We are now officially down to the wire on GivingTuesday.
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed? I am, for a simple and silly reason: up until last week, I thought November was longer than it is. Like, a whole week longer.
Here is how it went down:
“Thanksgiving is next week.” -Friend, November 15, 2016.
“Haha, no, it’s not!” -Me
“Haha, yes, it is!”- Calendar
“NOOOOOOOOO!”- Me
That’s right. November 29 is GivingTuesday, and it’s tomorrow. It’s time to run your campaign. It may be the literal last minute, but you’ll be fine if you remember to do three things today, and three things tomorrow to keep your GivingTuesday running smoothly.
Take some time today to prepare for tomorrow. While you’ve probably (hopefully) got your campaign video done or chosen a high quality image to represent your campaign, and your peer-to-peer fundraisers onboard, doing these three things today will help you get a jump on GivingTuesday.
Once you’ve got your online campaign all set up, it’s time to test it out to make sure the technology is working. Make sure to:
If you’re running a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, check in with your fundraisers today. Make sure they know how to use the resources in their fundraising toolkit, and are ready to go.
Remind your fundraising folks:
GivingTuesday is growing every year, but it’s still not universally known and observed. Therefore, you need to remind your audience that it’s coming. The goal is that on GivingTuesday, when they see your email launching the campaign, or your first Facebook post of the day, they think, “Oh yeah, that fundraising campaign for that organization I love,” rather than, “What is this?”
Prepare your audience for GivingTuesday by:
GivingTuesday won’t get away from you, if you remember to do these three things.
The thing that makes donors give isn’t how flashy your video is or how clever your emails are, it’s the story you tell. GivingTuesday is a chance to keep telling the story of the work you’re doing and the impact it makes. Make that story the heart of every message you send.
Take a look at World Bicycle Relief’s “Forward” campaign, which focuses on using bicycles to help girls access education. They tell their story by introducing us to two particular girls who live in rural Africa, Angela and Dianah.
Did you hit a goal? Would three more donors push you over the edge? How close are you? Let your supporters know throughout the day.
Don’t be afraid that you’ll be obnoxious–it takes more reminders than you think for someone to take action. In marketing, this is called “effective frequency”, and while there’s a lot of debate, common wisdom says it takes seven encounters with an advertisement before it makes a significant impact.
Chances are, you’ll get bored talking about your campaign long before your audience is bored of hearing about it.
GivingTuesday is based in social media. Social media relies on conversations–so check in on your platforms throughout the day to re-tweet and share your supporters’ messages about your campaign, as well as your own content.
Participate in the larger GivingTuesday conversation by sharing content from #GivingTuesday to boost the signal about the Global Day of Giving. Everyone benefits as GivingTuesday becomes more known and celebrated. Don’t forget to use the #GivingTuesday hashtag!
Okay, one last thing, right before things get really hectic. Take care of yourself tomorrow. Eat breakfast, take a break, don’t sit in front of your computer screen staring at your analytics all day. The danger of burnout is real this time of year, and a little self-care will go along way towards preventing it.
Here at CauseVox, we’re rooting for you to have your best GivingTuesday yet!
Ever wished your donations could go even further? Enter automated matching—an indispensable tool that transforms…
Chances are, you know what Giving Tuesday is by now. However, it's important to recognize…
Here at CauseVox, we love a good success story. And we couldn’t think of a…
Do you ever go grocery shopping and see a product that feels like it was…
Hosting your own giving day is a powerful way to amplify your mission. At CauseVox,…
From Giving Tuesday to World Diabetes Day, giving days stand out as events that bring…