December 3rd is approaching fast.
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably pretty familiar with #GivingTuesday: a global day of giving, which follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday – and might be looking for some tips that will help you made the most of this day. (You’re in luck. At Make Giving Happen, we’re always here to help!)
2019 marks the 7th year of #GivingTuesday. For many giving platforms and organizations, this is an important day that drives heavy traffic, engagement and donations. Many organizations and individuals both recognize that it is in their best interest to be prepared for #GivingTuesday as is has influenced record-breaking donation engagement. (And planning can never start too early)
So how big is #GivingTuesday?
Last year, there were a total of 3.6 million online gifts given and over $380 million donated in total, up from $274 million in 2017. In comparison to previous years, there is about a growth of 38.8% year over year. (NP Source, 2019)
With this steady increase in donor contribution and awareness, it makes sense for organizations to generate a concrete giving strategy to ensure that they can make the most out of this day of giving. Experts anticipate that #GivingTuesday 2019, will surpass $400 million in total donations.
Preparing for Giving Tuesday:
When it comes to preparing for #GivingTuesday, it’s important to first set a concrete goal and figure out exactly what you and/or your organization is planning to accomplish that day. Are you looking for larger donations? Raising your year over year donations? Finding new donors?
Whatever the goal, it’s really important to incorporate this into your marketing strategy and your messaging. By setting a concrete goal, you can encourage your audience to drive higher engagement and support. From here, you can follow some steps to help you better prepare for #GivingTuesday.
Get a Partner Kit
If this is your first #GivingTuesday, the first thing you’ll want to do is Sign up with GivingTuesday and get your partner kit! This kit includes a social media guide (including sample posts and guides) as well as sample outreach emails, press release templates, and communication timelines.
It’s also important at this time to take an inventory of your audiences, contacts and supporters both online and offline. You’ll also want to take a look at the number of people that are on your social media platforms and previous donors. By establishing a firm tracking process, you will be able to not only leverage your data properly to gain a bigger reach, but track performance improvements and donation trends.
It’s never too early to be social
Just because #GivingTuesday is in December, doesn’t mean that you should start your campaigns at the end of the giving year, or that you shouldn’t start thinking about your goals for #GivingTuesday 2020.
Once you’ve got your messaging in place, you need to get creative and think of all of the ways you can prepare your audiences for the biggest digital giving day of the year. Get some great graphics and images prepared early, so that you can take advantage of the GivingTuesday for as long as possible. Also, consider how your audiences are segmented and how they engage with your content throughout the year.
Talk about the impact that your donors will make on your overall mission and don’t be afraid to evoke emotion in your messaging. #GivingTuesday is all about sparking joy and excitement. Make sure that you use the hashtag #GivingTuesday in all of your social posts to get the conversation started early. (It also helps increase exposure without having to pay a pretty penny)
Planning your resources and staff contributions
A successful #GivingTuesday campaign requires a lot of planning and support. To ensure that you’re making the most of your launch, it’s important to understand who and what is needed from your team to make the most of the campaign and the build-up.
Ask yourself: Who is responsible for what?
- Who is going to own the development of digital campaigns? Will you have an offline campaign? If so, who will own this?
- How much time is needed from your team for careful planning and campaign monitoring?
Who can I partner with?
- #GivingTuesday will be a primary partner for this campaign, but do you have any other major donors or foundations that you can work with?
- Who is going to advocate for your cause?
What technologies will alleviate my efforts?
- Don’t have time to build your campaigns from scratch? Consider an all-in-one platform like Make Giving Happen to help you focus on your giving goals, while we handle the technical details.
Use a comprehensive and powerful payment platform
It’s no secret that many organizations can thank some pretty effective payment platforms for their success. Be sure to keep these platforms in mind for your donor toolkit. Last year, the largest payment processing platforms were:
- Facebook:$125 million, up from $45 million (+178%) last year.
- PayPal: $98 million, up from $64 million (+53%) last year.
- Blackbaud: $62.6 million, up from $60.90 million (+2.80%) last year.
Have a Strong Communications Plan
One of the biggest challenges for organizations on #GivingTuesday, is being set apart from the rest and also getting through the ‘spam filter’
1. Set a clear, concise goal. If this is your first year participating in #GivingTuesday, what is it you want to achieve?
Set your goal and use this as your focus for the day. Participated last year? Be sure to highlight your results and focus on how you’d like to push past that goal this year (for example: Last year we had 4000 food goods donated to our Soup Kitchen. This year, we’re aiming for 6000 items)
2. Consider creating a unique hashtag for your organization. For example: “Together, in just one day, we can give back to 10,000 kids in need! #GivingTuesday #TenThousandKids”
3. Have a strong plan for your social media, by preparing posts and optimizing share times.
Post at midnight on December 3rd and prepare posts throughout the day to get your users engaged and have your cause at top of mind.
4. Work closely with your Ambassadors to promote your efforts on #GivingTuesday
Perhaps a local blogger is a huge fan of your organization. Ensure that you leverage their platform by offering them a sponsored post, sending them a great PR package to share on their socials, or even keeping them informed with your goals so they can help promote.
Use your staff as your ambassadors! Don’t be afraid to ask your staff to join the conversation, using your hashtags and promoting your organization.
5. Use a diverse and powerful donation platform to promote your campaigns
Be really picky about your donation platforms as they are the driving vehicle to your organization’s success! Think about what type of campaigns are most effective for your audiences and leverage a platform that can give you all of the components you need for a successful campaign.
At Make Giving Happen, we can create a custom giving platform to help you reach and surpass your donor goals. (Learn more)
6. Keep things fun!
Throughout the planning of your own #GivingTuesday campaigns, you’ve gotta keep things exciting. It’s important to keep your audience informed and eager! Never lose sight of what it means to give back and to really focus in on the positive emotional pull that this day will bring. (Remember: it feels SO good to give back to something you care about!)
Follow these steps, and we can ensure that you’ll be on track to launch your best #GivingTuesday yet!
Still not feeling prepared?
If you have any questions about setting up your own giving platform, preparing your organization for #GivingTuesday 2020, campaign strategy or simply want to learn more about Make Giving Happen, contact us!
You might also like: The Top 5 reasons you should have Make Giving Happen in your toolbox