A great year for #GivingTuesday
While the rest of the world gets wrapped up in Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, we nonprofit communicators are totally focused on #GivingTuesday. Last Tuesday marked the fourth annual day of giving and early numbers indicate that it was a huge success:
- $116.8 million raised
- 155% increase in donations from last year
- 698,961 donors
- 1.3 million social media mentions
Over here at Big Duck, we were proud to see many of our clients raise more than ever before. And when we took a look at all the other creative campaigns out in the nonprofit world, we noticed a few cool trends:
Multimedia use: Animated GIFs everywhere! We saw a lot of organizations using GIFs, videos, and other media content to help their emails and tweets stand out from the crowd. Check out this engagement video from JCC Manhattan that features members showing their appreciation for the JCC and giving viewers a glimpse into the everyday impact of the organization.
Personalized hashtags: Now that #GivingTuesday has been around for a few years, organizations are putting their own spin on the day with unique hashtags. Our friends at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary started #GivingMoosday, and they’re not the only ones—check out #GivingJewsDay, #GivingShoesDay, and #GivingZooDay.
Extended matches: Most nonprofits already know the magic of the matching gift. This year, many nonprofits, including Amnesty International, took it a step further and extended their matches through Wednesday to inspire as many donations as possible.
A focus on more than just donations: Some organizations used the day of giving to encourage giving back in non-monetary ways. Union Settlement, an East Harlem community-building organization, handed out 500 MetroCards to people in exchange for their promise to perform three random acts of kindness. They used the #HowIGive hashtag to share stories and ideas for paying it forward.
In four short years, #GivingTuesday has become a globally recognized event, and we’re excited to see what the next few years have in store. Which #GivingTuesday campaigns stood out to you? Any ideas or tactics you’re eager to try out in 2016?
