How did Giving Tuesday go for you?
I loved seeing emails and social media posts from my nonprofit clients and online course students – you all killed it this year!
I hope that you absolutely slayed your goals and that you are going into year-end fundraising with a renewed inspiration and motivation.
If you didn’t reach your goal, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Think of what you achieved by trying something new. Analyze what worked and what didn’t.
There are so many factors at play that it is hard to pick just one. Try to see the forest for the trees – was it the message or the medium?
Did you send enough email? Did you have a compelling ask?
I have seen nonprofits spend so much time this year working on their campaigns, creating buzz and excitement, thinking of ways to bring in new donors and get supporters excited before year-end.
But what happens after the donation comes in?
What’s the plan to keep these new donors and bring them into the fold long term, after November 29th?
Let’s talk about donor psychology. We know what donors want.
They keep telling us, and we keep ignoring them and pushing out own agenda.
Check out the National Donor Commitment Study by Donor Voice – it tell us that donors give again and again to nonprofits where:
- The organization is perceived to be effective
- The donor knows what to expect with each interaction
- The donor receives a timely thank you
- There are Opportunities to make views known
- Donor feels like they are part of an important cause
- Donor feels that their involvement is appreciate
- Donor receives info showing who is being helped
What’s your plan to give this, and even more, to your new donors?
What should nonprofits do after #GivingTuesday to continue the momentum and to keep the donors in the fold?
Here are 10 ideas for cultivating these amazingly generous people this week:
Send thank you notes immediately.
Send a special thank you note to everyone who participated in #GivingTuesday as soon as you can. These people may have donated online in the spur of the moment or based on something they saw on social media. There is going to be another big thing tomorrow to capture their minds. You want to say in the forefront of their minds and make sure they feel appreciated while you have their attention.
Encourage donors to spread the word.
Your donation page should already have this capability, but it’s a good idea to send #GivingTuesday donors another reminder. Directly ask them to share the background of why they gave and why your cause is important to them. Explain that by sharing their generosity on social media and via email, they will encourage others to give.
Share on your Facebook and Instagram stories.
Highlight other local nonprofits and partners, donors, volunteers and community members and their participation in #GivingTuesday.
Keep a separate list of the #GivingTuesday donors.
Send them periodic special emails and make sure to let them know first about your plans for #GivingTuesday 2023! You may even want to get their feedback on the day, the ease of donating online, and request their support in getting the word out about next year’s campaign ahead of time.
Celebrate!
Update your supporters on how much you raised and whether or not you met your goal. If you met your goal, then celebrate! If you are close, explain what needs to be done to get to the goal in the next few days. Be honest and truthful – your donors can handle it.
Demonstrate impact.
Always, always show the direct impact of the donations raised any day of the year, not just on #GivingTuesday. Provide stories, testimonials, short videos and photos showing the many ways that your nonprofit has made the word a better place.
Surprise them with a personalized video.
For their 5th birthday, charity:water got employees and volunteers together in their office to make over 1,000 personalized donor videos.
They wore wigs and costumes and called out donors by their names. Watch the video of how they did it, and see some of their thank you videos for inspiration.
Make a personalized video for some of your donors, or all of them, on Giving Tuesday.
Use their name and the amount that they gave in the thank you.
The tools needed? Just your smartphone!
Camera shy?
Create a short video with graphics and text detailing 3 accomplishments that you are especially proud of, from the last week or month.
This can be a simple photo montage, rather than a traditional video featuring people talking or moving.
Use donor-centric language, such as “We could not have done this without you!” and “Without your support, this would not have been possible.”
I love using Canva to create videos, but Animoto is also a great option – photo montages
Have a special plan for third party donors.
Third party donors rocked Giving Tuesday last year and this year, especially on Facebook.
What are third party donors?
They are people who donated because someone they know and trust asked them to, rather than receiving a solicitation directly from your nonprofit.
This is how Facebook Fundraisers work.
It’s not surprising that most of the gifts to nonprofits via Facebook Fundraisers came from the creators and from their friends.
What IS surprising is that about 80% of those same donors said they would give again via Facebook and Instagram.
Something else that surprised me – the percentage of donations that came from people unconnected to the creator of the Fundraiser was DOUBLE what usually happens on a typical day.
The main challenge with the donors that come in via Facebook Fundraisers is that many of them don’t elect to share their contact information with you.
If you have their contact info, send these donors a special email thanking them specifically for giving via Facebook on Giving Tuesday.
When you send a thank you message referring to the specific way that they gave and the reason that they gave, it does 2 things:
- Shows that you are paying attention.
- Reminds them that someone they trust loves your organization.
For the amazing people running these Facebook Fundraisers for you, make sure you are thanking them and acknowledging their hard work!
Make a Thank You video and send it via Facebook messenger or email to any lovely soul who is raising money for you on Giving Tuesday.
Include a call to action in the video and a link where their friends and family can sign up to get more information from you if they are interested.
If they don’t want to share their contact information with you, that’s their prerogative. Move on.
Create an infographic detailing the impact of the Giving Tuesday campaign.
You can create beautiful looking infographics right in my favorite graphic design platform, Canva.
Show your new donors what they were a part of on Giving Tuesday.
“This is what we did because of you” – People like to be a part of something bigger than themselves and they want to see what their donations accomplished.
You can get it professionally printed and put it in your thank you letters, put it on your website, add it to emails.
Remind people why they gave. Remind them what inspired them.
Don’t ask again too soon.
Thank and show impact FIRST.
Work on building trust.
They may not know much about you at first.
It’s up to you to woo them and make them fall in love long-term.
I’m not on Twitter anymore but please share your wins with me on Instagram by tagging @juliacampbell77 or find me on LinkedIn.