It’s a crowded field on Giving Tuesday, but there’s no reason to sit that day out. Here are steps towards pulling off a successful Giving Tuesday that doesn’t overwhelm you.
You’ve heard the critiques of Giving Tuesday . . .
Giving Tuesday is not a huge money-maker . . . Giving Tuesday is a waste of staff time . . . social media is flooded with thousands of nonprofits making their pitch . . .
While you may not solicit a six-figure gift from Giving Tuesday, it is certainly a good idea to participate if you have a simple and actionable strategy that you can implement without too much time and attention. Giving Tuesday is a good touch point with your donors before your big end-of-year asks, and you can fight for a small slice of the $2.47 billion pie that has become one of the most lucrative days of charity of the year.
To ensure success, get all of your ducks in a row at least one week prior to Giving Tuesday. Here are four strategies to consider.
- Set up a themed email campaign with no fewer than five emails, starting with a “Save the Date” on the Friday before Giving Tuesday. Here’s a basic recommended email schedule. You can do more or less, but this is a useful template.
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- Friday email announcing campaign and monetary goal
- Monday email
- Tuesday morning email
- Tuesday night last-chance email
- Wednesday morning thank you with an update towards goal
- Finalize your email list, draft all emails and creative subject lines, and set up your email program (e.g., MailChimp) so that everything is automated. Prepare a thank you email that is generated automatically once a donor gives. (If an automatic thank you already exists, tailor it to Giving Tuesday gifts for a few days, then change it back.) Ensure that your website allows donors to give without any technical errors or difficulties.
- Add a temporary pop-up to your website. While they are irritating, pop-ups have proven to be successful for campaigns. And make sure any accompanying messaging and branding—such as a pop-up or social media post—is consistent across all communications channels.
- Think outside the box when it comes to how best to solicit your audience. Seek a matching gift from a donor to help drive gifts; include a solicitation in the Wednesday thank you email; use a specific story from someone your organization serves. These extra touches may make your campaign stand out from the crowd, motivating more donors.
If you are spending more than a couple of days putting together a Giving Tuesday campaign, then yes, your ROI will not be that great. But success on Giving Tuesday depends on having a strategy in place—so use these strategies to head into December with a win to kick off your end-of-year giving!