How to Prepare For #GivingTuesday

by | Oct 26, 2015 | CaringCent Blog

 

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday? That’s right, #GivingTuesday – a global day of giving. And unlike the other days, you don’t have to get up early and throw elbows to be first to get to the super discounted flat screen TV. On December 1, 2015, this powerful movement is sweeping the globe and we have one question: Who’s on first? (Kidding.) But seriously, does your organization have a #GivingTuesday plan in place? If not, don’t fret! We’re here to help. There’s still plenty of time to get up to speed on this trending campaign and make sure your organization is a part of the movement.

So what exactly is #GivingTuesday?

In it’s fourth year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that connects people around the world with one common goal: to celebrate giving. It falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – well beyond the tryptophan-induced post turkey nap gives way – and kicks off the season of giving. It encourages individuals, businesses, organizations and communities worldwide to empower one another to make the world a better place through small acts of kindness. The idea is to harness the power of giving by lending time, resources, goods and/or services to bring about real change in communities.

According to GivingTuesday.org, last year #GivingTuesday garnered 32.7 million Twitter impressions and 750,000+ hashtag mentions raising $45.7 million in donations worldwide. If you’re more of a visual learner, this #GivingTuesday by the Numbers video breaks it down even further.

How can my organization get involved?

Whether you’ve participated in #GivingTuesday in the past, or you’re new to the game, it never hurts to be prepared. Like most campaigns, it’s a good idea to come up with a strategy to assure your organization gets the most out of #GivingTuesday.  Salsa Labs, Inc. provides a downloadable #GivingTuesday Campaign Planner template for nonprofits to help start your campaign strategy.

Here are some other ways your organization can make the most of #GivingTuesday:

  • Create an email campaign to let your donors know you are participating and get them excited! GivingTuesday.org provides a great sample outreach email to get your organization started.
  • Partner with a business or sponsor and create a matching gift to help double revenue and motivate your donors.
  • Launch an on-going end of the year campaign on #GivingTuesday to kick-off the season of giving. This can be incorporated into your holiday giving campaign.

Where can I find #GivingTuesday resources?

There are a number of great resources out there that may help give you an idea of how organizations are participating in #GivingTuesday. But to save you the trouble of Internet browsing overload, we’ve provided some resources that we think are great:

  • GivingTuesday.org, the mother ship of all things #GivingTuesday, provides a number of valuable items including toolkits, downloadable logos and graphics, videos and case studies. We especially love their thorough and informative 2015 Communications Toolkit.
  • Blackbaud, a founding partner of #GivingTuesday, offers a #GivingTuesday Trends report that gives an in-depth look at the movement’s trends going back to its conception.
  • While this isn’t “technically” a resource, search the #GivingTuesday hashtag on your social networks. You’ll be amazed at what you find!

And, we can’t end this post without a call to action!  #Virtualchange needs to be part of your #GivingTuesday strategy. And yes, we’re here at your service.  Please register for CaringCent today and we’ll provide you with a turnkey and FREE (how’s that for giving?) platform that will empower your organization well beyond December 1st to fund your important mission.  Okay, self-promoting commercial over.

But, if you have more #GivingTuesday tips to add to the above plan that our top-notch team has put together, please post it and share with our community.