Making the most of #GivingTuesday
Recently John Haydon, a friend and fellow nonprofit consultant, asked a group of us how nonprofits can make sure that #GivingTuesday is not a waste of time. He compiled some great advice — full of recommendations, warnings, and good ideas that nonprofits of all sizes can benefit from. Here’s my take on #GivingTuesday (spoiler: I think you need to give it attention!):
#GivingTuesday has grown in popularity, recognition, and success to a point where I don’t think nonprofits can afford to ignore it. The challenge lies in figuring out how to plug it into the rest of your communications, especially if you are implementing a year-end appeal or annual fund campaign at the same time.
Rather than create a separate #GivingTuesday campaign, I think most organizations should integrate it into their overall calendar or year-end campaign. If you are worried that it might take away from other efforts, consider testing a single channel ask–such as a 24-hour match promoted on Facebook or a selfie sharing campaign (giving voice over money) on Instagram.
If you are worried that asking for money on this day can hurt other efforts, ask for something else. Use #GivingTuesday to ask for time, passion, activism, and other efforts that might engage your donors beyond giving money.
As you wrap your head around how to celebrate #GivingTuesday for your nonprofit, here are some other resources to spark your thinking:
- Local? Come to the next 501 Tech NYC event on October 14 and learn all about the movement from one of its founders, Asha Curran of the 92Y.
- Stuck? Read these 29 tips and fresh ideas from our friends at Whole Whale.
- Data-driven? Explore “The #GivingTuesday Effect,” a great infographic from Network for Good based on data from 2014.
- New? Brush up on the basics and dig into the many resources on the #GivingTuesday website.
Looking for ongoing inspiration? Rob Wu over at CauseVox has created a weekly newsletter that is worth checking out. You can subscribe to it here.
If you have other tips or questions, please do feel free to leave them in the comments. And good luck! May your #GivingTuesday and year-end fundraising efforts be fruitful and merry.
