Is GivingTuesday on Your Organization’s Calendar? Should it be?
It’s hard to believe that GivingTuesday is now in its 12th year. Originated in 2012 at a cultural and community center in New York City, it has since become an international movement dedicated to doing good.
While it’s great to see philanthropy and community involvement taking center stage around the world, it is obvious, 12 years later, that the phenomenon has led to a lot of competition for attention within the nonprofit sector. Each GivingTuesday season seems to bring an ever-rising tide of emails, letters, phone calls and texts seeking our support.
Will your nonprofit be riding that wave in 2024?
Despite the noise, I suggest you claim at least a little space for a GivingTuesday campaign of your own. There are advantages to participating in a worldwide promotional effort on behalf of philanthropy. In fact, not participating might give the impression that your organization is unaware of what’s going on in the wider community. Your donors might actually expect to hear from you, and if they don’t, might direct their GivingTuesday support to another cause. As a ready-made philanthropy season, GivingTuesday can become part of your fundraising year as the culmination of a solid fall campaign or the launchpad for a year-end giving push.
Viewed in that light, participation is almost a must.
A comprehensive GivingTuesday campaign might seem a little intimidating and, frankly, a lot to take on in an already busy fourth quarter. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t benefit from this world-spanning philanthropic mission. Here are a few easy-to-implement suggestions:
Lean on the digital tools you already have in place. There is no need for a highly sophisticated online giving platform in order to send emails that include a PayPal link for recipients to make a gift. Your subscriber list is a built-in audience that is already in tune with your mission. In fact, if you have been using your email communications primarily for information sharing (and that’s great!), GivingTuesday, with all of its public fanfare, is the perfect opportunity to mix in a few solicitation messages.
Don’t forget your social media audience. While your social media followers may not be as engaged as your email subscribers, you can still promote GivingTuesday with simple messages and links to like, share and give. Better yet, engage a core group of social media “champions” who can help maximize your reach.
If you are using digital communications, consider a brief video or two. These days videos don’t have to be super polished. Instead, aim for sincerity. Keep it short and keep it real.
Don’t have an email marketing program or social media presence? You can always go “old school” with printed solicitations. A nicely presented, well-written letter to your organization’s donors, volunteers and friends, with a return envelope is still a valid approach. If your budget is slim, you can forego fancy design services in favor of sincere messaging and handwritten notes.
An informal volunteer “phone bank” is another great idea. Spring for pizza and cookies to make an evening of it. Arm your callers with a brief script, including a message to leave on voicemail with instructions for making a gift. A leaderboard and prizes add to the fun.
Remember to segment your lists. Different donors respond to different strategies. Take a minute to think about what you want to say to them, how you want to say it, and what you are asking them to do. If this is the first time you are participating in GivingTuesday, you might want to include a brief intro about the event, just in case your audience is also new to the concept.
You may be ready to implement all of these strategies, or you might be more confident in going after just one or two. Either way, GivingTuesday offers a great opportunity to build awareness about your organization’s contributions to the community. Don’t miss out!
The More Than Giving Co. can help you help you get ready for your next GivingTuesday.
Schedule a call today to learn how we can help.