Should you do Giving Tuesday?
Should you do Giving Tuesday?
Is #GivingTuesday worth it for your small shop?
Maybe a hot take here, but Giving Tuesday isn’t the end-all, be-all. It also doesn’t have to be this ground-breaking campaign either. (I’m all about keeping things SIMPLE!)
In this post, we’ll walk through some of the pros and cons of participating in #GivingTuesday to help you decide.
Let’s clear one thing up
The one thing I want each and everyone of you to know from here on out: Giving Tuesday doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. It doesn’t have to be scary, or dare I say hard.
It doesn’t have to be a full-fledged campaign with brand new images, graphics, stories, and messages across all your communications channels.
Instead, think of it this way:
Giving Tuesday is a part of your overall year-end campaign. It’s not totally separate from what you’re already doing this time of year.
At the end of the day, it’s another touchpoint with your audience. It’s another chance to build a bigger impact by the end of the year.
And, in most cases, Giving Tuesday is elevating your year-end appeal. It’s not taking away from your key messages.
With one caveat:
Don’t do Giving Tuesday if you’re already participating in another National Day of Giving.
I KNOW... You start to feel some FOMO when everyone else is talking about Giving Tuesday...while you’re over here preparing for your region’s National Day of Giving.
Don’t worry. I got you. The answer to your question. The PERMISSION you’ve been waiting for:
Don’t do more than one national day of giving. Not at this time of year. You’ve got enough going on anyway. This is probably the ONE TIME I’ll tell you to pump the brakes on making an extra ask.
How do you know if Giving Tuesday is right for you?
1 ➜ what’s your bandwidth?
Be totally real with yourself here. I know EDs just love saying yes to all the things, but now’s not the time.
I’m just as guilty as the next ED — we get excited about a new project and we want to go all-hands-on deck. But you still have other responsibilities. Be honest with yourself. (And if you need help saying “No”, head to episode 15 😝).
2 ➜ can you do the bare minimum?
Let’s say you don’t have a ton of bandwidth, but you want to stay top of mind for your donors. Giving Tuesday can be as simple as adding a hashtag to a post or sending just ONE email out. It doesn’t have to be this fancy or overwhelming thing.
You also can just keep Giving Tuesday to social media. You might not get a lot of traction, but that’s okay. It’s another way to connect with more followers on Instagram. Or it’s another chance for Board members to share a Facebook post with their friends and family.
Why #GivingTuesday is a good idea for small shops
1 ➜ experimentation
I know - there are way too many things going on to think about putting on your lab coat to figure out how your audience responds to different messages. But stay with me here. I’ve got some ideas you may be interested in trying.
You could...
Test a segment. Pick a small segment of donors to try Giving Tuesday on. Maybe grab your LYBNT (last year but not this year) list...Or your first time donors under $25.
Re-activate first-time donors. Giving Tuesday is a great avenue to re-activate first-timers. Remember to keep your ask small and human.
Test different messages Do your donors respond better to photos or videos? Send half your list a Giving Tuesday email with photos and half a video.
Marketing your Giving Tuesday campaign is a great opportunity to test strategies you’ve been meaning to try but never know how to.
2 ➜ staying top of mind.
Your donors are probably receiving messages from more than one nonprofit about Giving Tuesday. Whether they participate or not, seeing your name pop up in their inbox is a nice reminder that your year-end campaign is here.
3 ➜ matching gifts
Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to generate some excitement and leverage a matching gift.
When is Giving Tuesday NOT for you?
#GivingTuesday isn’t the right choice when you’re beyond capacity. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Bottom line: as a small shop leader, you need to make SMART moves, not pile on “all the moves.”
Preparing for Giving Tuesday DOES take some time and preparation. If you’re barely surviving your weeks, give yourself permission to pass this year. Focus on your Year-End campaign, first and foremost.
You know your organization better than I do; so decide what’s best for you and your organization.
BUT…
At the same time, don’t avoid Giving Tuesday because you’re intimidated by the competition. Or you feel like your organization is too small to participate. Those are real fears a lot of us face when we’re just starting out. But think about it this way: what’s the worst that could happen? No one gives to your campaign. Ok...That happens sometimes, right?
At the very minimum: it’s a great chance for you to get top of mind for your donors. Even if they DON’T donate.
3 tips to make your Giving Tuesday campaign easy
1 ➜ figure out your campaign goal
I don’t think you’ll be surprised when I say: Ya gotta be SPECIFIC.
What kind of an impact will they have if they give on this Annual Giving day?
How many people will they clothe? How many cats and dogs will they feed? How many community events will they fund?
Numbers go a LONG WAY here. (always tied with a story too!). If you need more support with clear messaging, learn how to create a fundraising offer.
2 ➜ set a timeline
I’ll make it easy for you:
Send one email on Monday the 29th
Send 2-3 emails on Giving Tuesday
Send a thank you email on Wednesday
There. That’s it. You’re ready! But first…
3 ➜ test your systems
It’s always a solid idea to make sure your links, landing pages, and donation forms function the way you intend them to. There’s nothing worse than getting a ton of clicks on your donation form, only to have the form not work and losing all those potential donors.
Honestly, whether you’re doing Giving Tuesday or not, walk through your donation experience on your computer AND your phone. Check your:
Social media links
Donation page
Landing page
Sign up forms
Email automations
And if you don’t have time to go through this process, delegate it to a board member or volunteer. People want to help.
Focus on your year-end campaign first
At the end of the day, I want to make sure you know this one thing: SEND YOUR YEAR-END APPEAL.
Even if you had a fundraising event in October.
Even if you ran a peer-to-peer campaign this summer.
Again, Giving Tuesday is a part of your overall year-end strategy. A small piece of the puzzle. You don’t have to feel pressured to be a part of Giving Tuesday, so if you’re feeling some dread—don’t do Giving Tuesday this year. Just DON’T. No questions asked.
