Nonprofit Tips to Prepare for #GivingTuesday

Ilia Jones | November 2021

giving-tuesday

While it may seem like we’ve just stepped foot into fall weather, GivingTuesday is right around the corner! Giving Tuesday falls on November 30th this year, so now is the time to start thinking about it and putting together your strategy to maximize your campaign.

To help your nonprofit prepare, we’ve gathered our most helpful fundraising tips into this Giving Tuesday guide.

1. Get registered!

If your organization is not yet registered with the national or local Giving Tuesday community or a cause-based coalition, it’s time to get signed up.

It’s easy to get started on the Giving Tuesday website. You can search the map for communities near you or you can join as a solo nonprofit.

Giving Tuesday provides resources and tools to help you plan and strategize your fundraising campaign. They also have a downloadable report that looks back at giving trends over the tumultuous year that was 2020.

2. Set a Clear Goal

As with any marketing effort, you’ll do better if you have a clear, defined goal in place. Giving Tuesday is a busy day for nonprofits. With so many great organizations vying for donors’ attention, it helps to find a way to differentiate yourself with a clear ask. Since Giving Tuesday is a single day, it can help to think of it in terms of an event rather than a traditional fundraising campaign that may take place over time.

The other essential reason to set a clear goal is to measure the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign. If you don’t specifically know what you are trying to achieve, you’ll never know whether or not you got there.

Consider setting a specific fundraising goal that focuses on a single area of your nonprofit’s mission. Set a monetary fundraising goal that seems attainable and a stretch goal to give your team something to motivate them to reach further.

3. Develop Your Launch Strategy

Once you’ve defined your goal, it’s time to put a strategy in place to get there. Consider all of the moving parts to a fundraising campaign or event, and research the tips and tricks provided by the Giving Tuesday community. However, your donor community is as unique as your nonprofit, so your fundraising strategy should reflect that.

Consider the channels your organization uses for fundraising efforts, such as:

Email
Social Media
Landing Page
Website
Blog
Print Mailers
Phone Bank

Then, add to that list of channels the resources provided by the Giving Tuesday campaign. This may include making sure your organization is listed in your local community and easily found in the categories related to your cause or the search function on the Giving Tuesday site.

4. Craft Your #GivingTuesday Story

Once you’ve gotten a handle on the channels you want to focus on and have amassed the resources available, it’s time to start thinking about how to tell your story. At ArcStone, we love to help brands and nonprofits find their unique voice and story. We created an on-demand webinar to help nonprofits find their story and tell it in a compelling way.

Your Giving Tuesday story may differ from your mission or what inspired your organization to take action — it should relate directly to the goal you set.

To further inspire your donor base to action and attract new donors, consider combining storytelling with data. The numbers prove results while your story spurs donors into action. This one-two punch can be very effective for fundraising efforts.

5. Leverage Peer-to-Peer Word of Mouth

A social media campaign strategy should be a part of your overall strategy for Giving Tuesday. However, just putting out posts to raise awareness can only be so effective on its own. To really make a difference, you should leverage the power of word of mouth on social channels.

If your nonprofit isn’t already using social media ambassadors, you’re missing out. Rather than paid influencers, ambassadors are people who are passionate about your cause and who will gladly share your content on social media with their friends and family. Because this is based on an authentic relationship rather than money, it can be particularly effective.

To encourage organic sharing of your social media content, make your posts concise, impactful, and exciting.

6. Partner with a Matching Donor

Part of the beauty of Giving Tuesday is that it is a nationally (and even internationally) recognized event. It is an excellent opportunity to find a matching donor in exchange for your advertising on their behalf.

The way matching donor partnerships work is by having them match individual donations up to a certain amount. Which can inspire donations as everyone loves an opportunity to double their money for a cause they love. In exchange, you use the partner’s name in your advertising, social media campaigns, and other fundraising marketing efforts. They get their name out there to a potentially new audience, and you get to double your impact on Giving Tuesday. It’s a win-win.

Another way to increase impact is by making it easy for donors to share donation information with their employers, who may match their entire contribution or a certain percentage. Either way, it’s low-effort fundraising for you and a great way for donors to feel appreciated by their employers. Email or mail donation receipts promptly with all of the necessary information so that it’s as easy as possible for donors to submit to their HR departments.

7. Thank Your Donors

After Giving Tuesday is over, your work isn’t quite done. While it’s wonderful (and well deserved!) to celebrate hitting your fundraising goals, you have one thing left to do — thank your donors. This is arguably the most crucial part of your Giving Tuesday strategy. Showing appreciation creatively and authentically is the best way to gain donors for life.

In addition to sending out the necessary tax receipts, find creative ways to thank your donors. Whether it’s a general social media shoutout or thank you email to your whole list or something more personal, showing your appreciation never goes out of style.

Use These Nonprofit Tips for Your Best Giving Tuesday Ever

We hope you’ve enjoyed and been inspired by our Giving Tuesday guide for nonprofits. If you use these tips to strategize, reach and thank your donors, your nonprofit is guaranteed to have your best Giving Tuesday yet.