How to Create a Successful Giving Tuesday Campaign

Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, following popular retail “holidays” like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But instead of getting discounts on clothes and electronics, Giving Tuesday encourages the community to give back to nonprofits through donations, goods, or volunteering. Last year, there was a total of $177 million dollars raised online and over 2.5 million social media engagements for #GivingTuesday. It’s a strategic time for any nonprofit to raise money and awareness for their cause.

Whether you’re on the marketing team of a large nonprofit or on a small board of a local committee, here are a few steps to take to create a successful Giving Tuesday campaign.

Set your goal.

How much money are you trying to raise? Why do you need the money? Set an end goal so your entire team—and the community—knows what you’re trying to achieve. Also, people are more likely to donate their money if they know how their donations are going to be used. For example, if you plan to build a new community playground or fund after school activities, use that as part of your marketing strategy to gain support.

Audit your available resources.

How many people do you have to help? What’s your budget? Is your website up and running? The last thing you need during this time is a faulty donation landing page or a website that’s not mobile-friendly. In fact, 75% of young donors are turned off by out-of-date websites and donors are 34% more likely to give on responsive ones.

 

                                                                            

Promote your campaign.

Now the fun begins. Let your following know you are participating in Giving Tuesday through your various marketing channels. Decide your identity and messaging for the campaign and begin creating assets for these outlets. Consider using email newsletters, social media infographics and campaign landing pages to bring your story to life.

Seek help from a partner.

If you find the workload is far too much for your team or you want some extra creative input, reach out to partners like creative agencies or like-minded organizations that can prop up your message to relevant donors. Working with a company with media buying power is also helpful if you need to geo-target campaigns or buy ad space. They can work with a creative team to develop an integrated campaign that achieves your goals.

See our work with nonprofits like ONE, Results for Development and Parks and People Foundation. You can also learn more about building a nonprofit marketing strategy in our white paper—download it here.