Giving Tuesday is coming! December 2, 2014 will mark the 3rd annual Giving Tuesday campaign.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for non-profits to capitalize on. There is a lot of social conversation about giving and a substantial amount of media coverage about it, and really the best non-profit campaigns are the ones that piggy back on social issues and conversation. That is how you make what you’re doing more relevant to your audience.
A Different Kind of Appeal
The heart of Giving Tuesday is really about engaging people in philanthropy and giving back to causes they care about. It is a day that is meant to off set the mass consumerism that follows American Thanksgiving including Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Successful Giving Tuesday appeals are not about your organization and its needs. The appeal should really be about your donors and their philanthropic participation. This is the perfect opportunity to use donor stories.
Tips for Preparing Stories for Giving Tuesday
With just about 6 weeks to go until Giving Tuesday there is still plenty of time to get ready and make it a special day for your organization’s donors!
Tip #1 – Identify 3 to 5 donors that you want to recognize on Giving Tuesday. I would recommend choosing mostly annual giving donors since it’s a day encouraging gifts of all levels. I would choose a first time donor, a donor who has been giving for 10 or more years and a donor who has children and is interested in teaching their kids about philanthropy. It’s also a good idea to strategically look for people who could be online influencers.
Tip #2 – Reach out to these donors to see if they would like to have their giving story featured. Make a phone call or write them an email to tell them about Giving Tuesday and your organization’s plans to recognize donors on that day. You can mention that you thought they would be a good fit and why. Give then a deadline for responding as well as next steps.
Tip #3 – Decide how you will share the pre-collected donor stories on Giving Tuesday. Choose channels that make the most sense for your organization and its audience. This will probably be a mix of social media and email.
Tip #4 – Create a way for donors who give on Giving Tuesday to share their stories. After they’ve made a gift, invite them to share a testimonial or ask them to send in a “giving selfie.” I recommend asking them for these stories because you can share them through out the day and use them as a part of special stewardship campaign to thank Giving Tuesday donors.
Next week I’ll be sharing a few tips about emails that you can send to donor on Giving Tuesday. Stay tuned!
