Cause awareness days 2018
Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is one of the most successful cause awareness days that nonprofits acknowledge every year. In 2017, nonprofits promoting Giving Tuesday received 2.4 million gifts, totaling $274 million in donations worldwide.
Though this day is obviously impactful for yearly fundraising goals, there are hundreds of other cause awareness days that could prove effective in helping reach your organization’s goals. These days provide an important opportunity to connect with your online audience about your cause and how they can help make a difference.
Download our 2018 cause awareness day calendar below, then continue reading to learn how these days should be incorporated into your nonprofit’s marketing strategy and fundraising plans for the year.
Choose the right days
Depending upon your organization’s focus, only a handful of the below cause awareness days will be applicable. Choose days that relate well to your nonprofit and decide which ones you will craft a strategy around.
How to plan
Whether it’s planning and hosting an event on the particular cause awareness day (5k walk/run, gala, charity auction, blood/clothes/food drive, golf tournament, etc.) or crafting a paid social campaign, a strategy is important.
Start by creating a page on your website dedicated to your cause awareness day campaign. Include a few paragraphs on the cause awareness day itself, why your organization connects to it, what the money raised will be used for and a link to your donation form. Your social media posts promoting this campaign should be crafted to lead to this page.
Next, do some research on what social channels your audience (both current audience and target audience) are most active on. This should also include the days they are most active on the channel and what times. Then, once your social media posts are crafted, you can post them at peak engagement times. In addition, consider updating your cover photo on your nonprofit’s Facebook and Twitter profiles to one featuring the cause awareness day your campaign centers around.
Decide if you want to do any paid advertising on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram around your campaign. This is another way to ensure you’ll be reaching your audience. Facebook offers options such as boosted posts or paid ads for business pages. Twitter offers promoted posts and Instagram offers both photo and video ads. Do your research to decide which platform and which type of advertisements is best for your nonprofit’s audience and budget.
You’ll also need to decide how to incorporate your email list in the campaign. Provide your audience with ways to donate, interact with and show their support of your organization by adding a paragraph about the cause awareness campaign and linking to the webpage you have created about it. Send these notices up to a month in advance and in the weeks leading up to the day.
Be sure any images you will be using for this campaign—for social posts, advertising or email newsletters—are branded with both the cause awareness day, the name of your campaign (if you decide to create one) and your nonprofit’s logo.
Check out our cause awareness post from 2017 for a few more tips on how to plan for a cause awareness campaign.
Social media callouts
Don’t worry if you don’t have the time or funds to craft a campaign around every cause awareness day that connects with your nonprofit. Some cause awareness days may not warrant a full planned campaign. Choose one or two main days you want to create a campaign around and then a handful of others you will acknowledge on a smaller scale. Calling out the day with a blog post about how it connects to your organization’s cause or even a few social posts explaining why the day is important may be enough in some instances.
Crafting a strategy, no matter how in-depth, around cause awareness days will not only help to increase donations but also has the potential to grow your audience and provide them with more ways to engage with your organization throughout the year.
Prepare your cause awareness day strategy for the year by downloading our calendar below. Learn more about marketing plans and fundraising campaigns for nonprofits by subscribing to 4aGoodCause’s weekly email newsletter.
