Giving Tuesday Strategy - Consider Giving on 11/28
One of the biggest days for philanthropic giving every year is Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The day comes right after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday in the calendar. This year, Giving Tuesday will take place on Tuesday, November 28th.
The annual philanthropic event initially began in 1992 with a partnership between New York’s Street Y Association and the United Nations Foundation. The annual tradition has continued ever since around the world! Giving Tuesday is one of the most successful days of the year for many non-profits, universities, and organizations in terms of total dollars raised. In 2021, non-profits were able to raise $2.7 billion on Giving Tuesday.
For many reasons Giving Tuesday should be a part of an organization’s overall annual giving strategy. Not only does it provide another way for someone to give their tax-deductible donation before the end of the calendar year, but it also helps brand the organization to potential constituents and lapsed and existing donors.
I want to share the Giving Tuesday experience from a donor’s perspective to help guide you and your organization in crafting a successful Giving Tuesday strategy. Below are some critical aspects to consider from the donor’s perspective:
Information Overload/Flood of Opportunities
While Giving Tuesday is a huge day for many non-profits, there are many groups using this day to cultivate new donors and hopefully reach their annual fundraising targets. A simple Google search of the phrase “Giving Tuesday” currently generates 109,000,000 results.
Approximately 109,000,000 Results (0.39 seconds)
To be successful on this day, you are going to have to be unique in your marketing strategy to stand out. Donors are looking for causes where they can see their impact directly.
How Do Donors Engage?
Not every donor engages in the same way on Giving Tuesday. It is important, like with any major campaign, to know your target audience, current base of donors, and what drives your success.
The Giving Tuesday 2022 Lookback Report from last year provides multiple key findings on donors to help you craft your own strategy. Think about the best way to make an impact this year!
· 52% of donors were drawn by the idea of a “big group doing good together.”
· 36% of donors gave money.
· 20% of donors donated goods.
· 18% of donors volunteered their time.
· The majority of contributions were small dollar donations.
What to Avoid
1. Having too many options – The best campaigns are driven by a concrete and streamlined strategy.
a. Avoid having too many potential dollar amounts to give.
b. Avoid an excessive number of channels to donate through on this day.
c. Avoid trying to market too many causes at once. Your Giving Tuesday campaign should try to be centered on one key initiative for your organization.
2. Giving Tuesday should not just be a one-day project.
a. The best campaigns on this day are a culmination of a longer campaign.
b. For the best results, you should be reaching out to donors who you have championed before or received donations from in the past!
3. If you use a “cause meter” chart, make sure it does not start the day at $0!
a. People tend to follow a winner and if they see you are way off from goal it can stray them away from donating to your cause.
b. Need to gather donations for your cause days before Giving Tuesday and then reveal it the day of Giving Tuesday.
Examples of Successful Giving Tuesday Campaigns
Shriner’s Hospitals for Children does an excellent job here of showing the direct impact of a person’s donations.
Prisma Health Midlands provides a notable example of a live feed of donations to help generate excitement and momentum for their campaign.
Equally important to your campaign is sending a recap and thank you to those who participated and/or donated to your cause after Giving Tuesday. Here, the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos does a fantastic job of doing just that.
Do not underestimate the potential of Giving Tuesday to aid in hitting your organization’s financial goals and overall annual giving strategy. Hopefully, the information covered helps provide you and your team with a foundation for a good start!
Support your Favorite Charity on Giving Tuesday
If you haven’t completed your philanthropic giving for the year and plan to make donations before the end of the year, consider checking out your favorite charity’s website and donating on Giving Tuesday, November 28th. It is a quick way to demonstrate your support and help them reach their Giving Tuesday Goal.
To reach Chalk Consulting, please message us for assistance in creating fundraising strategies.
Thank you and Keep Doing Good Things!
References:
https://kindful.com/nonprofit-glossary/giving-tuesday/
https://bloomerang.co/blog/5-givingtuesday-lessons-from-the-donors-perspective/
https://www.classy.org/blog/successful-giving-tuesday-campaigns/)
