How to Optimize for Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday or #GivingTuesday is an important day for many nonprofit strategies. It is a widely known day of donor generosity. The purpose of Giving Tuesday is to create a day in which widespread messaging and involvement encourages people to give in any way they can. In 2019 alone, organizations in the United States received $500 million. Giving Tuesday has this fundraising power because it creates immense visibility among the general public to be on the lookout for nonprofits that interest them. It creates activity on the donor side, causing them to look for nonprofits. This makes it easier for nonprofits to have their message heard, or at least, it should. Giving Tuesday is a massive phenomenon and now, many organizations, particularly smaller ones, can get lost in the noise. That said, we have some strategies and tips below to help optimize your organization for Giving Tuesday and reach donors despite all of the noise. 

Inform Your Audience 

Many donors set money aside for Giving Tuesday and are looking for somewhere to donate it. Providing pots of background information and pictures related to your organization improves your chances of donors taking interest in your nonprofit. Give potential donors a breakdown of what you do and what you have done. Incorporate pictures; these mean so much more than words alone. In this information, explain where their donation will go and what it will be used for. We have covered where to look for this data and how it improves donor recruitment in our blog on Boosting Your Fundraising by Showing Donors the ROI. Be specific here. Give your audience numbers, ROI, historical impact, current needs in the community, and more. Are there projects that need funding today? If it is for operations, don’t simply say operations but inform the reader what you are doing. 

Explain the “Giving”

Giving Tuesday is a big day, so don’t miss out because you did not get your mechanics right. When asking for gifts, do more than simply say “donate.” Break down your giving process. Can donors give a one-time gift or split it up monthly? Informing donors on their options can lead to a new donor that otherwise wouldn’t give because they already donated elsewhere that day or simply don’t have the money at the moment. Additionally, provide lots of options for amounts to give. Don't miss out on a $20 donation because a potential donor glanced at your page and only sees options for $50 and $100. In addition to our previous point on giving donors the numbers, remember that the gift amounts area is a perfect place to do this. For example, does a $25 gift equal lunch for 4 students or can $50 help provide 20 gallons of clean water? Does a bigger gift cover the expenses for an entire community engagement event? These are fantastic ways to attract donors because they like to know what the impact of their dollar is. 

Don’t Wait Until Giving Tuesday to Start

Giving Tuesday may be a very popular day, but it is popular as Giving Tuesday not Giving to Your Nonprofit Day. You need to inform donors of your role in Giving Tuesday, how to give, and why to give. The only way to do this is to start informing donors ahead of time. Let your donor base know ahead of time what is coming and what are your goals. This will help you be prepared, set aside gifts, and be excited to engage with your nonprofit. This is key to cutting through all of the noise that will begin on the morning of Giving Tuesday. Do this through email with a link to your Giving Tuesday webpage. If you don’t have a Giving Tuesday webpage, that is another tip for optimization right there. Additionally, use social media. Routinely post on social media letting people know that Giving Tuesday is approaching and that your organization has a campaign with a specific goal. Boost your efforts by asking staff, members, volunteers, and current donors to post on social media about the organization with a link to the Giving Tuesday campaign page and donation form. 

Along with explaining, make it easy

Don’t just explain what you are doing. Make it easy for donors to participate. Simplifying the fields that a donor must fill out in order to give is a great way to enhance donors’ willingness to give. Keep it simple with name, email, address, and billing information. With this information, you can always follow up at a later date. Also be sure to be positive throughout the process, making your messaging positive and thankful. 

Show Your Thanks 

Giving Tuesday is preceded by thanksgiving by just a few days and that is something you don’t want to forget. This is an important day for organizations’ end-of-year giving. Donors step up to support organizations with great generosity. For gifts received on Giving Tuesday, we recommend doing more than a simple thank you pop-up. While you want to stand out on the front end in order to attract donors, it is important to stand out afterward too, and show donors that they are appreciated. Achieve this with an engaging thank you page or email. Incorporate links to your organization's website, stores, and photos of people in your organization or programming. 

Some Notes to Keep in Mind

Like we have said, Giving Tuesday is a massive day for nonprofits, and almost every nonprofit with be talking during Giving Tuesday. It is important to remember that your message may get lost in the noise. Do your best to optimize it with these tips, but don’t forget just how much traffic is out there. A lot of this traffic is digital these days but that doesn’t prevent you from being out in your community. Additionally, the giving doesn’t have to be monetary. Your organization can give its time and inspire others to do the same. While it is a big day for fundraising, it is an even bigger day for nonprofits and donors to show their importance as a giving-focused community. 

Finally, for those looking to capitalize on the Facebook Giving Tuesday Campaign, don't expect full matching on what you raise. It would be great if we could tell you to expect it, but it is important to build around reasonable expectations. It has been noted that the $8 million that Facebook gives out is typically gone very early in the morning, so only a small amount of pledges actually get matched. 

These are just some of the many important steps to building a better fundraising strategy. Other critical factors are hard and consistent work as well as a willingness to learn and adapt. We have many other blogs related to fundraising and donor recruitment which you can find here. Also, be sure to check out our most recent donor-related blogs below. 

NMBL Strategies has worked with nonprofits for years, helping in some of the greatest nonprofit developments of the previous 20+ years. In that time, we’ve raised more than $100 million, developed millions of dollars more in earned income, and most importantly, developed the strategies and insights behind these efforts. Let us bring that experience to your nonprofit today and ensure your financial future is in good hands.