Top Tips for Planning your #GivingTuesday Campaign

Posted by Ben Crook on 30 September 2016

Giving Tuesday is one of the largest and most advertised fundraising days in the world. Thousands of campaigns take place every year, globally the Tuesday following Thanksgiving Day in the US. Last year, it conveniently fell on the same day as National AIDS day, on December 1st. It was a great success, as it gathered more than 7000,000 people online, and raised an excess of 116 million USD in more than 70 countries* ! This year, it will happen on November 29th. As we all know, it is never too early to start planning a fundraising day campaign! Here are some tips for the upcoming event.

Strategize
Creating a timeline and a strategy is the most important aspect of your campaign. Here are a few things to consider when creating the latter:
First and foremost, define your objective.
This will allow you and your teams to work toward a common goal while will give you something to measure success against.
What audience will your campaign target?
In order to attract a maximum number of donations, you need to know your crowd. Targeting your current supporters and subscribers is a given. You will need to extend your reach in order to raise more. Our next point will guide you through this task
What content will you present and what mediums will be most effective?
Content, particularly in the nonprofit industry should be a priority when addressing your audience, and reaching out to new donors. Your fundraising campaign should have a clear goal, and some content to show the crowd. Often, stories are a great way to generate emotion and thus, attract emotions. A simple, touching video goes a long way.
How will you promote your campaign?
In order to extend your reach, you will need to do some promotion. There are multiple ways to promote your campaign. Getting online is the easiest and most cost effective way to do so. Social media is a cheap and effective way to promote a campaign. Check out our blog here; the second point describes ways to reach to a wider audience. If your budget allows, create an ad on your social channels. This way you can control the audience and region you are aiming to influence.
Where will the fundraising campaign take place?
Will you be raising funds from your website, with peer-to-peer fundraising, or using a third party? All the aforementioned options are great. We suggest that your website remain an option for donors to give all year long. So, for #GivingTuesday, why not make it a little special?

At Givergy, we offer an incredible online platform which allows anyone, anywhere to bid on your unique, money-cant buy items and experiences. By offering modes of auction, prize draw or buy-it-now, you are able to reach a wider audience, capitalize on Givergy’s marketing and generate greater brand awareness to a worldwide audience. Want to learn more? Click here to check it out, and/or get it touch with our team here

Get organized
We’ve worked with thousands of fundraisers and event planners, so we know and appreciate how organized you are. To make planning a bit easier, there are great organizational tools that can help you with implementing your campaign. At Givergy, we really like Todoist. It allows us to create a priority list with specific due dates, with reminders coming into your email inbox. You can also share your to-do list with your colleagues, and tick the completed tasks off when done so accountability is transparent.

Update and thank your donors
Show your gratitude to your donors and send an update of the campaign results. How much have you raised, how many people participated, what will it help you accomplish? If possible, make it as personal as you can. We all love a little attention.

We hope those tips will help you maximize your fundraising efforts on #GivingTuesday. Givergy is an award-winning company offering their services for interacting silent auction, pledging and mobile bidding technology. If you would like to use our cutting-edge technology to revolutionize your next fundraising event, contact us!

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.