While hard to believe, Thanksgiving is less than a month away! It’s a time for family, friends, shopping deals galore, and #GivingTuesday. This year #GivingTuesday takes place on December 3 (always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving). It’s a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and kicks off the charitable season when many focus on their end-of-year giving. It’s also a nice reminder that the season is more than just shopping and is a chance to do some good.
With the right preparation, planning, and execution, #GivingTuesday is a great opportunity for non-profits to raise funds and bring awareness to their cause. Here are some best practices and key tips to ensure that your #GivingTuesday campaign is successful.
#GivingTuesday Key Tips
– Promote #GivingTuesday in Advance: You need to tell people about your campaign before #GivingTuesday arrives! Start promoting it at least a month in advance. No matter what or where it lives, your content should be optimized for each channel, down to what hashtag to use.
– Create a Landing Page: Direct people to one spot on your website that clearly explains your #GivingTuesday campaign and makes it easy for people to donate. This your home for #GivingTuesday.
–Digital Cross-Promotion: You can’t rely on one tweet and expect to raise $5,000. Communication on #GivingTuesday should hit email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. throughout the day.
-Day-of Preparation: Have everything approved and ready to go the week before for any day-of publishing and response plan. This is true for any campaign but especially here, so your team can enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family – not writing last minute tweets over the dinner table.
–Use the Platforms: Facebook and PayPal usually come together to match donations made through Facebook. For non-profits, you must have a verified Facebook Page (blue or grey badge) and on-boarded to Facebook Payments or Network for Good. It can take 2-3 weeks to get accepted for Facebook Payments so don’t delay!
Once you’re on-boarded, you can also collect donations on Instagram. The donation sticker allows eligible nonprofits and their supporters to raise money for charity on Instagram. It’s simple: create an Instagram Story, add the donation sticker, and start raising money.
–Enable and Excite Your Community: Make it as easy as possible for people to participate. As mentioned above, a dedicated landing page and utilizing the platforms themselves can make a frictionless experience for your community.
Plus, give them the tools to spread the message. Provide them with graphics and create thumb-stopping content that they will want to share with their own networks. Reveal milestones reached throughout the day and keep them excited. If there is an incentive or matching donation component, remind them and provide updates on how things are going.
Employees are a great tool to tap into as well. Get them sharing with their own friends and family and look to them as your best advocates!
–Ad Dollars: While this might sound counterintuitive, you have to spend money to make money. Have a set budget for social media advertising. Boosts your posts. Send people to your landing page. There is a lot of noise surrounding #GivingTuesday so you want to make sure your content is seen.
–Measurable Goals: Set a specific goal for how much you want to raise or how many people you want to donate. After the campaign, analyze. See if you hit them, what worked, and what didn’t. Create a report that lays out any learnings so you’re ready for the next year
–Show Your Gratitude: Remember to thank your community after #GivingTuesday! Share results from the campaign and make sure to show your appreciation for everyone’s participation.
For consumers, #GivingTuesday reminds us what the holidays are truly about amidst the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For nonprofits, the day allows you to engage your community, elevate awareness, and raise much needed funds.
Ready to map out your #GivingTuesday campaign? Thoroughly read the #GivingTuesday toolkit. There is tons of information on best practices, case studies, and even graphics to get you started. Feel free to reach out, too! We can help bring your campaign to life online to make the most impact.
Do you plan on running a #GivingTuesday campaign? Let us know in the comments.