Tuesday, November 29, 2016, is a global day dedicated to giving back. The goal is for charities, families, businesses, students and communities to celebrate generosity through giving and supporting a cause. Represented by the hashtag #GivingTuesday, this global giving day is fueled by social media and collaboration. The day is observed the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the U.S. and kicks off the charitable season.
There are so many opportunities to get involved on Giving Tuesday, and your nonprofit should be actively participating to help raise awareness of your cause and generate funds. Since the start of Giving Tuesday in 2012, more than 30,000 partners are actively participating in 68 countries, online donations have been estimated to have increased by 470% on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, there has been over 32.7 million Twitter impressions and 15.4 global impressions via print and social media!
It’s not too late to take advantage of Giving Tuesday and create a successful campaign—here’s your to-do list:
1. Set clear, measurable goals
To get the most of the #GivingTuesday, it is important for your nonprofit to set specific goals of what you want to accomplish that day in order to help motivate your team and give a real focus to all your efforts. Keep in mind that goals can go beyond just dollars raised—your organization can also set targets for donor engagement and brand awareness. When goal setting, keep in mind your target donor and remember that all your communication and outreach flows from that segment.
2. Join the #GivingTuesday community
If you are an official charity, school, religious or community group with a specific #GivingTuesday initiative, then you can get involved on the Giving Tuesday website. Join the community and create your #GivingTuesday profile by signing up your non-profit. In addition to the Giving Tuesday community, we will be celebrating and promoting all participating nonprofit clients on the 4aGoodCause Giving Tuesday page.
3. Schedule social media content
In a 2014 survey of over 1,500 nonprofit staff members, the three most important communication channels were websites, e-mail marketing and social media. Create social media content that is focused on the “Giving Tuesday” initiative by using the hashtag and drawing attention to how your current and new supporters can participate through your nonprofit. Use Twitter to build brand awareness and make new connections by using #GivingTuesday and mentioning the Giving Tuesday account and other participating partners and using images. In addition, use Facebook to create a few quality, relevant posts to help increase reach and traffic to your donation pages.
4. Send an e-newsletter
E-mail newsletters are a great, easy option for staying in touch with donors, updating them on your nonprofit’s work and keeping them involved. Eighty-two percent of consumers open emails from companies – opening the door for donations, increased website traffic, social media followers communication with your donors and volunteers. Send your supporters an e-newsletter in the weeks before Giving Tuesday to remind them to support your nonprofit on that day.
5. Write a blog post
If you have an active and up-to-date blog, create a post a few weeks or days before Giving Tuesday to inform current and new donors why they should give on that particular day. Share information about your own organization and how donations will be utilized to help those in your nonprofit community. The Giving Tuesday website offers plenty of resources for facts, statistics and case studies on how the day has impacted lives everywhere. Be sure to share your blog post on your social media sites and in your e-newsletter leading up to December 1st.
6. Create an event-specific donation page
Many nonprofits have year-end fundraising campaigns or campaigns to fundraise money for a specific project or event—did you know many of these nonprofits will create event-specific donation pages? When running campaigns like these, you don’t want to send donors to your general donation page because it can be confusing. An event-specific donation landing page is a great way to promote a special Giving Tuesday campaign and track how much was given on that particular day.
7. Plan a message video
Consider creating a video specifically for Giving Tuesday in which current donors and supporters explain why they have given or are giving to your organization. This video can be shared on your blog, in an e-mail and on all social media channels to help create a buzz about your nonprofit and motivation to give on that particular day.
8. Send mobile messages
Use an SMS campaign to send links and encourage social media conversation to donors who may support on Giving Tuesday. Create a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or “challenge” on sites like Facebook to encourage a little friendly competition between supporters. This is also a great way to spread the word about your organization and the event.
#GivingTuesday to-do list for nonprofits
If you need help creating a buzz about your nonprofit and Giving Tuesday, there’s still time! We have the tools and resources to get your Giving Tuesday campaign going – give us a call.
