Giving Tuesday falls on December 3 this year. GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated in the US on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday starts the charitable season, when many focus on end-of-year giving.
According to the GivingTuesday website:
In 2018, 75% of those making financial contributions on #GivingTuesday were repeat donors, with a mean gift size of $105. Data shows that the holiday creates a net bump in overall yearly giving, and has proven not only to engage new donors, but to motivate existing donors to give more. Your organization will have the opportunity to join thousands of organizations around the world to encourage more generosity.
That is great news in terms of number of donors and gift amounts but it also presents a challenge as we are competing with thousands of other charitable organizations around the world. So we’ll want some creative ideas for our campaign that grab donors attention, are simple, and make it easy for them to give. If you do a search online like I did, you’ll find plenty of websites with tips and ideas. One that I liked was a blog on the site Classy – 6 Creative Fundraising Ideas to Inspire You on GivingTuesday. I like it because Classy keeps it simple.
Idea #1 focuses on driving engagement across social media channels – Give $5, Get 5 Friends. The ask amount isn’t high so it’s something most people can do with little thought but you’re also asking them to tag five other friends for the potential for your campaign to go viral.
Idea #2 reminds us that we should be leveraging GivingTuesday year-round. It’s the perfect opportunity to promote your monthly/recurring giving campaign. If you don’t have one, then it’s an opportunity to launch one.
Idea #3 is a peer-to-peer campaign where you encourage others to raise money on your behalf. Your audience might not be able to donate $100 but they can recruit 10 others to donate $10 each.
Idea #4 is to perform a challenge when you hit certain milestones. This works well if you have local celebrities willing to help you out. Capturing and streaming video are key here.
Ideas #5 and #6 are two of my favorites. Idea #5 is Buy a Drink on Us. Pretty simple – asking donors to consider what they spend on a cup of coffee and donate that amount. Idea #6 is a Match. Find a matching gift partner and let people know that their donation counts even more. A match also creates a sense of urgency.
I’m sure there are plenty of other great ideas out there. Please feel free to share campaigns that have worked for you or campaigns that have impressed you. December 3 is just around the corner so now’s the time to start planning! My key take away – keep it simple and make it easy for your donors to give.
About The Author: Kathy Renzetti
A principal consultant with TGC, Kathy has 22 years of experience working with small to mid-size organizations, with 15 years of experience focused on healthcare philanthropy. She excels at working with boards, staff, and volunteers of mission-driven organizations to deliver strategic objectives from concept to implementation.
More posts by Kathy Renzetti