2018 Cause Awareness Day Calendar
January
Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Dry January
National Blood Donor Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
Thyroid Awareness Month
8-14 – Obesity Awareness Week
11 – National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
15 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
16 – National Religious Freedom Day
21 – World Religion Day
21-27 – Healthy Weight Week
February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
2 – World Wetlands Day
2 – National Wear Red Day (Women’s Heart Disease Awareness)
4 – World Cancer Day
4-10 – Burn Awareness Week
7 – National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
11-17 – National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
14 – V-Day (Violence Against Women)
14 – National Condom Awareness Day
14 – National Donor Day
17 – Random Acts of Kindness Day
18 – World Whale Day
20 – World Day of Social Justice
20 – Love Your Pet Day
22 – World Thinking Day
22 – Digital Learning Day
27 – Mar 5 – National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
27 – World NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) Day
27 – World Spay Day
28 – Rare Disease Day
March
Brain Injury Awareness Month
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
National Kidney Cancer Awareness Month
National Nutrition Month
National Professional Social Work Month
National Save Your Vision Month
National Women’s History Month
Red Cross Month
3 – World Wildlife Day
4-11 – National Sleep Awareness Week
8 – International Women’s Day
8 – World Kidney Day
10 – National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
12-18 – Brain Awareness Week
19-23 – National Youth Violence Prevention Week
21 – Kick Butts Day
21 – National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 – World Down Syndrome Day
22 – World Water Day
24 – World Tuberculosis Day
24 – Earth Hour
April
Alcohol Awareness Month
Autism Awareness Month
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
National Counseling Awareness Month
National Humor Month
National Minority Health Awareness Month
National Youth Sports Safety Month
Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month
Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
1 – Easter
2 – World Autism Awareness Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
5 – National Day of Hope
7 – World Health Day
8-14 – National Library Week
10-16 – Parkinson’s Awareness Week
11 – World Parkinson’s Day
14 – World Dolphin Day
20 – Volunteer Recognition Day
21-23 – Global Youth Service Day
22 – Earth Day
23-29 – National Environmental Education Week
23-29 – National Volunteer Week
25 – World Malaria Day
27 – Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day
May
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Awareness Month
Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month
Clean Air Month
Foster Care Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month
National Arthritis Month
National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
National Brain Tumor Awareness Month
National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
Mental Health Awareness Month
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
National Stroke Awareness Month
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
1-6 – Be Kind to Animals Week
6 – National Nurses Day
6-12 – National Hospital Week
7 – Melanoma Monday
8 – National Teacher Day
8 – World Red Cross Day
10 – World Lupus Day
12 – World Migratory Bird Day
12 – World Fair Trade Day
13 – Mother’s Day
14-20 – Women’s Health Week
14 – National Woman’s Checkup Day
17 – International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia
18 – International Museum Day
18 – HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
18 – Bike to Work Day
19 – Armed Forces Day
30 – National Senior Health and Fitness Day
31 – World No Tobacco Day
June
National Great Outdoors Month
National LGBTQ Pride Month
National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month
National Safety Month
Professional Wellness Month
3 – National Cancer Survivors Day
5 – World Environment Day
8 – World Oceans Day
10 – National Children’s Day
11-17 – National Men’s Health Week
14 – World Blood Donor Day
17 – Father’s Day
19 – World Sickle Cell Day
20 – World Refugee Day
27 – National HIV Testing Day
July
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
1-7 – Clean Beaches Week
4 – Independence Day
11 – World Population Day
28 – World Hepatitis Day
29 – International Tiger Day
30 – World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
31 – National Mutt Day
August
Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
Psoriasis Awareness Month
1-7 – World Breastfeeding Week
7 – National Night Out
8 – International Cat Day
9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
12 – International Youth Day
12 – World Elephant Day
19 – World Humanitarian Day
26 – International Dog Day
September
America on the Move – Month of Action
Biodiversity Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month
Baby Safety Month
Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month
Leukemia Awareness Month
Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Alopecia Awareness Month
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
National Cholesterol Education Month
National Infant Mortality Awareness Month
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
5 – International Day of Charity
8 – International Literacy Day
9-15 – National Suicide Prevention Week
10 – World Suicide Prevention Day
13 – National Celiac Awareness Day
21 – World Alzheimer’s Day
21 – International Day of Peace
22 – World Rhino Day
26 – National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
27 – National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
28 – World Rabies Day
39 – World Heart Day
October
Cyber Security Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Energy Awareness Month
Healthy Lungs Month
Hunger Awareness Month
Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Liver Cancer Awareness Month
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month
1 – World Habitat Day
3 – World Cerebral Palsy Day
4 – World Animal Day
5 – World Teachers Day
7-13 – Mental Illness Awareness Week
7-13 – National Fire Prevention Week
10 – World Mental Health Day
11 – National Depression Screening Day
11 – International Day of the Girl
12 – World Arthritis Day
16 – World Food Day
16 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
19 – National Mammography Day
23-31 – Red Ribbon Week
24 – Lung Health Day
31 – Halloween
November
American Diabetes Month
Great American Smokeout Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Hospice Month
3 – World Kindness Day
12-16 – American Education Week
14 – World Diabetes Day
15 – National Philanthropy Day
15 – America Recycles Day
15 – Great American Smokeout
19 – World Toilet Day
22 – Thanksgiving
25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
27 – #GivingTuesday
December
National Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month
National Human Rights Month
1 – World AIDS Day
3 – International Day of People with Disabilities
5 – International Volunteer Day
9 – International Anti-Corruption Day
10 – International Human Rights Day
2-10 – Hanukkah
18 – International Migrants Day
25 – Christmas
