2019 has been a whirlwind. How are we in December already? And was anyone else thrown off by the lateness of the Thanksgiving holiday?

So needless to say, this post is tardy. But let’s also be honest, if you’re reading this you’re likely tardy with your planning too.

Giving Tuesday is upon us and year after year nonprofit leaders ask about the day of giving and how to accomplish it with success.

They are often scattered about the approach mostly because:

It feels plopped into the middle of all of the other work, especially the end of the year appeal.
There’s (unrealistic) social pressure to “do what we’ve always done” because other nonprofits are so on top of the ball.
There’s a push from those inactive or “hip” board members who say things like, “let’s tweet and get money!”
It feels like Facebook is pressuring you (i.e., we will match the money) to participate in the commercialization of holidays and the need for a good deal.
There’s end of the year anxiety about fundraising goals and calculating impact.

And, every year we encourage nonprofit leaders sharing, “you don’t have to be sucked in to participating. If it doesn’t make sense, don’t do it.” But alas, the email marketing starts promptly at midnight and the social media sponsored posts are prime for the first batch of early to work commuters.

Oh, and for the record, I’ve produced some exciting Giving Tuesday campaigns but remember, “success is what you agree to accomplish in the beginning, not what you settle for in the end.”

So, if you insist on participating, here are some things you might consider:

Use the day to kick off next years fundraising theme - in workshops on marketing and communications for nonprofits, I often ask about the theme for the year. After people blink three times and cock their head confusedly, they share that they don’t have one. Here’s the thing, regardless of your size organization, there will likely never be enough resources in the world to just wing it. It just doesn’t fair well in the long run. Can it work? Yes! But it will work only for a limited time and guess who will be burned out in the end?

Use Giving Tuesday to introduce people to what’s coming in the new year. This is a great way to get new donors excited, an opportunity to work through any kinks with the coming years campaign, and a way to remind those who are scheduled to give before the end of the year that you will happily receive their money.

Make it a part of your end of the year giving - a common misstep I see is trying to squeeze Giving Tuesday in, in between the end of the year giving, holiday parties, and last minute grant reports. While that might work for you and your sleep habits, it’s an easy way to spend your holiday trying to recover from such a beating at the end of the year. Instead, make Giving Tuesday the kick-off to your end of the year campaign. If you are planning a direct mail piece….You know what, let’s get to the next point to help you.

Layer your ask - Back in the day it took an average of asking seven times before a donor conversion happened. In the noisy age of technology - digital and social, among other streams of content - people need intentional asks, maybe seven, maybe more. As an example, you might schedule it where the donor receives a social media post, the mailed collateral, a text message from a board member, a call - if they are a large enough donor, an invitation to an end of the year event, an opportunity to see the mission in action ( a mission moment), and don’t forget to include a way to give in your email signature. While these are just a few ways to layer your message, you can fill your “drip” with relevant opportunities for your target audience so that they see the message in ways that is more important to them.

Hack: Write this out on a white board or large white paper as an “if this than that” chart to
outline the path for giving.

Make it about more than money - Money is really important, I get that. But who has the money? People and companies that need to understand more about your organization’s mission. They can only help you accomplish your goals, if they understand your mission, and if they can align value with your company values. That might mean that the appeal is not about money but about impact and a personal “why”. You can decide what’s best. Regardless of the type of campaign, consider setting both a financial goal and an awareness building goal.

If it’s about money, make it attainable - A few years ago while in a training session about Generational Giving, I coined the term Netflixable Giving. This really appeals to a variety of generations as we have adapted to the convenience economy. People are cutting large bills like cable and moving to streaming services that cost between $7.99 and $14.99. This works because the amount, while budgeted, isn’t going to break the bank. With the requirement for autopay, most people likely don’t even realize they’ve paid, they just experience the result. The same could be true for nonprofit individual gifts. Make it simple and recurring for someone to sign up to give $5 or $10 dollars a month. Of course, they have to care about the mission, which is why the awareness building is important, and must be longer than one day.

Next year, plan earlier - If you are last minute this year, there is always next year. As a matter of fact, there is always next week. Sit with pad and paper and write out the fundraising plan, from there write the marketing plan, and both should align with the strategic plan. If you’ve been in a workshop with me where everyone gives the groundhog hand raise (visualize hands bobbing up and down to exhibit “kinda”) when asked if there organization has a plan.

Remember, “the platform is not broken, the plan is.” If you don’t have a plan, you can’t measure impact or effectiveness. Essentially, you are just flying by the seat of your pants. And let me be as stern as possible when I say this, the community deserves more than that.

If you are going to jump into the Giving Tuesday waters, make it make sense. But if it does make sense, use this time to usher in a new generation of philanthropists and develop new ways to connect beyond your usual database.

If you have more questions about how to develop a human-centered fundraising campaign, let’s chat.

Happy Fundraising!

What to Consider for Giving Tuesday Fundraising Campaign