How To Make The Most Of #GivingTuesday in 2020

What is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement founded by Henry Timms. While the global focus can include anything from helping a neighbor to donating funds, many nonprofits and organizations can make use of GivingTuesday as an annual fundraising opportunity.

The movement started in 2012 as a day to encourage people to do good. Since then, it’s grown into a global initiative that includes hundreds of millions of people. It’s also backed by numerous corporations and foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Fidelity Charitable, FordFoundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and more.

When is GivingTuesday?

In 2020, GivingTuesday falls on December 1. Every year, it’s celebrated on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States.

10 Ways to Make the Most of GivingTuesday in 2020:

1. Focus On Impact! Donors want to know that their donation will go to something tangible. If you can, let donors know what $5 or $10 dollars can do, such as buying a week of school lunches for a child. This is even more important for larger sums like $100 donations and above.
2. Clear Calls-To-Action: Vague CTAs like “get involved” aren’t compelling enough to convince donors to part with their money. This is where it’s helpful to focus on impact! Get more specific with your CTAs like “help Michelle afford her school lunches” or “send 4 weeks of medical supplies to remote hospitals”.
3. Test Donations. Make sure your online donation page is working properly. Test everything. Test it on a desktop computer, a phone, and a tablet, if you can. Make sure everything loads quickly, and that donations go through without issue.
4. Set A Goal: Consider setting a fundraising goal… and making it public. This will give your donors something to look forward to and work towards. You can set a realistic goal and a stretch goal, or just one or the other. It’s a good idea to be optimistic and plan to meet your goal! Have another number in mind to continue encouraging donors if you meet your first goal!
5. Focus On New Donors. GivingTuesday is a great opportunity to get your organization in front of new eyes. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and encourage current members and donors to encourage new folks to join in on donating to your organization.
6. Offer Smaller Donations: If you only offer $50 donations, many people will skip it because they simply don’t want to commit to that number. Be sure to offer lower, less intimidating tiers, that are more accessible to a greater number of donors.
7. Offer Recurring Donations: On your main donation page, be sure to offer the option to commit to a monthly recurring donation. Many donors may only want to donate once, but you may find that others are willing to commit to a monthly donation. Use the opportunity to boost your recurring donations!
8. Be Visible: Be sure that all your media is available on every channel you have a presence on! #GivingTuesday is a popular hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, but be sure you’re on Facebook as well, and any other niche social media sites, forums, or discussion boards. While it’s important to start publicizing your involvement in the event leading up to GivingTuesday, make time to update and interact with your social media followers throughout the day, especially if you set a public goal.
9. Use Price Anchoring: According to Donor Box, price anchoring is the “tendency to accept and rely on the first piece of information received before making a decision.” In short, it’s more effective to ask donors for a specific amount rather than leaving it open-ended. Most of the top 100 nonprofits suggested 4–5 donation tiers with an option to enter a custom amount.
10. Say Thanks! Everyone loves to be thanked. Send out thank you notes after the event to your donors and existing members and make them feel seen, valued, and appreciated.

Making use of GivingTuesday can be an incredibly valuable use of time for many nonprofits and donation-based organizations. Prioritize this annual giving day and reach out to your current donors for additional support as the year comes to an end.

Originally published at https://www.joinit.org.