November 5, 2019 TVG Staff

Giving Tuesday: Creating a Successful Campaign

Giving Tuesday. You may have heard of it, but you’re not sure what it is. It started in 2012 as a day to encourage anyone and everyone to give. Since then, it has grown into the biggest giving movement in the world. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday encourages individuals, organizations, and families to give back to local nonprofits by lending their voice, time, and financial support. If you are a nonprofit, this is a HUGE opportunity for you to engage your donors and, let’s be honest, raise some much-needed dollars for your organization. Still not convinced your organization should participate? Check out these stats from Giving Tuesday 2018:

  • 150+ Participating Countries
  • $400 Million Raised Online
  • $3.6 Million Online Gifts
  • 2 Billion Social Media Impressions
  • $105.55 Mean Online Gift

This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 3, 2019. Below are some basic guidelines for getting your organization involved and creating a successful campaign that will capture the attention of your audience and help you achieve your goals!

  1. Register your nonprofit on the official Giving Tuesday site here.
    The Giving Tuesday website does not collect donations on behalf of your organization. Make sure that you have a way for people to donate, through online giving or mail.
  1. Set a campaign goal.
    Begin by thinking about what you would like to accomplish for your nonprofit on Giving Tuesday. Are you trying to raise a certain amount of funds for a special project? Do you want to kickstart giving on your largest fundraiser of the year? What about getting a specific number of volunteers or donors? Remember, individuals can get involved on this day by giving their time and/or money, so goals can truly be customized for your nonprofit. A campaign goal can look like a dollar amount, a number of new donors recruited, or even new social followers. Setting a goal helps keep donors focused on what needs to be accomplished and allows you to track your progress. For more ideas and case studies visit: https://www.givingtuesday.org/organizations
  1. Choose a narrative/tell your story.
    Okay, this part is important. Think about a narrative (or story) you can use about your organization that will help highlight or showcase your campaign goal. For example, if your goal is to get more volunteers involved, you can showcase different testimonials or videos of your current volunteers, talking about why they love your organization and chose to donate their time. If your goal is to get people to donate backpacks full of care items for children going into emergency foster care, share a few stories of how those backpacks have impacted those receiving them! You don’t want to simply state your mission alone on Giving Tuesday, but explain the impact you have. Why should your audience care and why should they donate? Here is an example of what it looks like when a nonprofit does and does not use storytelling in a #GivingTuesday post to help you identify the difference.The Jamestown Music Conservatory
    Without Storytelling: The Jamestown Music Conservatory offers musical education to youth in the community and desires to foster a love for the arts in each student. Will you consider supporting our mission on this #GivingTuesday?

    With Storytelling: Ella started attending the Jamestown Music Conservatory when she was eight-years-old to learn how to play the piano. She struggled with confidence and was very shy. But now, at 10-years-old, Ella is a vibrant, outgoing, confident young lady who says music has helped her find her voice. Will you help more kids like Ella become confident? Make a donation that will last a lifetime on this #GivingTuesday.

    If you saw one of these posts on social media or in your inbox, what would make you more likely to respond?

  2. Create the content and graphics for your campaign.
    Now that you have your campaign goal and narrative established, begin creating the content and graphics that will go to donors and individuals via email, social media, or other outlets. The Giving Tuesday website provides a plethora of resources, from a Complete Toolkit that provides messaging, press release examples and ideas, and Logos and Social Share Images for your use.
  1. Schedule and monitor!
    Once all the graphics and content have been prepared for your posts, it’s time to schedule it and monitor your progress! We recommend scheduling all of your social posts and emails beforehand, which allows you to test everything BEFORE it goes out, and frees up more of your time. Facebook allows you to schedule posts, or you can use any number of tools to schedule content for various platforms in advance.

If you’re part of a nonprofit organization or know people who are, TVG can help your organization get the most out of Giving Tuesday! Contact us at www.vandivergroup.com and let’s get started on moving your organizational goals forward into 2020!