It’s time for our annual #GivingTuesday post to get your nonprofit into the planning spirit as we near year-end giving campaigns. This year, GivingTuesday lands on December 1. Created 8 years ago, this global movement was started as a way to inspire others to give, to do good. Giving can be done through monetary donations or through donations of time. And it’s a movement that encourages both individuals and organizations (like yours!) to participate.
Get your nonprofit involved
GivingTuesday makes it easy for organizations to get involved in the movement each year. By clicking on the organizations page of the site, you’ll be guided through five areas of support to kick-start your campaign. We suggest you start by signing up for the GivingTuesday email list so you’ll be in the know leading up to the day.
Spend time getting to know the resources
We don’t want to re-invent the wheel as GivingTuesday works hard at providing resources for all organization types—from foundations and nonprofits to individual givers and small businesses. Our advice is to set aside time for you and your team to take a deep dive into the resources the movement provides and downloads the Complete Toolkit for Nonprofits along with other templates and tools found in the “Additional Resources” area of the site.
Plan your campaign
Think about what messaging you’ll prepare leading up to December 1 and what type of activity (virtual event, online giving blitz, donor thank you campaign, etc.) you want to host on that day. Register with GivingTuesday in the event that others are looking for similar events or organizations in your realm; there’s no cost to do so and it’s free advertising for your nonprofit!
If you are going to host a fundraising event or push for donations on December 1, ensure that your communication channels are set appropriately and that all of your online giving options, landing pages and content areas are in tip-top shape. Need guidance? These tools should help:
- Virtual fundraising case study
- Virtual events and P2P fundraising
- How to build an effective donation page
- Virtual fundraising events: Make them work for you
Use social media to spread the word
Because GivingTuesday has such a large online presence, it is beneficial to focus on what you can be sending out on your social media channels to promote your campaign and give credence to the movement. Learn how to use social media to improve your digital fundraising during GivingTuesday (and throughout the year) and make a plan for how you’ll up the ante on those channels between now and December 1.
And don’t forget to follow GivingTuesday on social as well. These handles can be found in the Giving Tuesday FAQs resource online, but for ease, we’ve listed their social channels here:
- Twitter: @GivingTuesday
- Instagram: @givingtuesday
- Snapchat: add/GivingTuesday
- TikTok: GivingTuesday
Use and/or follow the hashtag #GivingTuesday to join the conversion or to receive additional ideas leading up to December 1.
Looking for additional inspiration? Check out our 2019 GivingTuesday and 2018 GivingTuesday posts. Much of the information is relevant today and will guide you through specific communication timelines and set-up. Good luck!
