When it comes to planning for a successful #GivingTuesday, there are a ton of moving parts. As an innovative nonprofit leader, you know better than anyone that good ideas don’t just come together overnight. A successful campaign takes planning, strategy and logistics to get everything to come together just right. And for something as important as #GivingTuesday, the Super Bowl of charity events, it’s important to bring your A-game.
As you’re working through your #GivingTuesday strategy (and yes, we know you’re getting started early), keep these things in mind. After all, #GivingTuesday isn’t just a single day. It’s the culmination of a yearlong campaign that starts long before the actual day. Walk through this guide to consider what you should do at every step of your GivingTuesday campaign, whether virtual or in person.
Before you get to the fun part of watching the donations roll in, establish a campaign goal. Because #GivingTuesday is a large part of end-of-year giving, it can be tempting to have a huge donation goal associated with the single day.
Instead of pinning all your hopes on a 24-hour period of giving, map out your campaign timeline to spread out your deadlines throughout the year. In this timeline, it’s also important to include what types of campaigns you’ll run – such as email, direct mail, virtual, peer-to-peer, and social media – and when they’ll go live.
As part of the planning process, test out different variations of #GivingTuesday messaging to find one that fits with your brand and cause. Figuring out how to communicate with donors about a single day of giving and engage them for the rest of the year can be hard, but the right messaging will inspire supporters to donate both during #GivingTuesday and after.
During the planning stage, set your budget for your #GivingTuesday campaigns. While the goal of #GivingTuesday is, of course, to raise money for charity, there is typically overhead involved. Will you be printing direct mail pieces? Do you have an email marketing tool in place? Understanding your campaign budget before getting started will save you from surprises down the road.
Now that the planning is over, it’s time to get started! When it comes to #GivingTuesday, success is all about engagement – how engaged your donors and the general public are with your campaign. The best way to rally the troops and get your message out there is, you guessed it, communication.
On #GivingTuesday and during the days leading up to it, there are four main types of communication to be aware of:
One of the most important things to remember when it comes to #GivingTuesday is that just because the day is over doesn’t mean the campaign should end.
#GivingTuesday is a year-round commitment that requires consistent planning, communication, and effort. That being said, a successful #GivingTuesday calls for a much-needed celebration. Gather your team, toast to your success, and start brainstorming ideas for next year. After all, it’s never too early to start planning!
Just because planning and implementing a successful #GivingTuesday campaign takes time and effort doesn’t mean it has to be hard. With intuitive online fundraising solutions from OneCause, your team can seamlessly execute on #GivingTuesday and any other day of the year.
We’re not done sharing fundraising tips and best practices! Check out our other helpful resources to make your #GivingTuesday the best yet: