#GivingTuesday, celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, launches the charitable giving season at the end of the year. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday is about making a difference in our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. Here are four ideas for how to use #GivingTuesday to bolster your existing fundraising or program efforts:
Idea #1: Incorporate #GivingTuesday into your year-end appeal plan
- Remind donors who haven’t yet contributed to your appeal year
- Send an email appeal to constituents for whom you have an email address but not a mailing address
- Target a specific segment such as prospective donors, program attendees, or lapsed donors
Idea #2: Strengthen your base of volunteers
- Recruit new volunteers for the calendar year or for an upcoming event
- Reach out to volunteers who haven’t logged hours in six months or more
- Check in with active volunteers to thank them and to gauge their interest and availability for the upcoming year
Idea #3: Thank your donors
- Call donors who have already contributed to your appeal and say an extra thank you
- Send a handwritten note of appreciation to your major donors
- Host a casual reception on #GivingTuesday to thank your supporters
Idea #4: Ask for feedback
- If your organization offers programs or workshops, send a brief survey to attendees to thank them for attending your programs throughout the year and ask for their feedback and suggestions
Putting your ideas into practice
However you choose to participate in #GivingTuesday, having a plan in place is the key to success. Take the following into consideration:
- What is your goal for #GivingTuesday? Define your objective, and make it clear and donor-centric. Make sure your goal is clear to your consituents, too. For example, a community food bank might choose this for its message to prospective donors on #GivingTuesday: “Your gift of $25 today will feed a family of five for a week.”
- Gather the tools you’ll need. Since #GivingTuesday is an online event, you’ll need a way to accept online donations or create other webforms, such as surveys. Including images in your emails and social media posts is a great way to catch people’s eye—use a free service like Canva or PicMonkey to create images. A donor management system like Little Green Light will help you store and report on the information you collect on #GivingTuesday.
- Plan a follow-up strategy. As you plan for #GivingTuesday, also think about how you’ll follow up with the people who connect with you on the big day. Check out our post on how to retain donors after a giving day.
Need more ideas? Visit givingtuesday.org to register and get access to their toolkit and resources.
