Ideas for a Successful #GivingTuesday Campaign in 2016
On July 11th, 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the #GivingTuesday Summit and hear from some of the best in the business, including the founders of the #GivingTuesday movement, created only a few years ago.
This international 24-hour giving event has seen some tremendous growth in participation over the years and the experiences that were shared really illustrate how powerful the day can be.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the summit that can help nonprofits like yours have a successful #GivingTuesday campaign in 2016!
Keep #GivingTuesday In the Back of Your Supporters’ Minds Year-Round
Incorporate #GivingTuesday into your year-round activities to keep people thinking about it continuously leading up to your big day.
As Jamie McDonald, one of the key players in #GivingTuesday campaigns worldwide, said:
“There are #52Tuesdays every year, so find ways to engage your supporters centering around the upcoming day.”
A more in-depth strategy for year-round donor engagement can be found here: How to Keep your Donors Engaged Year Round.
Creative Opportunities for Year-Round Stewardship:
- Every Tuesday, highlight a donor or a story from your previous year’s #GivingTuesday campaign in a blog and/or on social media.
- Promote these donors each Tuesday leading up to #GivingTuesday as your “Tuesday Heroes” by sharing a compelling story of how these donors have acted as the heroes of your nonprofit’s mission!
- Feature an upcoming need that could be filled during the day with an emphasis on how your donors are a necessary component to filling that need.
Participate in a Community-Based #GivingTuesday Event
You can amplify your outreach by participating in a community-based #GivingTuesday event, like a local online Giving Day.
Some community-based #GivingTuesday events include:
Some of these community-based events offer incentives (such as waived fundraising fees and prizes) while also making the setup to run a campaign a breeze in your area. They can also help with providing great educational materials, such as webinars and workshops. A great example of this is #NYGivesDay:
Use #GivingTuesday to Kick Off your Year-End Campaign
Data shows that you are not cannibalizing your year-end donations by participating in #GivingTuesday, but instead amplifying them, as this is another great engagement point to remind supporters that your year-end push is coming up!
Get Creative and Have Fun!
Think about ways to engage potential donors to “Count Up” instead of “Down” to #GivingTuesday by pledging a certain amount per week that they will donate in full on the day.
You can create a fun competition between your fundraising champions and strategize how they can team up to help your organization raise money and engage.
Remember that it’s not just about money on the day! Think about activities and other ways to prepare for and inspire giving leading up to, on, and immediately after #GivingTuesday.
You can also pursue creative sponsors and matching prizes within your community that can unlock gifts as you challenge your organization and donors to hit certain targets.
A perfect example of this was when Kelly Brooks, the Executive Director for ShareCharlotte, talked about the diversity of the 40+ partners they incorporated into their #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign last year, which included everything from local breweries making specialty beer where proceeds went toward a prize pool, participation by restaurants and coffee shops, and t-shirts being made up for the public.
As with any successful campaign, you should prepare early and set reasonable fundraising goals.
To learn more, visit #GivingTuesday on GiveGab or one of our statewide #GivingTuesday event pages:
