Why You Should #GiveANeigh On #GivingTuesday

This #GivingTuesday, thousands of nonprofits are going to launch fundraising campaigns and promote their missions in hopes of gaining the support they need.  And for the many nonprofits using GiveGab to launch their campaigns and collect donations, there are a great number of ways to get creative and inspire giving back.

Show You Care on #GivingTuesday

Ultimately, this global day of giving demands that you show how much you care (i.e., give a hoot!) about your cause in order to gain maximum traction.  Fortunately, this can be accomplished quickly and easily through your online campaign. Providing a quality story with images and/or a video, along with giving levels (“donation tiers”), will help convey the message to your potential supporters that you actually care, and that they should, too!

To help inspire and inform your nonprofit’s #GivingTuesday efforts, we’re featuring an incredible GiveGab campaign called #GiveANeigh, launched by UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Inc.!

About UpReach

Veronica Lester from UpReach provided us with some background about her organization:
UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Inc. is a small nonprofit located on 96 acres in rural Goffstown, NH, which provides therapeutic horseback riding, therapeutic carriage driving, and equine-assisted activities and therapies to individuals with a wide range of abilities.

Currently, UpReach is home to 20 equines. UpReach’s programming is not covered by insurance, as they are classified as “therapeutic recreation.” The benefits of partnering with horses are vast; however, caring for a large herd proves quite costly.

#GivingTuesday and #GiveANeigh:

#GivingTuesday happens to occur right around the time that UpReach begins their holiday/end-of-year fundraising initiatives. In the barn, we decorate a “giving tree” with horse ornaments with various tack, equipment, and horse care needs that are listed on the back.

Participants and participant families, volunteers, board members, etc. can select a tag and either purchase the item or provide a donation for UpReach to purchase the item for their favorite horse.

Participating in #GivingTuesday is a wonderful opportunity for all non-profits. However, conducting two separate fundraising activities within the same time frame competes with one another, so UpReach decided to use #GivingTuesday as the kick off to our holiday/end of year horse care fundraising initiatives.

Calling our campaign “#GiveANeigh” made sense. We wanted something catchy and avoiding the frequently used horse puns. It was also important to keep the name of our campaign aligned with fundraising initiatives (all donations from the #GiveANeigh campaign will be used to care for the horses).

Horses are herd animals and communicate with one another in a variety of ways, with one of those being the “neigh.” Cheryl Sutor in her “What is your Horse Saying?” article, describes a neigh as the sound a horse makes when it is being separated from the herd. So when a horse neighs, the horse is asking, “Is anyone else here?” or “Where are you?.”  If another horse is within earshot, they will neigh back saying, “Here I am!”

Our campaign challenges our donors, supporters, and horse’s fans to #GiveANeigh by making a donation to say “I’m here for you [and UpReach]!”

Horse #UNselfies:

Even if you’re not very familiar with horses, it becomes evident quite quickly when observing the UpReach horses that each one is very unique. While I personally love all the horses, there’s one that I have formed a very special connection with. And soon after I started in my role as Development Director, it has become clear that everyone at UpReach (whether you’re a staff member, board member, participant, or volunteer) connects with one (sometimes two) horses in particular.

The powerful horse and human connection is one reason why partnering with horses for programming is so effective! And when that horse finds his or her way into your heart, you can’t help but care about them and want to support them in any way you can. For some, it may be financially and for others, it may mean taking a moment and giving your horse an extra pat or a kiss on the nose.

For #GivingTuesday, I am encouraging everyone who makes a #GivingTuesday donation to take an #UNselfie and share why they “#GiveANeigh” about the UpReach horses.

And for those who live locally or happen to be volunteering in the barn on #GivingTuesday, why not take the #UNselfie to the next level and include one of the horses they are supporting?

Going back to the horses’ personalities, some were easier than others to photograph with the signs in their mouths. Some were more than happy to chew on it while I snapped their photos, while others were a little less impressed, hoping for a tastier snack instead. So for those who needed a little more convincing, we had to get a little creative and tie some bailing twine to the sign and their halter and I Photoshopped that out (Shhh!).

How Will You “#GiveANeigh”?

If you’re inspired by this #GivingTuesday campaign story, please find a way to give back by either making a donation to this great cause or sharing their story with others.  And of course, use it as inspiration for your own campaign!