Each year, we remind our readers about GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that is supported by social media. It’s a way to kick off the charitable season as donors start to focus on holiday and year-end giving opportunities. This year, GivingTuesday is on December 3, 2019, and it’s not too late for your nonprofit to get involved.
To start, visit the GivingTuesday website and scroll down to see how your organization can “join the movement” from the button provided. The organizers of GivingTuesday also have a phenomenal toolkit page that covers everything from social media templates to sample press releases to case studies. It’s robust and I encourage you to spend time digesting the great information there. And even now, you’re not too far off from the 6-week communications timeline they provide as well. Below, we’ve paraphrased to get you started, but do download the timeline in full from GivingTuesday for additional support.
- Oct. 21 – Nov. 4: Get geared up, start announcing your campaign and ramp up communications on social media and through email drip campaigns.
- November 11: Expand promotions with action steps and finalize updates to your giving page and website
- November 18: Accelerate communications with weekly emails, a “2 weeks to go” message and direct mailers to your constituents.
- November 25: Communication countdown begins! Update progress to your board and staff; accelerate social media postings (good time to incorporate “giving thanks” messages; launch giving page updates.
- December 2: Almost time—use this day to prep any last-minute changes or communications. Do a final test on your website and giving pages and start the heavy social media content distributions.
- December 3: GivingTuesday!
It’s important to note that GivingTuesday does not process donations. If you are looking to fundraise this year, here are six starting tips to ensure your online giving process is in alignment before you get started with this great event:
- Build an easy user experience. When they land on your site or page, is it clear where to click/how to make a donation? The fewer clicks, the better.
- Try eliminating one form field from your donation form to streamline the process. Do you really need the person’s home phone AND cell phone, for instance?
- Make sure your landing page is in order and eliminate unnecessary content in order to remove distractions. Keep the basics and make sure you have a storyline along the way that provides information on why they should give.
- Make sure your website works across all devices. Make it responsive and mobile-friendly.
- Consider asking donors to cover processing fees as a way to receive more on this day. Many donors will not mind that they will have a processing fee added to their donation.
- Use an online fundraising platform (we know a great one!) to lower your administrative fees.
For more tips, see our donation page checklist which can also be downloaded as a PDF.
Good luck to everyone participating in #GivingTuesday this year. We will be following along and being a part of the event online as well. Let us know how it goes; we’re all in this together!
