Last Minute Tips for Giving Tuesday
Celebrating gratitude on Thanksgiving only to witness the frenzied shopping of Black Friday mere hours later always seemed paradoxical to me. It's interesting how quickly the focus shifts from appreciating what we have to scrambling for bargains. Yet, as swiftly as the shopping frenzy peaks, the tide turns towards generosity with the arrival of Giving Tuesday, making the end of November a showcase of the power of these collective responses.
As Giving Tuesday swiftly approaches on November 28, 2023, it's time for many nonprofits to kick into high gear. This global day of giving, nestled right after Thanksgiving, offers a an opportunity for a boost to your fundraising efforts. Let’s dive into some practical, evidence-based tips to enhance your Giving Tuesday campaign. Remember, it’s the season for both gratitude and action!
1. Start Early
The early bird gets the worm, especially in fundraising. Around this time of year we focus on making our appeals perfect, where oftentimes in reality we just have to be first. Beginning your campaign well before Giving Tuesday creates momentum and keeps your cause at the forefront of donors' minds. According to the Network for Good, organizations that start their campaigns early tend to raise more. Use the week (or weeks) leading up to the event to engage and inform your audience.
2. Amplify Your Message on Social Media
Social media is not a replacement for other more effective fundraising methods, but it can be a powerful ally. Social media has a very specific role of pushing out your message, and funneling people to your site. To maximize your social media use, share compelling stories, use engaging visuals, and leverage the #GivingTuesday hashtag to push out your content.
3. Leverage Matching Gifts
Matching gifts can dramatically increase your donations, on Giving Tuesday or otherwise. They can be incredibly effective and much of the potential in matching gift programs remains untapped. Partner with an individual or corporation willing to match donations to double the impact.
Matching gifts tend to generate a lot of excitement, especially if there is a very specific goal in mind. People will usually be more willing to stretch their giving during a matching gift period as well.
4. Share Impactful Stories
People are moved by stories. Use this to your advantage. It’s far more powerful to help people move from their “left brain” into their “right brain” to evoke an emotional response than to share facts and statistics. Facts and statistics are important, but typically this is not enough to inspire action by itself. People usually donate with emotion, and then justify their decision with logic. There are ways to optimize your storytelling that we have seen work for Giving Tuesday campaigns and beyond.
5. Thank Your Donors – Early and Often
Donor appreciation is key. Far too often the only time that our donors and broader constituency hear from us is with our hand out. Your goal should be to increase the ratio of interactions with your donors that are not solicitations. One of the easiest ways to do this is to say thank you. Make your donors feel valued from the get-go. This could include an immediate acknowledgment post-Giving Tuesday as well as additional follow-up afterwards.
The goal of Giving Tuesday goes beyond just Giving Tuesday. By embracing these strategies, you’re building a sustainable community of support and making a lasting impact. Let’s turn this Giving Tuesday into a milestone for your nonprofit. Happy Fundraising and Happy Thanksgiving!
Interested in optimizing your fundraising? Need an influx of fundraising cash to your nonprofit? We can help! Schedule a call with us and we would be happy to learn about your nonprofit.
