Why it’s Okay for Your Donors to Look at Other Nonprofits During a Giving Day

Giving Days tend to attract many nonprofit participants and supporters.  

A statewide Giving Day, for instance, will often have hundreds of nonprofits signed up and participating.

A Giving Day website, such as VermontGives, serves as a one-stop shop for supporters to find a nonprofit to donate to on the day.  Potential donors can easily find you by simply typing in the name of your organization or looking up your cause, while also being exposed to other nonprofits they maybe weren’t aware of before.

Some nonprofits fear that this exposure to other organizations will lead their potential supporters to donate to other nonprofits and not their own.

Although it’s true that individuals may choose to donate to more than one nonprofit on a Giving Day, whether they choose to donate to you or not has more to do with their relationship with your cause and how well you promote your campaign, rather than how you match up with other nonprofits on the Giving Day website!

Why it’s ok for your donors to look at other nonprofits:

• Increased awareness of various causes is beneficial to the fiscal health of the community as a whole
• An enhanced culture of philanthropy within your community can naturally result from the collective giving that occurs throughout a Giving Day
• Donors are empowered to choose and give to other places
• New supporters are more likely to find you when browsing a Giving Day site than a Google search.  Plus, you’ll have an attractive place to display your campaign and an easy way for people to donate to you!  Below is the search page for Vermont Gives:

• There’s a greater sense of accomplishment when donors choose to give to you on a Giving Day
• It’s up to you, the nonprofit, to provide good stewardship, content, and value to inspire giving
• A Giving Day is your opportunity to shine in the midst of other nonprofits
• The more effectively you engage your donors, the more they will be a part of your organization and the more likely they will be to continue supporting your cause!!

Essentially, it’s up to you to keep your donors!