October: is #GivingTuesday right for your organization?
#GivingTuesday - Is it right for your organization?
In 2012, #GivingTuesday was created to promote generosity. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become a global day of giving where organizations and communities raise funds through the power of collective action and collaboration. However, with the increased use of social media and digital campaigns over the past 10 years, if not done correctly, your #GivingTuesday solicitation will just be one of many e-blasts saturating your donors’ inboxes.
Our clients ask us all the time – should we keep doing it? What is the benefit? How can we stand out?
Based on facts alone, participating in #GivingTuesday is a no-brainer. In 2022, donors in the U.S. contributed $3.1 billion dollars on #GivingTuesday. And this was 18% higher than in 2021!
So what can you be doing to ensure your #GivingTuesday efforts lead to positive results? Empowered Nonprofits is here to help you through a series of tips… enjoy!
1. #GivingTuesday needs to work with your reality
The most common mistake organizations make is creating a last minute #GivingTuesday campaign. Do not just create a campaign because you’re getting multiple #GivingTuesday emails in your inbox. Any campaign or solicitation should be thoughtfully aligned with your larger development plan. Does it work within your organization's timeline, donor giving patterns, and overall fundraising goals? It's perfectly acceptable to opt out and focus on activities that are more closely aligned with the mission and your communities expectations if #GivingTuesday is not a good use of your resources.
Empowered Tip: Many organizations have extended their end of year campaign by starting earlier and weaving #GivingTuesday into the campaign. Instead of having #GivingTuesday be a one day campaign push, make it a part of your organization’s entire end of year campaign. #GivingTuesday then becomes an additional solicitation that counts towards your end of year fundraising goal. Think about changing your end of year look and feel, announce a match or fundraising challenge, incorporate multimedia components like video testimonials, or involve your volunteers and staff on peer to peer outreach.
2. Your #GivingTuesday effort should be worth the impact
Once you establish if a #GivingTuesday campaign is right for your organization, create your campaign with your ROI (return on investment) in mind. How much staff time, outsourced vendors, or marketing expenses are you investing in this campaign? Will you reach the established goal? How much expendable time does the staff have available to devote? Understanding the ROI not only helps in resource allocation, but also allows you to set realistic goals and refine your organization’s fundraising and marketing tactics.
Empowered Tip: Build #GivingTuesday into your development plan from the start! Involve your entire communication and development staff. And if you have a small team, ask your volunteers to run a fundraising initiative like a phone-a-thon or a social media peer campaign.
3. #GivingTuesday is the perfect time to be creative
Use #GivingTuesday to experiment with new initiatives or ideas and as an opportunity to determine what lands with your constituents. This will give you the time to work out any kinks before fully committing your creative ideas into your larger fundraising efforts.
Empowered Tip: We love thinking out of the box with our clients to bring their storytelling to life! If you have not invested in a social media campaign, maybe now is the time to try it. #GivingTuesday is the perfect way to launch a social media campaign to tell your story and engage your community. It also builds your online presence. Keep in mind, your social media presence should have already been a part of your fundraising plan. If you do not have a grand social media following, this is probably not your year! Take the time to build an online following and establish the right messaging. Additional creative tactics clients have used on #GivingTuesday include: digital paid ads or boosting posts, incorporating a donor match if you have not done one before in an active campaign, video testimonials, and utilizing segmented emails based on donor levels and specific constituent asks.
Interested in implementing a campaign? Empowered Nonprofits is here to help you. Reach out to us!