You don’t have to be involved with nonprofits for very long to know about Giving Tuesday. It seems like it’s everywhere.
But it’s right in the middle of the busiest fundraising time of the year. There are so many other messages and topics that you’re communicating to donors: Christmas, end-of-year, and maybe even topics specifically for your major donors.
And when Giving Tuesday comes, you’ll have just finished a full Thanksgiving campaign.
So, do you need to do something for Giving Tuesday?
Yes, you do.
But here are a few tips that will hopefully make it easier for you:
- First, if you do only one thing for GT, explain why your donor needs to give. And it just being Giving Tuesday is NOT a reason to give. Would you tell them, “Hey, it’s Thursday, time to give!” ? You still need to use scaffolding, like any other fundraising communication to donors.
Share a problem that the donor is going to make a difference with their gift that day.
The reason to give isn’t because they heard about it on the radio or saw them talking about it on Wake Up, San Francisco. The reason is to help your nonprofit fight the fight they care about.
- This is a great chance to highlight a program or a need that maybe doesn’t get much attention other parts of the year. Maybe it’s a need that’s too small to create a whole appeal around. But you can talk about it here on Giving Tuesday as a way to show your donors how their gift will make an impact this year and “change up” what donors see and hear about. It still falls under your mission, but it might be a part of it that’s new and interesting to them.
- Have a brief explanation about Giving Tuesday, but don’t make it the focus of your communication. Again, (and see if you notice a theme here), the impetus to give should still be focused on what your nonprofit is doing in the world. But as hard as it is for us to believe, not everyone knows about Giving Tuesday. So let the donors know what it is, and why you’re sending them something about it.
If you have questions about creating a Giving Tuesday ask or aren’t sure where to even start, give us a shout. Email us at howdy@oneicity.com, and we’d love to talk with you about it!
