5 Rules For a Successful Day of Giving as a Participating Organization
Participating in a Day of Giving, whether it’s your first year or your tenth, can be a little intimidating.
It can feel like you’re about to compete with hundreds of different organizations for the same donor dollar, and you’ll be left in the dust. But the great thing about a Day of Giving is that the complete opposite happens; most everyone participating is there to help, not only their organization but yours, too!
By working together, and following these 5 tips, you’ll have a successful Giving Day and have a ton of fun in the process!
1. Start Early
As soon as you hear about the Giving Day, sign up. You’ll be able to get the nuts and bolts out of the way and focus on the most important aspect of the event — getting the word out!
Starting early can also reduce stress in those final moments right before the day of. Instead of trying to learn the platform, you’ll already be an expert and be able to handle any hiccups that come your way with grace and ease.
2. Attend a Workshop or Webinar
We can’t encourage this enough – if there is a workshop or webinar available, attend it! These workshops are usually an hour long with a small group of 10-20 people where you can learn from the experts how to sign up, create campaigns, and get the word out.
This is a great place to bring your individual questions that you can ask right there on the spot and get an immediate answer. And remember, an hour spent in a workshop could save you hours of headaches trying to figure out the platform on your own!
3. Use Resources Already Available
The organization managing the day of giving has experience doing this in the past (or is working very closely with someone who has!) and they have tried and true methods that will work for you – so make sure you use them.
From social media posts, to sample emails, to press releases, everything is ready and waiting for you to download and use for your own Giving Day marketing efforts. There should also be resources on signing up and getting ready in case you miss a workshop!
4. Create a Fundraising Campaign
Small, purposeful, projects that donors can self-choose to fund are great ways to engage them. They know exactly where their money is going and they can see their impact.
A campaign is a great way to do this visually, with the ability to add photos, create donation levels with descriptions, and tell a great story.
Also, when you create a campaign, you’ll have access to your Manager Toolkit which has a host of metrics about your campaign progress. You’ll be on top of your goals and know where and when to adjust your strategy.
5. Have fun!
Days of Giving are FUN – so make sure you have some! The more fun you have and the more you make it engaging for your supporters, the more likely you’ll reach your goals.
So take a deep breath, and get out there and have some fun!
