by Bright Ewuru | Nov 2, 2022 | Article
“Everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts.” – GivingTuesday organisation
There has been a spate of new commercialised holidays that have popped into our calendar. There’s Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday. All of these help give a final push on sales and revenues for the end of the calendar year.
But arguably the best of these days, and the one most suited to the nonprofit sector, is GivingTuesday. It falls on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States (November 29th in 2022) and asks people and organisations to donate their resources to charity. It emphasises giving back and offsets the materialism that prevails in the immediately preceding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year.
This movement of goodness, generosity and compassion was created in 2012 as a joint project of New York City’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations foundation.
As a day that emphasises magnanimity, it gives nonprofit organisations the opportunity to raise more funds for their charitable causes than they would on a regular day.
As a result, it’s a cherished day in the philanthropy space. It’s a fantastic opportunity for nonprofits to gain new supporters and solicit donations.
GivingTuesday is ever-growing in popularity, with national movements in 80 countries and participants from every single country in the world. Let’s go over a few facts about the event.
First, participating in GivingTuesday is entirely voluntary and your nonprofit doesn’t need to pay to participate. The only costs you need to think about are those necessary for setting up your initiatives.
Also, your nonprofit is responsible for running its campaigns and collecting and using donations from supporters. Indeed, the GivingTuesday organisation leads the charge in promoting the crusade, but other than that, to each his own. They do, however, provide helpful resources for you to share on social media and Twitter handles to use to open your posts for possible reshares.
Noteworthy is the fact that while the day can help your charitable organisation raise a lot of money, the amount you’ll realise when it’s all over is dependent on your efforts. There’s no fixed amount; just understand that the opportunity is there, and then do your best to reap it.
GivingTuesday is a great opportunity for charitable organisations to solicit support. Here are some effective GivingTuesday campaign examples your nonprofit can engage in.
According to data, 59% of the global population is on social media. For a winning GivingTuesday campaign, you need to be where your audience is.
Launching a social media campaign is an effective way to draw the attention of your supporters, donors and audience. By posting engaging GivingTuesday content on your organisation’s various social media channels, you’ll create awareness and encourage contributions.
Remember to:
Take advantage of social media to effectively promote your initiative and direct potential donors to your donation or relevant action page.
A good GivingTuesday initiative is to set up a dedicated donation page to collect contributions from donors. This donation page could be a landing page entirely on its own or be a page on your brand’s website. Whatever the case is, it should be easy to find and optimised for all devices.
State your mission and goals on the page – seeing the reason behind your solicitation will better appeal to visitors and compel them to give. Leverage the marketing opportunity by using your brand’s logo and colour themes on the page. Also, guarantee security and data protection to safeguard the private details of donors who make contributions through that page.
Since much of our interactions have moved online, it’s smart to take advantage of the opportunity that technology offers when raising support for wholesome causes. A virtual event tied to GivingTuesday is an excellent way to make the most of the day.
Such an online event provides ample opportunity for your audience to participate regardless of their physical location. Integrate activities that nudge them to make contributions.
Your nonprofit can take advantage of trusty old celebrations and festivals to raise funds for GivingTuesday. A fundraising fair or dinner is a good way to entertain and appreciate your supporters, inform your audience about your mission and progress so far and ultimately invite more donors to join your cause.
Spice up the event with a theme and incorporate multiple fundraising schemes. Also, implement a hassle-free process to accept donations from donors.
Selling your nonprofit’s branded items is another efficient way to raise funds for the organisation on GivingTuesday. It’s a clear sign that the buyers actively support your organisation’s goals. Also, the items are your way of “giving back” to your donors.
The items should feature your brand’s logo and colour for consistency while demonstrating the nonprofit’s goal and impact. Determine the price of the items and pick a reliable platform for the sale. The prices should move the needle in terms of reaching your financial goals and also cover other expenses.
Peer-to-peer fundraising involves supporters of your nonprofit organisation independently raising funds on your organisation’s behalf using their efforts. It’s a highly effective way to build relationships with new supporters of your organisation.
These partners or sponsors can either create their own donation pages or ask their close friends and family members to contribute.
Bazaars or charity auctions are another great way to fundraise for your organisation where people can bid on auctioned items. Items go to the highest bidder while the proceeds go to the nonprofit organisation.
A charity auction, whether online or in-person, is a fun and effective way for your charitable organisation to join the GivingTuesday movement. It’s a highly engaging activity that lays the foundation for long-term relationships with supporters.
It’s similar to the sale of branded items as it gives back to the donors who support your cause.
A good initiative is to double or multiply the funds you raise through other GivingTuesday ideas. A matching gift campaign, in which donors pledge to match donations dollar for dollar up to a certain amount, can double your fundraising efforts for the day.
If you have access to a large community of supporters, a crowdfunding campaign can be an effective GivingTuesday platform. After all, small donations gradually add up.
Unlike peer-to-peer fundraising, a crowdfunding campaign requires that both the nonprofit organisation and individuals use a centralised donation page to promote the campaign and collect donations. Also, it adopts a gentler, lower-pressure approach than the peer-to-peer alternative.
To make the most of crowdfunding, share the link to the centralised donation page on social media. Encourage your supporters to follow suit. This will boost its reach and the ensuing contributions.
There’s a possibility that your supporters don’t have the funds at hand. Should that stop your GivingTuesday campaign?
We don’t think so!
A pledge campaign helps you raise funds over time without requiring instant contributions. Once your donors agree to pay a certain amount, they’ll get a deadline by which the payment should be completed.
They can choose to pay at once or by way of instalments. By launching the campaign on GivingTuesday, you can take advantage of the day’s general feeling of goodwill and allow people to donate without having to pay up instantly.
Pledges are ideal if the funds collected are to be used for capital-intensive projects.
Email is a notable form of marketing and a noteworthy idea for your GivingTuesday campaign.
An email campaign is an effective initiative to encourage your audience to support your goals. Create a fun and timely GivingTuesday message and send it to your contact list of donors, supporters and target audience.
(Here are some email fundraising best practices to help you craft your messaging.)
Whatever you decide, GivingTuesday provides the platform you need to solicit extra support, donations and goodwill from your community. Put these ideas to work to make the best of Giving Tuesday in 2022 and beyond.
At Creative Force (the team behind Good Grants), we’re keen on contributing to the good of the world. Here’s a post on how we give back.
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