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10 Ways to Maximize Your 2013 #GivingTuesday Results…And Then Some

GivingTuesdayPowered by a coordinated social media effort, #GivingTuesday is a call to action to celebrate giving and encourage more, better and smarter giving during the upcoming Holiday Season. It offers nonprofits and corporations a tremendous platform to raise funds, engage stakeholders (consumers, employees, supporters) and tell stories that showcase commitment to causes. Do you have a plan in place to activate your cause on #GivingTuesday this year? If not, it’s time to get moving. To follow are some specific ideas, best practices and resources to help you bring the #GivingTuesday social good call to action to life for your audiences.

WAIT, WHAT EXACTLY IS #GIVINGTUESDAY?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the clear kickoffs to the holiday shopping season. Immediately following the frenzy of these extreme-shopping moments, #GivingTuesday (12/3/13) is Opening Day for the giving season. Brilliantly, it offers individuals and organizations the perfect opportunity to shift focus back to a sense of deeper values and purpose (you know, those things you’re supposed to discuss at the Thanksgiving dinner table in between “pass the gravy” and “why am I at the kids table again this year?”). It provides a megaphone to celebrate what matters most amplified by the exponential reach of social media. The impact of #GivingTuesday is fueled by the sense of community and synergies created around being part of something great…a socialgood movement.

The #GivingTuesday movement was created by 92Y along with an impressive list of advisors and partners in 2012 with a goal of galvanizing the philanthropic community. In its first year more than 2,500 partners in all 50 states participated. The movement garnered 2.5 million social media impressions. On Nov. 27, 2012, the #GivingTuesday hashtag was mentioned 185,000 times, resulting in national and international trending. The effort was endorsed by a wide range of thought leaders and celebrities including the White House, the Clinton Foundation, Bill Gates, Shakira, Chelsea Clinton, Arianna Huffington, Seth Meyers, Kevin Bacon, Pete Cashmore, Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, John Legend, Christy Turlington and Katie Couric, among many others. The movement was named the “Social Innovation of the Year” by Bloomberg.com; “One of Five Philanthropy High Points in 2012” by the Chronicle of Philanthropy; received a 2013 Cannes Lions Award; and is a finalist for the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation

The collective efforts of partners, donors and advocates helped fuel a marked increase in charitable giving on GivingTuesday.

  • Blackbaud processed over $10 million in online donations on Nov. 27 – a 53% increase when compared to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving the previous year.
  • DonorPerfect recorded a 46% increase in online donations and the average gift increased 25%.
  • Paypal mobile donations soared 487% higher than the previous year’s number. The total value of those donations increased 228%.

It’s easy to participate:  Sign up at GivingTuesday.org so they can support your effort and track participation.  Download some useful resources to assist your cause and the movement.  And remember to always use the hashtag #GivingTuesday in your related social media posts. Click here to learn more about getting involved as a partner or social media ambassador (and more options) in 2013. OK, so you’re on board. Now what?

10 WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR #GIVINGTUESDAY RESULTS

  1. Set goals: A goal is a powerful thing. What will it take to cross a threshold or fund a particular project (10 meals for a family, a wheel chair ramp, a life protected from a disease…)?
  2. Make it personal: Find ways to tell touching stories about real people and real impact. Make the cause’s needs real for potential donors. What does a $10, $25, $50 actually do to impact a human life or community?
  3. Employee giving/engagement: Make this moment all about your donors/employees. Engage them in creating your strategy, showcase and thank them for how generous THEY are, encourage them to share their favorite giving experiences. Create a sense of pride around giving and make them the stars.
  4. Matching gifts: Showcase your employee giving program with an email or giving fair; encourage “friendly competition” to see which departments or regions give the most – reward the winners; consider increasing the match ratio for this special day to inspire more donations and achieve greater overall impact. Remind employees about special programs like Double Your Donation that can help them increase the impact of their donations.
    • 2012 Example: Discover
      • Consumers: Discover found ways to encourage giving to its national charity partners through activities consumers were already doing:
        1. 2% donation-match to Discover card donations that day,
        2. 2% donation-match when consumers donated their CashBack Bonus that day,
        3. Discover waived transaction fees on those donations
      • Employees: Via its employee giving program, Discover offered a $50 matching-grant opportunity that day, resulting in a 273% increase in employee giving over the previous year
  5. At the Register: Consider creating a pin-up, round-up, % of proceeds donation or other (online or offline) at-register campaign as a way to show your support and engage your consumers in #GivingTuesday. Check out our recent blog post: 5 Best Types of Cause Marketing Fundraising Campaigns
  6. Work with your partners to customize #GivingTuesday activations:
    • 2012 Example: JC Penney worked with musician John Legend to announce #GivingTuesday at a free NYC concert in Bryant Park in addition to incorporating messaging into its round-up at the register program at retail stores throughout the country benefiting the Salvation Army. JC Penney also took this opportunity to communicate its history and company values to its employees and created a large social media component to support its efforts.
  7. PR: #GivingTuesday is a way for companies to graciously and effectively tell the story of their commitments to causes/communities. #GivingTuesday could also be leveraged to launch a new partnership, announce results or to showcase giving stories or innovations. Think about how your organization/partners can best use this media moment to share highlights and tell relevant stories.
  8. KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart): Don’t over complicate it. Simple communications to your donors via email and social media is a great way to dip your toe in the water. Even more sophisticated, integrated participation efforts should practice the art of simplicity.
  9. Find a way to make it fun. Stand out from the crowd by looking for ways to make participation fun. This can help broaden your reach by making your message something people enjoy sharing with their networks. Be creative and remember item #8- keep it simple & EASY. People are extra-busy at this time of year, but they still like to spread holiday cheer…they will appreciate it if you can make them smile —and even more so if you’ve created a quick and easy way for them to make their own friends and family smile. Food for thought: Double the donation-match if the supporter posts & tags a photo of themselves in an elf hat or create a fun contest for staff to enjoy.  The key is to think about something fun (and easy) that will make YOUR audience(s) smile and motivate them to WANT to share this movement/your message with THEIR networks of friends and family [read:  future supporters of yours!].  How can you help them spread the holiday cheer through your #GivingTuesday campaign?
  10. Crowdsource ideas: Brainstorm with your partners, employees, supporters, community leaders about how you can work together to best bring #GivingTuesday to life. Provide opportunities for people to feel pride and ownership and enjoy the benefits.

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