It may be June, but it’s already time to start thinking about #GivingTuesday on November 29, 2022.

Over the past 10 years, #GivingTuesday has quickly become an absolute necessity in annual fundraising plans and not a fun add-on that you might do if you have time away from your solicitation letters, fundraising events, and cultivation visits.

It’s also become clear over the past 10 years that #GivingTuesday, or any other giving day, debunks old school fundraising strategies and requires more of a marketing approach. In fact, 24% of Millennial donors have given to a cause after learning about it on social media, showing how important it is to be in sync with your organization’s marketing.

From a brand standpoint, your loyal donors will expect to see your organization in their social media feeds on #GivingTuesday and potential donors will be looking for easy ways to give to your organization without the hassle of filling out a full pledge card.

Using a Marketing Approach to Your #GivingTuesday Campaign

We look at #GivingTuesday, or any giving day, from a marketing standpoint because it is a great opportunity to raise organizational brand awareness broadly while also raising dollars. While not typical in the fundraising industry, we treat giving days as marketing campaigns and utilize our marketing toolbox to raise dollars.

As marketing consultants, here’s what we are thinking about right now when it comes to #GivingTuesday:

1. Determine your fundraising priorities.

This should be step one to any giving day as it gives you a rallying point to build the entire campaign. Since #GivingTuesday is only one day, you need donors to be able to quickly and easily understand why making a gift to your organization is impactful and something they want to be a part of. By creating easy to understand fundraising priorities, you reduce the risk of donors being overwhelmed. Priorities also allow you to create giving challenges (i.e. 100 gifts unlocks $10,000 in additional scholarship dollars) that can create additional excitement during the day.

Finally, by having fundraising priorities, you can focus your #GivingTuesday stories (see step 2) so that you are able to make the case for giving with highly relatable stories rather than generic stories.

2. Select your supporting stories.

Once you have your fundraising priorities determined, the next essential step is to select stories that will help support the fundraising priorities. You need to be sure you are sharing how donor gifts make an impact on the individuals/programs/causes your organization serves, not the organization itself.

Raising money for a scholarship? Select a scholarship student conducting a unique research project. Soliciting gifts for a food bank? Share a heartwarming story about a family impacted by the food bank that now gives back.

Gathering and producing stories for a giving day always takes much longer than anticipated so it is important to start early so that you have time to create quality stories that will enhance your #GivingTuesday campaign.

3. Assess Your #GivingTuesday Webpage and Giving Platform

In digital fundraising, the website and giving platform can make or break the success of a giving day. Take time this summer to assess your website and giving platform. Is your #GivingTuesday website or webpage set up to tell your organization’s story and fundraising priorities successfully? Can your website and giving platform be viewed and used on a phone easily? If a donor goes to your main website, can they find your #GivingTuesday page easily?

Make sure your #GivingTuesday and giving platform is still meeting the needs of your donors so they are able to learn about your organization, impact and fundraising priorities and ultimately make a gift.

When it comes to planning your organization’s #GivingTuesday campaign, it is important to start early. You don’t need to have every detail planned this summer, but begin laying the foundation now so that you set yourself up for success for your brand and fundraising goal.

If you’re not sure where to start with your organization’s #GivingTuesday campaign or are ready to take it to the next level, contact us to learn how we can support you!