service in 2027?

Popular dates for a company day of service in 2027 include Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18, National Volunteer Week from April 18 to 24, the 9/11 Day of Service on September 11, Make a Difference Day on October 23, and International Volunteer Day on December 5. The last three fall on a weekend in 2027, so hold workday events on the Friday before.

How many giving campaigns should a company run in a year?

Most employee giving programs run well with always-on donation matching, one major giving season (usually from GivingTuesday to December 31), two to four supported campaigns tied to the company's cause pillars, and a rapid response campaign when a disaster occurs. Community campaigns led by ERGs, offices, and teams can run alongside these.

How far ahead should you plan a corporate giving campaign?

Plan a major giving campaign about eight weeks ahead, so there is time to confirm nonprofit partners, match settings, approvals, and communications. For the year-end giving season, set the GivingTuesday match and lock the budget by the end of September.

How do you choose which awareness days to mark?

Choose awareness days that match your company's cause pillars and the causes employees care about most. Run full campaigns for a few of them, and mark the rest with a short mention in your newsletter or community channels.