Streamowrks Blog
Except for December 31st, Giving Tuesday is the most charitable day of the year.
But what is it?
Giving Tuesday is a global charitable giving movement. People all over the globe are encouraged to donate to the charities and nonprofits they care about most.
Many nonprofits utilize the #GivingTuesday hashtag on their social channels before and on Giving Tuesday to increase their reach and boost visibility.
Within a few years of its launch in 2012, it caught the attention of businesses like Facebook, Paypal, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who all offered to match large donations.
In 2021, the United States alone saw donations of $2.7 BILLION.
This year, Giving Tuesday is November 29th, 2022. As we mentioned, most of the promotion takes place on social media, but that doesn't mean you can't promote it in other ways.
• Mention it in the month leading up to Giving Tuesday in your email newsletters
• Note it in your email signature
• Include it in printed and direct mail campaigns leading up to November
Here are some ideas on ways you can improve your campaign:
Pick Your Campaign Focus
Giving Tuesday allows you to think outside the box with your marketing efforts. What aspect of your nonprofit do you want to highlight? A specific cause? Fund? Perhaps you have a company match that you'd like to promote? Whatever your strategy, make sure it stands out and cuts through the noise.
Pro Tip: If possible, line up a matching gift—even if it's only for a short window (i.e., for a couple of hours). 1 in 3 donors gives more when they know their donation will get doubled.
Build Your Dream Team
Giving Tuesday is an excellent opportunity to pair up with others within your organization who specialize in specific areas.
Collect input and buy-in from people like your Development Director, Executive Director, Community Events Manager, and Donor Services: find as many people in the organization who are passionate about what you do to come up with new and innovative ways to make your campaign a success.
Where and When
As we said, Giving Tuesday is all about social media and publishing lots of content with the #GivingTuesday hashtag to get your message out there. Knowing where you want to promote is crucial.
Facebook has a built-in fundraising feature to allow for easy peer-to-peer fundraising, but it shouldn't be the only platform you choose. Twitter and Instagram are just as powerful and interactive.
One of the largest growing platforms is TikTok - having short-form video content that you can share not only on TikTok but on your other platforms as well, and knowing what sort of hashtags are more likely to get you seen is a great way to boost your message.
Images That Speak
The imagery you choose to incorporate in your campaign should tell your story just as well as your copy.
Utilize impact photos whenever possible and recognizable imagery that lets your donors know it's your organization at a glance.
Dedicated Donation Page
Whether on Facebook, a landing page, or a vibrant button on your website, design a donation page specific to Giving Tuesday.
Make it simple to use and very straightforward:
• Suggest donation amounts
• Identify where the donations will go
• If applicable, list specific funds or projects that donors can give to
• Incorporate a way they can share the page with their friends/family via email or social media
Upfront Content Loading
Rather than having a dedicated team member spend all of their time on Giving Tuesday posting new content, have all of it written and created well in advance and schedule it to auto-publish.
Doing this will free up your team to monitor posts, respond to comments/feedback, and publish real-time results/donation milestones as they happen.
Craft Email Campaigns
Your email campaigns for Giving Tuesday should tie into your social media posts without being a direct copy of your social content.
They are a perfect platform for sharing impact stories, including links to your designated donation page, and incorporate video if applicable.
Creating these campaigns in advance is a must to ensure that you're giving your donors ample time to see your message before and during Giving Tuesday to get them excited about donating.
Prepare in Advance
Ideally, it would be best to start planning your Giving Tuesday campaign months in advance. Doing so allows you and your team ample time to create all the content you need to promote it early, consistently, and offer a seamless launch.
Letting people know what to expect allows them to be excited about your campaign, especially if you've already lined up businesses/corporations who have agreed to match gifts.
Donor Content is Key
Whenever possible, utilize donor feedback and generated content in your appeal. Showcasing donors and sharing their thoughts on your organization is an ideal way to show appreciation for their contributions, opinions, and insights from a donor's perspective.
Thank You
Following Giving Tuesday, you must thank your donors and share their impact. People feel good when they feel appreciated and recognized and know they made a difference.
It also presents an excellent opportunity to gather feedback to improve next year's campaign and gather any testimonials that you can use in the future for social media, appeal campaigns, and annual reports.
Looking for more ways to generate attention before, during, and after GivingTuesday? Contact us today and request a copy of our Nonprofit Marketing Book to find everything you need to create successful marketing campaigns all year round.
