Let’s Celebrate! 2024 Mission-Focused Nonprofit Holidays
According to Hootsuite’s 2024 Social Trends Report, 56% of consumers think that brands should be more relatable on social media. But creating fun, relatable content doesn’t magically happen – it takes careful planning and creative ideas!
Celebrating holidays that are relevant to your mission is a great opportunity to engage with your audience, steward your donors, enhance brand awareness and increase your likelihood to go viral. But, creating your annual content calendar can feel like a daunting task. Taking the time and energy to search the internet for every holiday you need to recognize is a huge endeavor. But I’m here to help!
First, did you get a chance to read 2024 Nonprofit Holidays You Don’t Want To Miss? I recommend you start your planning with this list of essential nonprofit holidays, federal holidays and some “just for fun” content.
Now, let’s dig a little deeper! The following holidays are broken down by specific nonprofit categories:
- Healthcare & Human Services
- Education
- Mental Health & Wellness
- Veteran & Military Families
- Social Justice
- Wildlife, Conservation & Pets
- Arts & Culture
- Youth Mentorship
- Housing Services & Unhoused Populations
- Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
NOTE: I know there are SO many more nonprofit categories and this is by no means a comprehensive list. I chose a few of the most common categories and the standout holidays for each. If you’d like your nonprofit category added to our list, drop your information below. I am more than happy to find holidays that are specific to you!
Let’s dig in:
Healthcare & Human Services 
- International Childhood Cancer Day – February 15
- Rare Diseases Day – February 29
- National Doctors’ Day – March 30
- World Autism Day – April 2
- World Health Day – April 7
- National Nurses Day – May 6
- National Cancer Survivors Day – June 2
Education
- International Day of Education – January 24
- International Day of Women and Girls in Science – February 11
- Read Across America Day / Dr. Seuss Day – March 2
- World Book Day – April 23
FOX TIP: Create a staff reading list! Ask your employees to share a book that has positively impacted their life and share with your followers. Simply use MemoryFox to collect staff submissions, create a video montage on Canva, and show your followers your results. You might be surprised to learn which genre your coworker prefers!
- International Museum Day – May 18
- National Higher Education Day – June 6
- Read A Book Day – September 6
Mental Health & Wellness
- Mind-Body Wellness Day – January 3
- World Health Day – April 7
- Mental Health Awareness Month – May
- World Meditation Day – May 21
- Global Wellness Day – June 8
- World Suicide Prevention Day – Septemnber 10
- World Mental Health Day – October 10
Veteran & Military Families
- Full list of Military Branch Birthdays
- National K9 Veterans Day – March 13
- National Medal of Honor Day – March 25
- Military Spouse Appreciation Day – May 10
- National PTSD Awareness Day – June 27
- National Hire A Veteran Day – July 25
FOX TIP: Take this day to highlight a business on your social channels that makes it a priority to hire veterans. If you are an organization that works with several organizations that fit this bill, make a video compilation of their logos and create a short-form video. Be sure to celebrate their mission, explain their initiatives, and don’t forget to tag them!
- Purple Heart Day – August 7
- Gold Star Families Day – September 29
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day – December 7
Social Justice
- Rosa Parks Day – February 4
- Zero Discrimination Day – March 1
- International Transgender Day of Visibility – March 31
- World Day for International Justice – July 17
- Women’s Equality Day – August 26
- National Coming Out Day – October 11
- International Day of Tolerance – November 16
- Human Rights Day – December 10
Wildlife, Conservation & Pets
- Dress Up Your Pet Day – January 14 (Need I say more??)
- World Wildlife Day – March 3
- Earth Day – April 22
FOX TIP: Collect videos and photos from your volunteers of them enjoying their favorite outdoor activity in your community. Then, share with your followers and ask them to contribute in the comments! Your audience will love seeing you perform your mission, and you might even learn a new place to take your dog on their next walk!
- Arbor Day – April 28
- National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day – April 30
- World Rainforest Day – June 22
- America Recycles Day – November 15
- National Energy Conservation Day – December 14
Arts & Culture
- National Arts Month – February
- International Week of Black Women in the Arts – February 7-15
- World Day of Theater for Children and Young People – March 20
- Shakespeare Week – March 21-27
- World Theater Day – March 27
- National Poetry Month – April
- Jazz Appreciation Month – April
- World Art Day – April 15
- National Creativity Day – May 30
- World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development – May 21
- World Day of Music – June 21
- Art Appreciation Month – August
- National Fine Art Appreciation Day – October 25th
Youth Mentorship
- National Mentoring Month – January
- I Am A Mentor Day – January 9
- International Mentoring Day – January 17
- Thank Your Mentor Day – January 25
- World Children’s Day – June 9
- National Day of Encouragement – September 12
- Positive Thinking Day – September 13
- International Day of the Girl – October 16
- National Mentoring Day – October 27
Housing Services & Unhoused Populations
- National Fair Housing Month – April
- Affordable Housing Month – May
- Home Ownership Month – June
- National Good Neighbor Day – September 28
- World Homeless Day – October 10
- National Homelessness Awareness Month – November
- Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week – November 17-23
- National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day – December 21
Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
- World Braille Day – January 4
- Rare Disease Day – February 29
- Developmental Disabilities Month – March
- International Wheelchair Day – March 1
- World Down Syndrome Day – March 21
- World Autism Awareness Day – April 2
- ALS Awareness Month – May
- Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month – June
- Disability Pride Month – July
- Disability Awareness Day – July 14
- World Alzheimer’s Day – September 21
- International Day of Sign Language – September 23
- Down Syndrome Awareness Month – October
- Invisible Disabilities Week – October 17 – 23
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities – December 3
I wish you the best of luck planning your 2024 content calendar, and I hope these mission-related nonprofit holidays and fox tips add value to your channels.
Not seeing a category that relates to your organization? Drop your information below and I’ll add the mission-focused holidays for your nonprofit category to the list!
About the Author
Carly Euler
Marketing Manager, MemoryFox
Carly comes from the nonprofit world ready to elevate the hundreds of nonprofits in the MemoryFox community. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Wily Network’s Young Professionals Association, and has previously held positions at the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, the Code of Support Foundation, Kenya Lacrosse Association, and the BOMA Project, where she has specialized in marketing, communications, and fundraising. Storytelling has been an integral part of each role.
