From humble origins in 2012, GivingTuesday—which falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—has exploded into a global philanthropy movement and an important day on the nonprofit fundraising calendar.
[TLDR; To maximize success, nonprofits should treat GivingTuesday as a marathon by launching early campaigns, creating themed messaging, using diverse marketing channels, and leveraging partnerships to engage and energize donors ahead of the big day. Download our free e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Mastering GivingTuesday for in-depth strategies and The Ultimate GivingTuesday Checklist for easy reminders.]
Did you know that in 2023 in the U.S. alone, 34 million participating adults donated $3.1 billion to nonprofits on GivingTuesday? That’s a whole lot of generosity for one day! Seems that in the wake of Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s consumerism, people really are in a charitable mood.
If your nonprofit hasn’t ridden the GivingTuesday wave to a fundraising windfall, there’s still plenty of time to prepare for a big day this year. And if you’ve had previous attempts but the results fell flat, we’re here with five tips for your best year yet. Did you know that in 2023 in the U.S. alone, 34 million participating adults donated $3.1 billion to nonprofits on GivingTuesday? That’s a whole lot of generosity for one day! Seems that in the wake of Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s consumerism, people really are in a charitable mood.
Read on, then download these two free resources, The Ultimate Guide to Mastering GivingTuesday for in-depth tips and strategies and The Ultimate GivingTuesday Checklist for easy reminders.
1. Think marathon, not a sprint.
It’s easy to treat GivingTuesday like a one-off chance to ask for funding on social media and expect decent results. While that’s one way to look at it, you’ll have much more success by launching a campaign early—up to six weeks early if you really want to get ahead of the game. Treat the early period as a chance to “prime the pump” and familiarize your audience with your goals. You want people to already be familiar with your organization, brand and goals on GivingTuesday so that you’re not making a cold request. In marketing, when competition is fierce, familiarity is a powerful secret weapon.
2. Create a campaign theme.
Building a theme around your campaign (think “Home for the Holidays”) is a surefire way to stand out in the crowd while promoting brand recognition. It also incorporates storytelling and emotion into your messaging, which is always more powerful than simply asking for funds. Come up with a theme that is creative and memorable, and use it as a cohesive element throughout your campaign deliverables (like emails, social posts and your campaign landing page).
3. Use a mix of marketing channels.
Social media is great, but don’t stick to it exclusively. We recommend a mix of social, email, direct mail and grassroots marketing to ensure you’re reaching your target audience at multiple touchpoints.
4. Have a campaign-themed landing page.
Speaking of landing pages, it’s practically essential to have one for your GivingTuesday campaign. People get distracted when you send them to your homepage; send them to a campaign-themed landing page instead that reinforces your message and puts the option to donate then-and-there, front-and-center. Tip: provide the option of a recurring donation or offer donor matching for a bigger return.
5. Shoot for 30% in advance.
Aiming to meet 30% of your fundraising goal before the big day is a great way to guarantee you’re doing enough promoting ahead of time. It can also be helpful for encouraging donations: Telling people you’re a third of the way to your goal can be more persuasive than asking them to drop money into an empty bucket.
6. Go all-hands-on-deck.
When GivingTuesday finally comes around, don’t just publish one last social post and hope for the best. Organize your team and spend the entire day monitoring and engaging on social media; tagging and thanking donors; responding to comments or PMs and posting regular status updates to your followers and landing page. This is another reason to execute the bulk of your campaign in advance—it frees you up to focus on active communication during the big day. Give it everything you’ve got, then spend the rest of the year reaping the rewards.
7. Leverage partnerships and influencers.
For your GivingTuesday campaign, consider forming strategic partnerships or collaborating with influencers who align with your cause. These partnerships can amplify your reach, bring fresh perspectives and add credibility to your message. You can ask them to share your campaign with their networks, create content around your cause or even match donations. This is a great way to increase your visibility and energize your donor base.
Putting It All Together
GivingTuesday is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for nonprofits to harness the power of collective generosity. Instead of a one-off effort, think in terms of weeks, developing a full-fledged campaign whose connections will pay off big-time on the big day. When other organizations are simply asking for money, you’ll be asking an already engaged audience to step up and contribute to your cause. You can ride that momentum to a more engaged network all year round.
Now that you’re ready to go, Download our GivingTuesday eBook and Checklist to help plan and pull off the big day!
