Let’s be real. Your audience can tell the difference between a campaign thrown together at the last minute and one that was well thought out and meticulously planned. And there’s still lots of time until GivingTuesday, which falls on November 28 this year.
But don’t wait! Take advantage of any extra time you have now to get ahead of the game. As you know, a proactive plan makes it easier to engage donors, make an impression, and inspire giving. So, getting a head start on your GivingTuesday campaign may be one of the best things you can do to improve your fundraising totals this year.
Build your outreach.
You already know your GivingTuesday materials should feel cohesive and branded, like any other fundraising campaign. So, take time to design uniform graphics and logos to include in emails and social media posts.
And apply the same approach to the content of your messages! You should have a handful of stories prepared ahead of time to include in your outreach and mention in conversations you have with your audience on GivingTuesday.
Decide which programs and accomplishments relate best to your mission and mention them throughout the campaign. And be sure to set aside any accompanying materials, like pictures, stats, or testimonials that help tell your story.
As always, it’s important to use all the channels at your disposal to go surround sound. And your GivingTuesday campaign should be no different! So, think about how your website, social media posts, and emails will work together in your GivingTuesday campaign.
READ MORE: The right way to compare dollars to impact.
Get everyone involved.
Speaking of social media, consider recruiting your most loyal and engaged followers to serve as social ambassadors. These people should represent your ideal target audience and will help your organization publish content for your GivingTuesday campaign.
They serve as an external voice to promote your cause and can help you gain access to others who fit the same donor profile. With their help, you can convert these new audiences into donors. Rallying volunteers and other outsiders to share your message can improve your reach, influence, and your organization’s workforce.
But sharing on social media isn’t just for your volunteers, engaged followers, and social influencers! Remind your staff that fundraising is an organization-wide effort. Encourage everyone to share on their social media profiles to tap another unique audience.
Remember, it’s one thing if those within your organization endorse your cause. Donors expect that. But when another regular person advocates your mission, donors take notice.
READ MORE: Simple strategies to amplifi your social media outreach.
About your asks.
Offering to match a gift demonstrates your dedication to the cause and can motivate donors to give more than usual. Donors who are truly connected to your mission will be thrilled that their dollars do more to further the cause when matched by the organization itself.
Match gifts make it possible for a donor to provide two or even three times the value than they may have been able to on their own. That is a powerful motivation for any donor who is truly invested in your organization’s work!
One of the major concerns many organizations have on GivingTuesday is negatively impacting their end-of-year appeals. But many clever fundraisers use GivingTuesday as a soft touch that kicks off their end-of-year push.
So, if you’ve been segmenting your audience, you already have a head start!
Consider breaking down your donor base into two groups for your Giving Tuesday campaign. First, email any donors who have already contributed to your annual fund. Ask them if they will supplement their usual gift with a GivingTuesday donation since they are already a loyal supporter.
The second group will consist of regular donors who have not given yet this year. Let them know you missed their usual donation and remind them it’s not too late to give. Then, encourage them to make a difference with a donation this GivingTuesday.
READ MORE: How to segment your nonprofit’s audience.
Prepping your donation page.
GivingTuesday is a unique occasion. And your organization’s online donation page should reflect that. At a minimum, use a GivingTuesday graphic as the header of your regular donation page for a day. If you are tying GivingTuesday into your end-of-year fundraising push, use a GivingTuesday header on the donation page for your annual fund. You can set it back to normal afterward.
GivingTuesday provides a lot of free assets to make your job easier!
You’re probably aware that your organization is not the only one trying to make the most of GivingTuesday this year. But using PURLs to direct donors to a personalized campaign pages can help your message stand out.
You can version the content of these pages to resonate better with specific donors. Personalized campaign pages can include custom ask strings based on a donor’s giving history and mention any specific programs they have contributed to before.
Whether or not you use PURLs, we recommend setting up a generic GivingTuesday donation page.
Make sure you use shorter forms and keep them mobile-friendly to maximize your conversions. Nearly every donor who contributes on GivingTuesday will do so online. And they will all see this page. So, use it to seal the deal, not scare them away!
READ MORE: Let’s freshen up your online donation page.
Setting your goals.
Your organization’s fundraising goals can do more than just measure success. Sure, it is important to keep track of dollars raised. But other metrics can help you understand what is or isn’t working in a campaign. After all, you can’t have a truly successful fundraising campaign if you don’t track things like response rates, average gift size, or performance among specific audiences. But you already knew that!
This is great information to have internally. But you should be sharing progress and updating your audience on your goals too. You can’t do this without your donors, so keep them in the loop and let them know the impact of their gift!
However, you should only share goals that are relevant to your donors. The average donor won’t really be excited to learn that your organization’s GivingTuesday email push had a three percent higher click rate than last year.
However, they will want to know when you are approaching your total fundraising goal or if there were 200 more GivingTuesday donations than last year. These metrics invite your donors to quantify the progress you’ve made together and can demonstrate the impact each person has in furthering the cause.
So, tie your goals into something tangible, so each donor can truly understand the difference their gift made. For example, consider making a social media post or sending an email blast that explains that your organization raised $50,000 this GivingTuesday, enough to vaccinate 500 children at risk of disease.
READ MORE: Why do donors disconnect from your mission?
It will come up fast.
Remember, GivingTuesday falls on November 28 this year. We’re still a few months away, but don’t hesitate! Now is the time to start planning, developing your strategy, and crafting your messages so you can make the most of your GivingTuesday campaign.
Nonprofits continue to raise more money, year after year, on GivingTuesday. Together, we set a new record last year, with over $3.1 billion raised by nonprofits in total! And at amplifi, our eyes are set on making this the best GivingTuesday yet!
