As you probably know Giving Tuesday is right around the corner!
Hopefully if you are launching a campaign you’ve spent some time creating a plan and calendar for the day of and what comes after.
#GivingTuesday and year-end fundraising campaigns have started coming out in full force!
I’m already getting emails and seeing social media posts.
If you are running a campaign this year, you can use social media to “warm up” your audience and let them know that something special is coming.
Even small nonprofits can do this on a shoestring budget!
Since 2012, #GivingTuesday has generated over $1 billion in the U.S. alone.
As a whole, GivingTuesday campaigns received over 20.1 billion social media impressions.
I have 3 ideas for you.
In my latest Facebook Live video, I detail 3 ways that your nonprofit can leverage social media to create buzz for your #GivingTuesday or year-end fundraising campaign.
If you want even more actionable tips like this, check out my Teachable school!
1) Use a Facebook Page cover video.
Did you know that you can upload a video to take the place of the static cover image on your nonprofit’s Facebook Page?
And what better way to catch people’s eye and grab attention on Giving Tuesday than a quick video?
Here is how to do it:
- Create a colorful, eye-catching video using Animoto or another free/low-cost video tool. Josh Hirsch uses Final Cut Pro to create the great cover videos for Susan G. Komen Florida so be sure to check them out on their Facebook Page.
- The video can be a collage of images and text – explain your Giving Tuesday campaign succinctly and make sure to include the URL or call to action where they can participate!
- Choose a video that meets the technical requirements. A Facebook cover video must be a minimum of 820 x 312 pixels, with an official recommendation of 820 x 462 pixels.
- The video length must be between 20 and 90 seconds. If your video is too long, you’ll need to shorten it before uploading it to Facebook.
- Keep important text, photos, and subjects centralized because for whatever reason, part of the height of the video will be cropped.
- Go to your Facebook Page, hover your cursor over the cover image and click on the Change Cover button. Click on “Upload Photo/Video”.
Examples of nonprofit Facebook page cover videos:
More resources:
How to Set Up a Creative Facebook Cover Video
Facebook Video Cover Examples and Ideas
2) Share behind-the-scenes content leading up to #GivingTuesday.
Tell your story and humanize your nonprofit’s brand by having a bit of fun with some popular, free mobile apps like Boomerang, Hyperlapse, and Prisma.
People love to see that there are actual humans behind the logo, so try to show faces where possible.
Here are a few ways to use these apps:
- Showcase what happens behind-the-scenes on Thanksgiving week at your office
- Share what you are thankful for in a mini-campaign 5 days of gratitude
- Have a staff contest to see who can create the best Giving Tuesday or Thanksgiving Day theme video
3) Create a Pinterest board.
Many nonprofits underestimate the power of Pinterest for marketing and fundraising.
People are willing and able to impulse buy items directly from Pinterest – so that leads me to believe that they would be comfortable making impulse donations as well!
The best reason to use Pinterest this time of year is that traffic to their site doubles as people search for recipes, holiday party planning tips and ideas, decorations, etc.
Here are a few ways to use Pinterest to lead up to Giving Tuesday:
- Create a unique Pinterest board showcasing the various donation levels of your Giving Tuesday campaign – what does a $10 donation get, $25, $100?
- Showcase your donors with Donor Spotlights if you have them
- Add some of your best impact videos
- Share testimonials and stories that lead back to your website or blog
- Add infographics on the cause and the issue. You do not have to create these infographics; you can search for them within Pinterest and curate an entire board; or make them using a free graphic design platform like Canva.
- Add valuable, helpful information about the cause and the issue that you are working on from other sources – it creates good karma but also helps establish you as a go-to, trusted resource.
So there you have it – just 3 easy things you can do to build up buzz and excitement before Giving Tuesday!
If you want even more actionable tips like this, check out my Teachable school!