Taking advantage of cause awareness days
With nearly 200 official “health awareness” days, according to the American Journal of Public Health, and many other days and even whole months dedicated to specific causes, there’s certainly no shortage of days to promote your cause. The question is how can your nonprofit best take advantage of these days so that it makes a difference in both boosting donations and raising awareness?
First, download our cause awareness day calendar below, then continue reading to find out some ways your nonprofit can take advantage of these days.
How to get your audience involved
Though many charities and nonprofits take to social media to promote their cause on these calendar awareness days, sometimes results aren’t seen because the organizations fail to create a strategy behind their promotion. These awareness days usually receive at least some level of participation online since it’s an easy way for people to share a cause they care about and show their support. However, your organization will benefit from a strategy to boost participation.
Here are a few tips to help you effectively raise awareness and donations for your organization’s cause on your awareness day:
Make sure you look your best
Update both your website and social channels as needed in the weeks leading up to the day. Hopefully, the campaign will drive a lot of new traffic to both your social channels and your website, so you will want to make sure your website looks its best from all angles. Make sure your photos are clear, your information is up-to-date and there is a clear path to your website from your social media accounts and to your donation page from your website.
Set up a special fundraising campaign
On your website, you can also build a special donation page or fundraising landing page that matches the content and message of the cause day. Building a special donation page will carry the day’s theme into the donation process—matching your emails and other marketing content. This continuity helps to increase gifts. Your unique donation page will also allow you to track your campaign success with a unique campaign ID.
In addition, a cause awareness day or month is a good time to offer a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign that allows supporters to build their own fundraising pages and tell their own stories. The subsequent landing page with a fundraising thermometer and defined campaign goal helps donors understand what your nonprofit goals are for the cause day or month.
Create shareable materials
In addition to updating your website and social accounts, create a set of promotional images or graphics centered around the awareness day to share on all your channels.
Send reminders and opportunities
Use your email list or monthly newsletter to remind your supporters that the national day for your cause is coming up. Provide them ways to donate, interact with and show their support of your organization within this email. Send these notices up to a month in advance and in the weeks leading up to the day.
Host an event
Consider hosting a Facebook live, Instagram live or webinar chat with your social audience on the day or days you plan to promote your cause. Come prepared with a short list of topics you’d like to touch on and then invite the audience to tweet or comment questions they’d like to hear you answer to create a feeling of audience involvement and interaction with your organization.
Go big on the awareness day
Increase the amount of content shared on your social channels on your awareness day. Your first Facebook, Twitter and Instagram update should announce the cause awareness day and provide instructions on how your audience can get involved (i.e. use this hashtag, change your profile picture to this, share this video, donate, etc.). After the initial post, continue updating the channels with a variety of your best content.
Thank your audience and donors
The work isn’t done when the day has passed. Make sure you update your social channels, campaign page and email newsletter thanking your audience for their participation on that specific day and telling them how successful the campaign was. Measure the success in the amount of donations, retweets, views, shares, petition signatures, volunteers and any other engagement your organization received in response to the day.
Using these suggestions will not only ensure your success on your cause awareness day but increase your audience and provide them with more ways to engage with your organization throughout the year. Subscribe to 4aGoodCause’s weekly email newsletter or check out the rest of our blog to find more information on creating better connections with your audience.
Find a cause awareness day for your nonprofit by downloading our calendar below.
2017 Cause Awareness Day Calendar
January
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Dry January
National Blood Donor Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
9-15 – Obesity Awareness Week
15 – World Religion Day
16-20 – Healthy Weight Week
16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service — #MLKDay
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
3 – National Wear Red Day (Women’s Heart Disease Awareness)
4 – World Cancer Day
5-11 – Burn Awareness Week
7 – National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
12-18 – 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
23 – Digital Learning Day
26 – Mar 4 – National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
27 – World NGO (Non Governmental Organizations) Day
28 – Rare Disease Day
28 – World Spay 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
2-9 – National Sleep Awareness Week
3 – World Wildlife Day
8 – International Women’s Day
9 – World Kidney Day
10: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
13-19 – Brain Awareness Week
15 – 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
25 – 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
2 – World Autism Awareness Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
3-7 – National Youth Violence Prevention Week
5 – National Day of Hope
7 – World Health Day
9-15 – National Environmental Education Week
9-15 – National Library Week
14 – World Dolphin Day
16- Easter
20 – Volunteer Recognition Day
21-23 – Global Youth Service Day
22 – Earth Day
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
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
2 – National Teacher Day
3 – Melanoma Monday
6-12 – National Nurses Week
7-13 – Be Kind to Animals Week
7-13 – National Hospital Week
8 – World Red Cross Day
8 – National Woman’s Checkup Day
10 – World Lupus Day
13 – World Migratory Bird Day
13 – World Fair Trade Day
14-20 – Women’s Health Week
14 – Mother’s Day
17 – International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia
18 – International Museum Day
18 – HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
20 – Armed Forces Day
21-27 – Bike to Work Week
31 – National Senior National Health and Fitness Day
31 – World No Tobacco Day
June
National Great Outdoors Month
National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month
National Safety Month
Professional Wellness Month
4 – National Cancer Survivors Day
5 – World Environment Day
8 – World Oceans Day
10 – National Children’s Day
12-18 – National Men’s Health Week
14 – World Blood Donor Day
18 – 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
28 – World Hepatitis Day
29 – International Tiger Day
31- National Mutt Day
August
Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
Psoriasis Awareness Month
1-7 – World Breastfeeding Week
1 – National Night Out
9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
12 – International Youth Day
12 – World Elephant Day
19 – World Humanitarian Day
22 – Be an Angel 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
10-16 – 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
23 – RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) Day
27 – National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
28 – World Rabies Day
29 – National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
30 – World Heart Day
October
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
1-7 – Mental Illness Awareness Week
2 – World Habitat Day
4 – World Animal Day
4 – World Cerebral Palsy Day
5 – World Teachers Day
5 – National Depression Screening Day
8-14 – National Fire Prevention Week
10 – World Mental Health Day
11 – International Day of the Girl
12 – World Arthritis Day
16 – World Food Day
17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
20 – National Mammography Day
22-28 – Red Ribbon Week
25 – 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
13 – World Kindness Day
13-17 – American Education Week
14 – World Diabetes Day
15 – National Philanthropy Day
15 – America Recycles Day
16 – Great American Smokeout
19 – World Toilet Day
23 – Thanksgiving
25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
28 – #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
12-20 – Chanukah
18 – International Migrants Day
25 – Christmas
If you see any corrections or additions that need to be made to our awareness calendar get in touch.
