Its fall and year-end giving campaigns are in full-on planning and execution modes. The final quarter of the year is one of the most important times for nonprofits to raise the critical funds for their mission. One way to spread the word about your work, while raising money and awareness is to participate in #GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday is a global day dedicated to giving back. This day is an opportunity for nonprofits, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world to come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
Giving Tuesday falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year, and there’s a reason for that. #GivingTuesday comes after Thanksgiving where we have one day of “giving thanks” and then retailers have two days for giving shoppers great deals (Black Friday & Cyber Monday). The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday, people are then encouraged to give back to a greater good. With all the money people are spending on food and shopping – how about encouraging them to put a little cash aside to donate to a cause they support? With the holiday season in full swing, oftentimes people are looking to increase their philanthropic support and #GivingTuesday is a great opportunity to do that.
Here are ten ways to help make your GivingTuesday campaign a tremendous success; helping to make your calendar year-end your most successful ever.
What we will cover
Start Planning Now
More than likely you have your year-end fundraising campaign planned out. By incorporating #GivingTuesday as part of your strategies, you are creating an awareness and fundraising appeal that can fit into your other strategies such as emails, letters, and video appeals. It can enhance what you already have planned while creating another element of awareness and exposure for your work.
Use Social Media to Tell Your Story
By using the #GivingTuesday hashtag early and often on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or anywhere else you have a presence on social media, you are bringing awareness to your mission. Your constituents should know that you are part of this movement. And with the global presence of #GivingTuesday, your social media presence may come to the attention of new followers of your work. You can even create a YouTube video that brings your mission to life that rivals cat videos.
Stories Are Key to Giving Tuesday Success
What’s also great about Giving Tuesday is that it’s a global opportunity to share the stories that make your mission come to life. We all know that sharing the stories of how your nonprofit’s mission has touched the lives of others is a key way to create cases of support for your vital work. By gathering as many stories from clients, families, grant partners, or anyone that your work has touched, you can use them to highlight your work. Let their words speak for themselves. Once you have the stories, create pull-out quotes to share on the various social media channels which then link back to your donation website. People give to people and by highlighting the real-life stories that have been changed because of your work, your work becomes real and people are more apt to support it.
Use Donation Pages That Work and Get Results
Speaking of your donation page, make sure yours works right and makes an impactful impression. Because #GivingTuesday is such a social media-driven campaign, your online presence needs to make a great impression. If you aren’t there yet, DoJiggy can help. We have easy-to-use templates to help you create a custom donation website that mirrors the branding of your nonprofit organization. Your organization can post information about your cause (including photos, videos, and a fundraising thermometer to track your progress) on your donation page, which helps garner more financial donations. Supporters can easily make safe and secure online donations with a few simple clicks.
Gather Inspiration
Sometimes the best way to gather inspiration is to see how others have successfully done something that you are setting out to do. To gather Giving Tuesday inspiration, head on over to the Case Studies on the #Giving Tuesday website. Here you will find nonprofit, corporate, individual, and more #GivingTuesday success case studies, or rather success stories. Search all of the social media platforms and see what content is already making the rounds and make yours better. You may see someone that is similar to you and your mission that could inspire your next great action to success.
Live Stream the Campaign Kick-off
Live stream your event or program to highlight your mission in action. Think big, think creatively, and check what others are doing to get some inspiration.
Make Sure that Board Members Lead the Way
The members of your Board of Directors are an amazing group of giving leaders for your organization. They could team up together to create a matching gift to whatever is raised on #GivingTuesday. By announcing that your Board is matching gifts on that day could increase the amount raised, spread the word faster and create incredible momentum leading up to that day. Create the buzz and announcement prior to December 1st and get your Board members involved in spreading the word.
Corporate Friends Count
GivingTuesday is a great opportunity to create an even more collaborative partnership with your corporate supporters. Reach out to companies that love your work and suggest a donation for dress down day, a volunteering day of action where their team members can be put to work in the community or ask their marketing team to share the social media love. By helping your nonprofit to spread the word about #GivingTuesday, they are showing the heart side of their business and garnering social media impressions as well. Everyone wins.
Measure Your Success
The only way to get better for next year, and to know that you are, is to measure your impact. By knowing how you performed this year, you can improve your performance and support for next year. And then, start planning earlier to make the greatest impact. Here are some metrics to consider:
- Social media impressions, clicks, shares, donations, and mentions
- Total funds raised
- New supporters reached
- New recurring donors
Do you have a #GivingTuesday success story? If so, share it with us. And if you found these tips helpful, share the love. December 1st is right around the corner and the more giving that happens, the more amazing the world will be.
Start Now!
This is simply a reminder that it’s getting close and you should be starting now. Simple as that!
Related Resources
