How to Nail Your Giving Tuesday Campaign
Fall has arrived. Before we know it we’ll be sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner, and planning our Black Friday strategies. Keep your donors (and your team) focused on doing good this holiday season with a rock-solid Giving Tuesday Campaign.
This year’s Giving Tuesday falls on November 29, 2016, and can act as a great kickstarter for your end-of-year giving campaign. We’ve put together some helpful tips to get you started off on the right foot, and keep you going strong all the way through the new year.
Get Started — Now!
We’re 5 weeks away, so there’s no better time to start planning! Take the next week or so to outline your campaign goals and initiatives.
Start by answering these questions to give your team a solid campaign foundation:
- What is our organization’s overall mission?
- What is our donation goal for 2016? And where are we at right now?
- Who are our top audiences that we can reach to for support?
- What is the best way to reach these audiences (letter, email, social media, etc)?
- How much time, resources, and money can we commit to a Giving Campaign?
- Can we do this ourselves, or do we need help?
Craft Your Message
No matter how important your cause, if your supporters don’t understand their critical role, you’ll never achieve your fundraising goals. They key to success is communicating the personal impact that each individual has on your cause.
People are driven to donate when they know it will have a positive impact on other people, animals, or the world as a whole. Establishing a deep emotional connection to your cause will drive donors to give, and keep them involved in for the long haul.
Put yourself in the shoes of your potential donors. Start by answering these questions:
- Why should I care?
- How does my donation have an impact on your cause?
- Can I follow your organization’s progress?
Mobilize Your Supporters
A few weeks before the big day, start planting the seed with your supporters for the charitable giving season. You can quickly spread awareness with well-designed emails, compelling social media graphics and videos, or specialized callouts on your website’s homepage. Providing ways for your supporters to share your cause via social media or email will further extend your reach.
You can also engage supporters by asking them to pledge to donate for the holidays, or even run their own donation campaign. This will get them in the mindset of giving, and also help to build your email database for future campaigns.
Go Big on the Big Day
When Giving Tuesday arrives, focus your efforts on this one-day push. Drive supporters to an online donation page, and make it easy for them to give. Offer multiple giving levels, and non-monetary contributions like volunteer sign-ups, or donations of goods and services.
Plan a day-long strategy with a series of social media posts, emails, and even a homepage takeover on your website. Create some buzz around your cause to get supporters to take action!
Have a Gratitude Strategy
Your supporters are one of your biggest assets, so be sure share your appreciation! Have a plan in place to say “Thank You” when they donate. This could be in the form of a post-donation email, or a simple thank you card. Make it personal, and make it genuine.
Carry your Giving Tuesday momentum into your end-of-year giving campaign. Post updates on your website or social channels on how donations have impacted your cause. Share stories of the lives you’ve touched, give status updates on your donation goals, and provide additional ways for supporters to give and stay connected throughout the year.
Teal Media is a full-service creative agency with a conscience. We pour every ounce of our passion and skill toward your success, because we, too, want the world to be a better place. We believe purposeful design can transform organizations, inspire action, and enable progress. We’d love to help you with your GivingTuesday Campaign.
Learn more at TealMedia.com and find us on Facebook and Twitter.
