Today is #GivingTuesday!
GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past ten years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round.
Some facts:
The movement continues to grow in year-over-year donation volume, reach and impact – driving increased donations and behavior change. In 2021, an estimated $2.7 Billion were donated in twenty-four hours in the U.S. alone, a 9% increase over the prior year and a 37% increase from pre-pandemic levels.
On November 30, 2021 35 million adults participating by offering gifts of time, voice, skills, goods, and money, as well as countless acts of kindness inspired by the movement.
There are official GivingTuesday national movements in 80 countries, led by a global network of passionate, entrepreneurial leaders. At a grassroots level, people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday in every single country in the world.
People are inspired to give on GivingTuesday. 84% of those aware report that GivingTuesday inspired them to be more giving.
A 2019 Horizon Media study reported that 52% said that they want to donate on this day because it allows them to be a part of a bigger group of people doing good.
As they write on their website, “GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to remain connected and support their communities. It’s not just one day – this is a global social movement that’s working every day to fuel more generosity in service to building a more just and equitable world.”
If you have never participated, there is no official registration to participate in this global day of giving back. Everyone, registered charities or otherwise, are all welcome and encouraged to participate however they choose. 76% of 18-34-year-olds who are aware of #GivingTuesday participate in some way, either giving of their time, or money, or taking an advocacy action.
And best of all? 82% of nonprofits take this opportunity to experiment with something new.
No matter how you’re planning on participating today, you’ll simply direct your supporters to your website, a landing page, or to your social channels. If you are fundraising for GivingTuesday, you can use any donation platform you like – most organizations use their website’s donate button, crowdfunding, or peer to peer tools of their choosing.
Here are several ways to promote your Giving Tuesday campaign and drive more donations:
Share a story that represents how this year has been… different.
We can’t shy away from discussing how the global pandemic, the current economic climate, and political decisions continually affect the people that we serve and the causes that we stand for.
Have the Executive Director jump on FB and Instagram live and share from their first hand perspective of how the organization has changed, adapted, and “pivoted” (the dreaded word) during a year where the only predictable thing was unpredictability.
You can also celebrate your wins and accomplishments despite the odds – everyone loves a happy story!
Share an anecdote about a unique challenge you faced this year.
What was especially challenging this year – something that you faced that others did not, or that many people might not know about?
Tell a story of how your clients and your mission were affected uniquely by COVID-19, by job losses, by specific local issues. What can we do about this as donors? Why is this important to address – why is this timely, urgent, and relevant?
Share a success story or a success story in progress.
Your story doesn’t have to be wrapped in a bow.
Is there a success story in progress? Is there a small win that you can share in the form of a story?
Tell a story from the staff perspective.
Staff members are stretched to the max, working from home, coming into the office, navigating a changing landscape. One of the key missions of GivingTuesday is to showcase the vital, important work of the sector and the people who work in it. Tell the stories of the fabulous people in your organization who make the magic happen.
What are they most proud of this year? What challenged them the most? What are they looking forward to next year?
What are their stories? These can be on Zoom or via Instagram stories. The key is authenticity, not polish.
Tell a story of a donor.
Highlight people who continued to support you this year, even though they may have been experiencing economic hardship.
No plain corporate logos please. Even just a quote with a graphic and photo can be powerful!
Ask your community what your mission means to them.
The Night Ministry is an organization in Chicago that provides health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty, and loneliness.
Last year for GivingTuesday, they asked their community what home means to them. In this video, former clients Rich and Amber share their thoughts on home and tell us how they feel The Night Ministry creates a sense of home.
You can see more videos at www.thenightministry.org/what-is-home.
Some tips for communicating today
Don’t start with “Today is Giving Tuesday” – everyone says that!
What will grab attention? Make it cause specific and focused on your donor.
Sure, Giving Tuesday will be getting a lot of media attention and social media mentions.
But your donors don’t give simply because it’s Tuesday. They give because you asked them!
Communicate more than you think.
Email at least one more time. Go to givingtuesday.org to get free email templates
Post a few more times.
Use LinkedIn strategically! LinkedIn is helping organizations raise awareness this GivingTuesday with a total of $1 miilion in Ad Grants. To help nonprofits like yours raise awareness, LinkedIn is giving away $1 million in Ad Grants this Giving Tuesday. If your nonprofit is based in the U.S., you may be eligible to apply to receive free LinkedIn ads.
https://nonprofit.linkedin.com/givingtuesday
To participate, follow the three steps below:
Step 1: Post on LinkedIn from your nonprofit’s official Company Page on Nov. 29, 2022, Giving Tuesday, using all the hashtags #DonateAwareness #GivingTuesday and #Contest in the post text. Don’t forget to invite your employees and other supporters to interact with your post by liking, sharing, and commenting on it!
Step 2: Submit your application. The application will be accessible via this website from Nov. 29, 2022 12:00 a.m. PT – Nov. 30, 2022 11:59 p.m. PT. You’ll need your Giving Tuesday post link from Step 1 handy to submit as part of your application.
Step 3: That’s it! LinkedIn will email you by December 31, 2022 if your organization is selected to receive a special Ad Grant.
In The Donor Engagement Report, 31% of respondents noted that they’ve posted about Giving Tuesday on LinkedIn in the past. The report also uncovered that LinkedIn users are most influenced to donate by people in their direct network — friends, family members, colleagues, mentors, and managers — so those posts have the potential to reach and inspire new donors.
Ask your biggest supporters, including your employees, volunteers, and board members, to post about your nonprofit on LinkedIn on Giving Tuesday. To make it easy for them, consider giving them a prompt, like sharing their most meaningful memory involving your organization. Encourage them to use the hashtags #DonateAwareness and #GivingTuesday, too! Every post about your nonprofit helps to spread the word about its mission.
To learn more about LinkedIn’s special Giving Tuesday Ad Grants, and to find out if your nonprofit is eligible to apply, click here.
Show Your Support with Stickers
Facebook has discontinued profile frames, but your supporters can use the official “I gave” badge to show their support! Access them on any app that uses stickers (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook stories, Reels, Snapchat) by searching for “@GivingTuesday.” You can also find all the GivingTuesday GIFs you can handle at Giphy.com.
Facebook is matching monthly donations through the end of the year. Read the full program details here.
GlobalGiving is giving away $1.2M to nonprofits from midnight to 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 29.
Encourage your donors to give stock on GivingTuesday. DonateStock is matching up to $100k
Don’t compare yourself.
Some organizations have been preparing fundraising campaigns for weeks now, and some have big marketing and fundraising budgets.
Don’t compare yourself if you are a small nonprofit.
Often, being smaller means you can be more nimble, and create content on the fly without going through an arduous committee process.
No matter how you tell your story on GivingTuesday, make sure it catches the eye, piques curiosity, and gets people to take action (if that’s what you want).
For more examples, go to GivingTuesday.org – they have TONS of free resources, guides, and examples from nonprofits small and large.