Before and After Giving Tuesday: Make Sure Your Efforts Make a Difference
#GivingTuesday (coming up December 3rd) is a global giving movement. It started in 2012 and has continued to rise in popularity and impact over the last several years. The statistics of giving are staggering for 2018. In Canada, $15 million was given online according to their website. And in the US, $400 million was given online last year. Those are some really big numbers!
If you haven’t already planned for your Giving Tuesday campaign, there’s always next year. I know, I know, that’s a little harsh. But the reality is that this kind of a campaign does take a lot of extra planning. So if it wasn’t on your radar before today, you can still be thinking of next year! Or maybe your organization has chosen not to participate – that’s of course, always an option as well. Not every fundraising campaign is right for every organization.
For those of you that are gearing up for your big day next week, we wish you luck! Here are a few ways to make the most out of your day – and the days after your big Giving Tuesday event.
Social Media
What does your social media say about you? This is a really important question. A social media audit is always a great idea before a big fundraising push. Make sure your social media platforms are all up-to-date on things like:
- About us
- Contact us
- Website details
- How to give
The hope here is that you will have an influx of traffic to your social media pages and your website. So you’ll want to make sure you’re ready for that. This is also a fantastic way to make sure you are using social media strategically. Have you posted in the last little while? What are your posts about? Have you only focused on your upcoming giving campaign? Or have you shared stories and expanded your talking points? People know that Giving Tuesday is coming up, but they also want to know what you’re all about. Be sure to diversify your message.
Outreach
Who are you talking to? This might seem like a simple question, but the answer could be a little more complicated. Your outreach efforts will be more effective if you can pinpoint these questions for you and your team.
Your Team
Who is involved in outreach in your organization?
Make sure you’re staying organized and that your team knows exactly what their to-do lists are and who is responsible for what.
Your Audience
Who is your target audience?
Are they past donors? New donors? Recurring donors? Major gift donors?
Your Message
What is your catch-phrase?
You don’t actually need a catch-phrase, but it’s all about the idea of having one message. It’s the message you are sending for this campaign, and most likely for your whole year-end giving strategy.
Screen and Segment: The After
Now let’s think ahead a little. Once Giving Tuesday has come and gone, do you know how you will you segment your donors? Do you have a cultivation strategy? Typically, your Giving Tuesday donors may not be in the same camp as your major gift donors. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn more about them, and can’t cultivate them accordingly. It’s still a great opportunity to look at demographics, size of gift, and connections to your cause. Here are a few segmenting opportunities from Giving Tuesday donors that could be worth a second look:
- How old are your donors?
- Have they given before?
- How are they connected to your cause?
- Do they have family members that are connected to you?
- Do they give to other organizations?
- What is their giving history overall?
A fantastic way to segment your donors is by running them through a wealth screening. This approach enables your development or research team to segment hundreds or thousands of individuals you know very little about into a prioritized list of prospects. From there, you can see if there are donors in your Giving Tuesday list that have a high capacity and inclination to donate a major gift to your organization – possibly even beyond what they’ve already given!
In iWave, we make that part easy. But we also put the reins in your hands. The information you get from a wealth screening is only as valuable as your investment into what you do next. Our transparent, customizable results will allow you to plan ahead for your 2020 fundraising goals.
Focus – Impact and The Story
The before and after of Giving Tuesday should be rooted in your impact, your story. People give to causes they care about. And they will keep on giving to organizations that keep on telling those stories of impact. If you haven’t already started, your “after” plan should include sharing the impact of Giving Tuesday on your organization and thanking those that participated. You never know which story of impact is going to turn a one-time donor into a life-time donor. Keep going, and good luck everyone. You are all world-changers!
About the author: Liz Corney is iWave’s Content Marketing Manager. She has a degree in Journalism, is a fiercely positive team-player and a creative self-starter. She has experience working in software technology, video/mobile games, learning & development, social & traditional media, and communications. Liz is also the co-founder of a local nonprofit organization working to better the lives of homeless women in her community.
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