National Day of Giving is a great opportunity for nonprofits and philanthropic organizations to procure donations before the end of the year. However, it has become a popular day on the calendar and many organizations like yours are looking to benefit from this day created just for them. For 2019, National Day of Giving, also known as Giving Tuesday, falls on December 3rd. Start your planning with these tips to make your nonprofit stand out from the crowd.
Plan Ahead
It is important to be in touch with your donor base in advance. Let them know that you are actively taking part in National Day of Giving and what your goals are. You cannot expect that you will be on their mind that day if they have not heard from you in a while. With many ways to communicate, you can get in front of them multiple ways. If you have any goals or matching activities for that day, communicate this with your donors in advance and create a buzz so you can start the day off strong.
Create a Name and Brand for the Day
People love catchy names and phrases that they can identify with. If you are an affordable housing organization that is working towards ending homelessness for families with school age children, you could develop a phrase to that effect such as “End Childhood Homelessness” or “A Home for Every Child.” Also be sure to have a good hashtag for social media and perhaps even create 1-2 potential social posts with the hashtag and a URL to your donation page that can be shared by your donors. If it’s easy for them to share, you’re more likely to get them to post it to their own social media and you could get more donations from their friends and contacts.
Create a Clear Goal
Declare an end-of-day goal for your fundraising and provide your donors with a way to track your progress. You can also share reminders of the various levels of support that gifts provide to your cause. For example, if your cause is to provide food for children in local schools and a $20 donation will provide breakfast and lunch for one child for a week, make your donors aware of how their money will benefit others. If you have matching gifts available, alert your donors to this fact so they are aware of the impact of their own giving and let them know about any timeframe in which matching is applicable to create urgency.
Follow-up with a Continuing Campaign
Many nonprofits fail to capitalize on the momentum from Giving Tuesday with existing and new donors. Remember create a plan to continue your mission through additional campaigns. Traditional ways to continue your campaign include future events, letters, social media and public relations. These are a good first step but also try be creative and think outside the box. Identify a nonprofit that has a complimentary outreach to yours that you could partner with for an event in the new year. You would both have the benefit of reaching a new audience and have the possibility of greater success by working together. Marketing and outreach partnerships can be powerful.
National Day of Giving is a great opportunity for all nonprofits and philanthropic organizations but it should be used as a tool to reach annual fundraising goals. Recent tax law changes and the standard deduction may change the donation landscape, which means that nonprofits need to look for new and creative ways to get donations.
If your nonprofit needs help balancing the demands of your mission with practical financial and strategic considerations, speak to a professional at LvHJ now.