Take Advantage Of Giving Tuesday To Raise Funds For Your Nonprofit

A fundraiser has to bear in mind that not all days are the same. This affirmation is particularly considering the increased tendency of people to give on some special days. In essence, every fundraiser should look forward to taking advantage of such days.

Giving Tuesday is an excellent example of the special (giving) day we envisage. So, in this article, we shall be digging deep into what Giving Tuesday is all about and how you can use it for your fundraising.

What Is The Background Story?

The first Giving Tuesday was announced in 2012 and was celebrated after Thanksgiving – the last Tuesday of November, to be precise. However, Giving Tuesday may sometimes fall in December of a particular year. This variation will depend on the date that Thanksgiving falls. 

As the name suggests, the trend is to inspire individuals to give to others. While you may be more about fundraising, it would interest you to note that Giving Tuesday isn’t just about giving money. There are instances where people have given their time on a Giving Tuesday to aid some cause.

More so, nonprofits can leverage the benevolence of Giving Tuesday to recruit volunteers for their fundraising campaigns. That said, it is possible to see people fixing their Giving Tuesday on other Tuesdays besides the one after Thanksgiving.

When Is Giving Tuesday 2022?

Giving Tuesday for the current year (2022) is November 29. Nevertheless, as earlier emphasized, you may decide to place it on any other Tuesday. This would, however, cost you more as you will have to put a lot of planning into it. The planning is primarily hinged on informing prospective donors about it well ahead of time.

Preparing for Giving Tuesday

 

Create Some Buzz About It

Giving Tuesday is there for the taking – many fundraisers know about it. So, for this singular reason, you must endeavor to be strategic in your approach. This is where creating awareness cannot be traded for anything else. 

The planning may not be challenging since you’re flowing with a widely known trend, but you still need to explore some unique measures to get a commendable result. It is not necessarily about running or spending a lot on some ads all week. 

You can consider putting out some appealing graphic content a few days before Giving Tuesday. Doing this will set you apart and put your project in the face of potential donors. Social media channels will certainly come in handy in this regard.

 

Clearly State the Objective/Ask

The randomness of the donors on Giving Tuesday doesn’t mean you have to do things haphazardly. For one, you have to communicate the objective(s) of the project at hand. You can post some videos or pictures showing what you wish to use the funds for. 

It would be best if you also used this opportunity to let people know about your values and vision. All these could make donors see you as a trustworthy entity. Even more importantly, you can get lifetime or recurring donations for your nonprofit from people based on your communication on a Giving Tuesday. 

You should never forget to highlight your ask specifically – this is a crucial part of the message. This is, more or less, a call to action, and there shouldn’t be any ambiguity about it. Again, stating your ask is even more necessary considering that there are various needs that could be demanded during this period. In essence, you should expressly ask that they donate money towards the actualization of your project.

Fundraisers sometimes declare the total amount of funds needed for the project completion from the get-go. They may even provide updates about the amount of money that has been generated so far. Such declarations ultimately promote transparency, with the donors seeing the campaign in good light. 

 

Have Your Text-To-Give Number Ready

Donors should not have a hard time trying to drop their penny into the fundraising campaign purse. It is incumbent on you to provide them with a convenient means to do so.

Hence, you must sort out all that concerns the acquisition of your text-to-give number way before Giving Tuesday. This number should be displayed on social media under the message soliciting funds.

By the way, you can yet choose from any of the other donation collection avenues. Crowdfunding and mobile-giving apps register as valuable fundraising tools in this respect. You can have one or two of these set up and share the link with people – your potential donors.

After Giving Tuesday, What Next?

Generally, Giving Tuesday is just one day a year, but it can have a long-term impact. However, what you will get from it will depend on certain things you do. Post-Giving Tuesday, the most important thing you have to do revolves around the Act of Gratitude. The reason for this is that gratitude can unlock more opportunities for you. This tendency becomes feasible as people will be more drawn to contribute to your cause later.

You should take it to heart to send ‘Thank you’ messages to all the donors. Though the text-to-give option may not leave room to follow up on the donors, you can include a line of appreciation in the body of the first message you will be sending out. More so, you can drop a gratitude message to every donor through social media.

The idea is to leave a good impression [that may inspire future commitments] on your donors. You should do this without appearing impulsive or forceful – place no further demand. Nevertheless, you must be mindful of doing the needful from the beginning.

Conclusion

Giving Tuesday is not just another day for fundraisers. It is a day they look up to with great enthusiasm and hope. This is because the day comes with the possibility of connecting with the next set of willing donors. So, it is one day you, as a fundraiser, have to plan toward and take advantage of. Plus, you can even use it to kickstart your fundraising campaign on the whole.