Welcome to our monthly post where I share writing ideas for newsletters, social media, blog posts, and more! These writing ideas for November come from our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts email newsletter. Fill out the form below to get December’s prompts emailed to you the end of next week.

On the Calendar

11/3: Cliche Day. Relate those common cliches to your organization or explain why a certain cliche is bad.

11/05: International Volunteer Managers Day. Spotlight the person/people behind your volunteer program or share what goes into creating a meaningful volunteer experience.

11/07: Book Lovers Day. Compile staff picks or do a book review of something related to your mission. 

11/08: National STEM/STEAM Day. Especially useful for education, youth, science, environment, technology, or workforce organizations. Share how STEM connects to your mission.

11/11: Veteran’s Day. Highlight volunteers, staff, or clients who have served in the military.

11/13: World Kindness Day. Feature those volunteers who go above and beyond making your clients feel loved. Or share how your supporters can show kindness to others in a way that aligns with your cause.

11/15: America Recycles Day. Share how your organization recycles. For a twist, try “recycling” old content that got a good response.

11/15: National Philanthropy Day. Recognize your greatest supporters.

11/20: Absurdity Day. Take the opportunity to do something crazy! Social media is great for these kinds of things. Or dispel an absurd notion people believe about your organization.

11/21: World Television Day. Share a documentary, series, episode, or even fictional portrayal that relates to your cause. You could also talk about how your mission is represented on TV.

11/26: Thanksgiving (U.S.). Thank supporters, clients, and volunteers. Email messages of gratitude around Thanksgiving are a great way to kick off a series of fundraising emails in November and December.

November is also:

• Native American Heritage Month
• Child Safety Protection Month
• National Diabetes Awareness Month
• National Adoption Awareness Month
• Peanut Butter Lovers Month
• World Vegan Month
• National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
• National Caregiver Month
• Mo-vember (men’s health issues)

You also have:

• November 2: Día de los Muertos ends
• November 16: International Day of Tolerance
• November 15-21: National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
• November 19: Great American Smokeout
• November 20: World Children’s Day
• November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
• November 26: National Day of Mourning

Metaphor of the Month

This month’s metaphor is Shopping. Think about sales, bargains, prices, Amazon, mark-downs, malls, Black Friday, close-outs, grocery lists, shopping carts, aisles, cash register, lines, secret shoppers, credit, returns, yard sales, convenience store, coupons, advertising, wish lists, browsing, buyer’s remorse and loyalty programs, the perfect gift.

How can you relate these things to your organization?

Pop Culture, Events, and News

The New York City Marathon will be held the 1st.

Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1st.

Election Day in the U.S. is November 3rd, with all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats up for election, along with gubernatorial, state and local races.

The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held November 14th. This year’s inductees include Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah and others. The ceremony won’t air until December though.

The 59th Annual CMA Awards will be the 18th.

The Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak around November 16th – 17th.

The Soul Train Awards are the 27th.

The busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is November 27th with Small Business Saturday the 28th and Cyber Monday the 30th.

Movies coming out in theaters this month include Godzilla Minus Zero; Drummer Boy; Jimmy; Ramayana; Wild Horse Nine; The Cat in the Hat; Ghost Soldier; Soul Patrol; Ebenezer; Victorian Psycho; How to Rob a Bank; The Host; I Play Rocky; The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping; Paper Tiger; Bitter Christmas; Hexed; Hershey; and Focker-in-Law.

Movies streaming this month include Possible Love; Being Heumann; Gentle Monster; Madden; Steps; A Dog’s Perfect Christmas; and Way of the Warrior Kid.

TV shows or mini-series returning or premiering include The Gilded Age; The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins; St. Denis Medical; Black Doves; North of North; The Greatest; The Body; The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power; Rivals; The Good Daughter; The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County; Southern Charm; 12 12 12; The Chosen; Crime and Punishment in America; and Percy Jackson and the Olympians; Yellowjackets; Dig; Blade Runner 2099; and The Hunting Wives.

There will also be a ton of holiday-based movies, cooking shows, etc. coming out this month.

Source of the Month

Sharing Your Progress. Before kicking off your year-end giving campaigns, make sure you have properly shared your victories and highlights of the year giving your supporters credit for it all.

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