Giving Tuesday is a day that all nonprofits circle on their calendar each year. It’s the global day dedicated to charitable giving, and celebrated the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. In 2017, 2.5 million gifts were given on Giving Tuesday, and donations resulted in over $300 million raised online. For the nonprofit industry, it’s a day where donors are ready to give, and give big.
So, what makes a Giving Tuesday campaign successful? In the increasingly crowded nonprofit landscape, donors are bombarded with a myriad of appeals, so standing out can be a challenge.
With that in mind, here are three ways to help your organization stand out this Giving Tuesday.
1. Rally your existing supporters
It may seem overly simplistic, but your existing supporters are primed to act on Giving Tuesday. They already have a relationship with your organization, are interested in the causes you support, and are more likely to be socially aware of the charitable giving holiday. If approached correctly, your supporters can be big catalysts for your organization.
Rallying your supporters starts with your own employees, who are an often-overlooked resource. To motivate this group, create an internal engagement strategy that addresses the key aspects of your Giving Tuesday campaign, and be sure to incentivize their participation. Holding special events, giving away prizes, and providing interactive ways to share on social media are all simple ways to engage your employees and maximize your reach within the organization.
Next, activating your existing donor-base is a key component of any successful Giving Tuesday campaign. Start promoting your efforts early, and if possible, create custom treatment streams for different donor segments. Whether it’s for lapsed donors who may be interested in reengaging, or donors who gave the previous Giving Tuesday, simple customizations can go a long way in enticing donors to give.
Tip: No matter who you are targeting, keep these best practices in mind:
- Use an integrated approach that uses your organization’s key channels
- Showcase the impact your organization made last Giving Tuesday
- Provide a story that highlights how donors can make a difference in the lives of real people
- Encourage social sharing to broaden your reach
Find more #GivingTuesday tips and resources at givingtuesday.blackbaud.com
2. Provide a match offer
In 2014, World Vision provided donors with a Giving Tuesday match offer thanks to a corporate partner. At that time, having a match was a differentiator, as not many organizations used this approach. Fast forward to 2018, and it’s a must-have part of any Giving Tuesday campaign, with bigger match amounts. What was once a novelty has become a best-practice. Donors are looking for the best way to maximize their dollars, and a match provides a way for their money to go further.
Tip: Another way to provide a match opportunity is by leveraging companies that offer to match donations made by their employees. The challenge is that many donors aren’t aware that their employer offers this service, so your non-profit should raise awareness about these opportunities.
3. Host a marquee event
A marquee event can be a great way to stand out this Giving Tuesday. If done correctly, it can be a transformative experience for donors, and a media impressions driver.
In 2017, World Vision took a page from the fundraising playbook of for-profit companies like Apple and Amazon by launching the first-of-its-kind pop-up shop … for charity. The Give-back Gift Shop debuted on the three days surrounding Giving Tuesday in New York City’s Bryant Park, and gave holiday shoppers the chance to touch and feel the impact of their generosity first-hand. With interactive experiences like a water walk, live animals, a virtual reality station, and a 180-degree photo booth, it was a family event that introduced millions of people to World Vision through national media coverage, social media promotion, and in-person visitors to the shop. Because of its success, World Vision will be doing the event again in 2018.
Events like this can provide donors with a meaningful brand experience, and help drive interest from individuals who may not normally be aware of your organization.
Tip: If trying to appeal to a broader audience, expand your localized event by linking to a social media or influencer campaign.
This Giving Tuesday, challenge your organization to stand out from the crowd. It’s easier than you think, if you put the right plan into place.
Love the idea of a match offer. We did this last year and it made a big difference in our campaign.
Interesting ideas, but it depends on the organization what works best.
I’d love to see how we could work in a pop-up shop for this.
We were concerned with how we would engage individuals, but I love the prize & marquee idea!
Great ways to make the best of the day! Thanks for sharing!
Your post information is very unique and useful for all readers.
I agree about the match – we’ve found better results featuring this aspect. Thank you!
Likewise! Our donor counts have remained about the same year after year, but our major donors are really energized and driven by being those lead donors to inspire others to join our cause.
Number 1 talks about rallying existing supporters. We’re using thunderclap for the first time this year to increase our traffic via our active constituents. Maybe a helpful thought to others!
Some great ideas, thank you for sharing.
Great ideas!
I like the idea of a marquee event. Thanks for the great ideas
Match offer and marquee events sound like two opportunities to really ramp up #GivingTuesday and gather unity in supporting a cause. Thank you for the tips and recommendations!
I love the pop-up shop idea!
Good ideads, we are doing some of these!
The matching gift really boosted our Giving Tuesday donations. The matching gift donor was a Corp that also promoted within the company. Win Win!
Love the match offer idea!
Love the match offer idea! I’m on it!
We’re looking to really do Giving Tuesday this year for the first time, so thanks for the tips!
We’re doing a match this year- good return for little effort!
We have not had much success with matching gifts bringing in more gifts. But, I absolutely love World Vision’s Give-back Gift Shop!!!
I am certainly interested in finding an event that makes sense for our organization on or around giving tuesday. Thanks for sharing.
Like the idea about a match offer
Great idea to couple Giving Tuesday online with an event!
Matches always seem to do better, I don’t know why engaging one for Giving Tuesday never crossed our minds. Good ideas!
Rallying existing supporters makes a lot of sense
Good ideas, the match idea is something we can potentially put into practice!
Very Insightful ideas. I have shared them with my team.
Great ideas! In my experience, match offers are a great way to get donors to give.
Not doing Giving Tuesday this year but some of these will work great for our giving day in the spring.
Matches really do work!
We’ve already done an initial reminder on our social media channels about giving Tuesday. Nice idea for the match!
I love the idea of matches– I know I’m more likely to donate personally. We’ve never done one at our org, but perhaps someday!
Love the match idea!
Great reminders!
I like the idea of a match challenge. It seems like a good way to get people engaged.
Great idea to couple Giving Tuesday online with an event!
Really liking the match offer.
While we have always rallied our supporters we have never tried an event to go with because We have our Gala in November and it is ask on top of ask
#3 is something interesting to try. The problem with rallying existing is that at a few orgs. I’ve worked at, the Giving Tuesday gift replaced their end of year gift, and at a much lower value.