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Oct 8, 2024
#GivingTuesday Myths: Busted
#GivingTuesday is THE global day of giving, which always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a busy day for nonprofits, and some may feel it’s not worth the effort to try to run a #GivingTuesday campaign.
Don’t let the #GivingTuesday myths get you down!
There ARE easy, turnkey ways to make an impact for your organization on #GivingTuesday. Check out what you can do to bust these four common #GivingTuesday myths to make an impact on your mission.
Myth #1: #GivingTuesday is Oversaturated and Not Worth the Effort
Did you know that 30% of annual giving occurs in the last two months of the year, with most fundraising happening between #GivingTuesday, December 30, and December 31st?
Open the door for year-end giving and holiday fundraising.
For many nonprofits, #GivingTuesday is the kickoff to the giving season, holiday events, and year-end giving. In 2023, nonprofits raised nearly $3.1 billion in the U.S. alone. GiveSmart customers also saw a 10% increase in #GivingTuesday fundraising in 2023 compared to 2022.
While all that data demonstrates a lot of activity happens in just one day, it also shows that your nonprofit should run a campaign and join in on the fundraising success. Your supporters are anticipating giving on that day, and by participating, you can stand out of the crowd and garner their attention.
“…We find that this universal day of giving is a feel-good day for anyone looking to get involved and make their mark. It is an easy way for someone to give back to their charity or charities of their choice…”
– Devorah Weinstein, Development Coordinator, Hospice Foundation of Central New York, Inc.
[Pro Tip]: Create a unique message or donor segment. Consider crafting personalized messages for your key donors or a creative social media post that shares a heartfelt story tied to your mission. These steps will help you rise above the noise.
Myth #2: #GivingTuesday is Just a Simple Online Donation Campaign
Your #GivingTuesday could just be a standard donation campaign that you put little effort into. With an embeddable form on your website, donations can be easier to capture.
#GivingTuesday can be so much more!
Don’t underestimate what peer-supported efforts can do for your nonprofit’s mission. These champion fundraisers can make a big impact by acting as mission ambassadors and networking with friends, families, coworkers, and others.
GiveSmart’s all-in-one platform enables you to create a #GivingTuesday campaign with numerous ways for you to stand out and go beyond “just a” donation campaign. Our solution helps you attract new donors and connect with your community with dynamic, easy-to-use features.
[Pro Tip]: Activate peer-to-peer fundraising. Ask your most passionate supporters to create fundraising pages. Equip them with a toolkit like this one that includes email templates and social media graphics so they can reach their networks.
Engage donors with dynamic features
With the chance to add components like peer-to-peer pages, auctions, recurring giving, membership drives, voting competitions, and much more, #GivingTuesday offers engagement opportunities you don’t want to miss out on.
Another way to see increased support is to offer a match to inspire donations. GiveSmart partners with Double the Donation so your donors can easily search for corporations willing to match donations while they fill out their donation forms.
Connect your communication to your mission
In the few emails you send ahead of #GivingTuesday, as well as the lead-up social media posts, make sure to share your volunteers’ and constituents’ words. Ask them to give you a quote or shoot a quick phone video. Ask them to put it on their social media and use a hashtag and/or tag your nonprofit. A quick share from your page is EASY to do then.
Offer donors a specific fund or giving opportunity
If you have different departments, floors, initiatives, or other goods and services (power bill, loads of laundry, classroom library, etc.) that need funding, offer those as donation opportunities as an open-ended opportunity or wish list. Donors like to know how their money is being used. Give that transparency from the onset!
Extend your timeline
Make sure you share impact stories on social media and via e-mail ahead of the day. Drive people to visit your fundraising site ahead of the day to check out a new video or infographic or see an announcement. Text supporters from your other campaigns and encourage them to give general event donations on #GivingTuesday.
Myth #4: This is Going to Take a Lot of Time and Energy for My Staff or Volunteers
It takes only a few minutes to set up a GiveSmart campaign. The platform has built-in templates and a Help Center to guide you through the setup process seamlessly. With reliable AI-based tools, there are ways to help you cut some of the manual work.
Don’t want to put the work on your team? No problem! GiveSmart offers campaign setup services in which an expert advisor helps you build the campaign of your (and your donors’) dreams. Easy as 1, 2, 3!
Your #GivingTuesday campaign can be worthwhile AND successful, and you don’t have to let these myths get in the way of your planning.
Look through these 100+ examples of campaigns that could easily inspire your #GivingTuesday campaign strategy.
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