Why Should I Run a Giving Day?
As the industry leader in Giving Day technology, we get asked a lot of questions. The most common being, “Why should I run a Giving Day?” In our five years of experience providing support to Giving Day hosts, we have found that there is not just one answer to this question that strikes a chord with every organization. There are countless reasons why an online day of giving is beneficial and many of these answers are as unique as your organization.
Fundraising software built to run Giving Days and events allows organizations to organize prizes and challenges seamlessly, engage peer-to-peer fundraisers, and track donors and volunteers through a single giving platform.
Before we dive into answering “Why should I Run a Giving Day?” Let’s look into a couple of other questions our GiveGab team receives daily.
What is a Giving Day?
Giving Days are 24-hour (or longer) online fundraising events proven to drive engagement and increase dollars raised through urgency, peer influence, and strategies like matching gifts.
Who typically runs a Giving Day?
Our Giving Day partners come in all shapes and sizes but typically we work the most with Civic Leaders, Schools, and Hospital Foundations.
Most commonly our Civic Leader partners include community foundations, United Ways, media partners, and national organizations. They are groups that have a vested interest in the nonprofit sector and are looking for ways to help strengthen their community.
Schools that partner with GiveGab for their Giving Days range from large Colleges and Universities hoping to drive engagement to K-12 schools looking to receive extra support to serve their students.
The GiveGab team has seen an influx of Hospital Foundations looking for new ways to engage with donors online. With an ever-increasing need to keep communities healthy, Hospitals can continue fundraising safely through a digital Giving Day.
Although we can’t as easily answer this “Why” question with a simple cookie-cutter response, we gathered together a few common themes we have heard from our current Giving Day partners on why they decided to host a Giving Day on GiveGab. Check them out below!
Why should I run a Giving Day as a Civic Leader?
To Establish Philanthropic Leadership in your Community
- Develop a co
mmunity that cares by educating them on the importance of philanthropy and collective giving - Give your nonprofits a voice by creating an environment for them to be highlighted and their impact showcased
- Leave a legacy for your organization by creating an annual giving event that will continue to inspire your community
To Build Awareness for you and Participating Nonprofits
- Equip organizations with the tools to tell their stories and share their needs in a captivating way
- Provide Peer to Peer fundraising technology to help participating organizations get the word out
- Create an event that Media outlets are not only interested in, but excited about promoting your day
To Increase Equity for Nonprofits of all Sizes
- Increase equity among participating nonprofits by providing access to technology and training
- Allow small nonprofits with limited resources to experience the power of online fundraising
- Empower nonprofits to use fundraising resources and toolkits as well as our #successchat for support and best practices
Why should I run a Giving Day as a School?
To Engage with your Alumni and Students
- Reach out to your proud alum who are looking for exciting new ways to give back
- Educate current students and young alumni on the significance of donor gifts and the resources they generate
- Share out a Giving Day site that is mobile responsive, branded toward your day, and creates a seamless giving experience
To Create an Enhanced Experience of School Unity and Pride
- Generate a buzz around campus with on-campus events, donation stations, and social media posts
- Host contests throughout the day highlighting participating groups and their fundraising efforts
- Foster healthy competition between different clubs and departments to compete to for most raised to appear on leaderboards
To Amplify Awareness of Needs across Departments
- Encourage participating groups to create robust Giving Day profiles allowing them to tell their stories through visuals and videos
- Showcase the progress of your participating groups by having them add fundraising goals that will display on their profiles
- Expand your current donor pool by using peer to peer fundraising to reach more people who want to give back
To Elevate Funds to Support School Initiatives
- Secure sitewide matches and challenges to incentivize donors and allow them to have a greater impact
- Gamify your Giving Day by offering prizes for donors and participating groups. Be sure to announce them throughout the day
- Make it easy for donors coming to your site with search functionality and a clear call to action
Why should I run a Giving Day as a Hospital Foundation?
- Educate your community on the services your hospital provides to keep them safe and healthy
- Utilize Peer-to-Peer Fundraising to allow supporters to share their stories and experiences with a broader audience and fundraise on your hospital’s behalf
- Better track, engage, and steward donors through robust reporting and analytics
- Allow donors to designate gifts to the cause or department that resonates most with them
- Partner with community sponsors to create matching gift opportunities to allow each donor to make a greater impact
- Facilitate friendly competition through leaderboards and challenges to incentivize departments to join in the fundraising efforts
- Include your hospital’s most immediate needs on your Giving Day home page to keep it top of mind for donors
- Use live stream technology to express urgency and make direct asks to your supporters and community members on your Giving Day
- Share impact stories and interviews from former patients, specialists, nurses, and doctors
Deciding to run your own Giving Day is a big decision, but one that will bring lasting impact to your community, school, or hospital. Reach new donors, engage your participants, leave a legacy, and so much more when you partner with GiveGab for your Giving Day.
