GivingTuesday happens every year on the Tuesday right after American Thanksgiving. This year, the occasion is on December 3rd. GivingTuesday was founded as a simple idea: to bring people together for a day of giving back. The movement is now in its eighth year. Over 160 countries across the world participate in GivingTuesday. If you’re a nonprofit and have questions about GivingTuesday, take a look at this infographic. It contains answers to common questions in an easy to digest visual format.
Get answers to some common questions about the GivingTuesday movement in this infographic.
In this blog entry, we want to share with you some ideas that you can use for your GivingTuesday campaign. If you’re more so looking to get general tips on how to ensure success for your GivingTuesday initiative, read this blog entry. Now, let’s dive right in and look at creative ideas that you can take and make your own.
Connect your GivingTuesday campaign to your end-of-year or holiday campaign.
GivingTuesday can be a great way to add more oomph to your other campaigns. Send email reminders to your subscription lists — make them visual and, if possible, include videos. Images make your message stronger by adding another layer of emotional connection to the viewer. So, include photos of volunteers in action, and photos of the people that have benefited from your initiatives. You can even go as far as creating a GivingTuesday logo of your own, like the samples shown below. In your emails, let your recipients know why they should support your cause. Emphasize your messaging even further by clarifying why GivingTuesday is a perfect time to get involved. Are a portion of your GivingTuesday donations going to a specific cause? If that’s a “yes,” make sure you mention what that specific cause is!
Be unique and create your very own brand for your GivingTuesday initiative by adapting the GivingTuesday logo to match your nonprofit’s brand or campaign theme.
Use a play on words or play on numbers to make your messaging memorable.
Create a theme whereby your donation amounts are linked to the areas in your community that you’ll be impacting. Donate $26 for each of the 26 elementary schools in our community currently participating in the Free Healthy Breakfast at School initiative. Donate $42 for each of the 42 Healthy Youth Collaborative programs in your community.
Create a theme that’s unique to your initiative's goals.
Avoid leaving potential donations on the table when you send your emails.
Let's say you send out two GivingTuesday emails, one a month before the day and the other two weeks before the day. These emails will contain information about GivingTuesday, but you should also give your email recipients the chance to donate right away. They shouldn't have to wait until GivingTuesday to do so. Maybe they are forgetful and would rather donate now. Perhaps they have the funds available on the day they read your email rather than on GivingTuesday. Whatever the situation, make it easy for them to contribute to your cause at any time.
Give email recipients the opportunity to donate at any time, not just on GivingTuesday.
Can you partner with large companies or local businesses?
For-profit companies can join your GivingTuesday efforts by partnering with you on your cause. For instance, for every $30 that an individual donates to your cause, [insert for-profit company name here] will donate a pair of running shoes for the needy in our community. Or, every dollar an individual gives will be matched and doubled by [insert for-profit company name here] up to $500,000. You can get creative here with the type of matched donation the for-profit company will make. Plus, a partnership like this can be a great source of promotion for the for-profit company. Be sure to remind them of the benefits of participating when you’re pitching your ideas to them before they decide to sign on with you.
#GivingTuesday isn’t just about fundraising, it’s about communities banding together and giving of their time, power, skills, expertise and resources. It's about the collective spirit of generosity that brings change to our communities.
Always use the #GivingTuesday hashtag so that your messages pop up in social media results.
GivingTuesday.Org put together a handy Social Media Toolkit that has sample social media posts and ideas broken down by channel (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.) They even included tips for video and live streaming! Plus, if you’re not sure what to say about #GivingTuesday to educate your community, you can get some ideas from the GivingTuesday.Org Complete Toolkit. The toolkit contains multiple messaging samples to help you get the juices flowing. In the kit, you’ll also find a sample press release template and detailed steps explaining how to request a mayoral proclamation.
Lastly, say, “Thank You.”
Don't forget #ThankYouWednesday – It's Thanksgiving season, so in the spirit of the time, show your gratitude for all of your GivingTuesday donors by thanking them on Wednesday.
I hope you’re now more motivated to participate in GivingTuesday. If you need more inspiration, take a look at the success stories GivingTuesday.Org put together. I’m looking forward to seeing your creative ideas in action!
Manage and complete all of your tasks on time.
All good plans and strategies stand on the foundation of a solid work-back schedule.
Download this excel template to make sure you don't miss any #GivingTuesday deadlines.