Have you been disappointed by lackluster Giving Tuesday campaigns in the past? Or just need a refresher on best practices for 2021? Use these 5 tips as you prepare for #GivingTuesday this year.
What’s the Deal with Giving Tuesday and Local Giving Days?
To help kickstart year-end giving, many communities host Local Giving Days, also known as Days of Giving. For example, upcoming giving days include Colorado Gives Day in Colorado, GAgives Day in Georgia, and Give to the Max Day in Minnesota. Even if you don’t have a local giving day coming up in your community, Giving Tuesday is coming up on December 1 as the International Day of Giving, celebrated all over the world to support nonprofits. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we share an example of a local giving day fundraising campaign, and talk about four reasons nonprofit leaders shy away from Giving Tuesday.
4 reasons nonprofit leaders don’t want to host a Giving Tuesday campaign
Whenever I start talking about Giving Tuesday, I see lots of eye rolls from nonprofit leaders who feel like Giving Tuesday is a waste of time. In the first episode of Season 5 of the Nonprofit Jenni Show, I break down the four most common objections I hear from nonprofit leaders about why they don’t like to participate in this 24-hour giving day. I also interview Sarah Barr, the Executive Director of the Marysville Uptown Theatre Organization, who is in the midst of planning and executing a Capital Campaign, Giving Tuesday Campaign, and Year End Appeal all at the same time.
Why The Big Payback matters, even if you don’t live in Middle Tennessee
Recently, I’ve been posting a ton of stuff on social media about the upcoming event The Big Payback, which is the local “day of giving” for the Middle Tennessee region. I’m very excited to be working with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help train nonprofits on how to leverage this online giving day to increase their social media presence and cultivate donor relationships! But even if you don’t live in Middle Tennessee, I want you to get excited about the Big Payback too, because The Big Payback podcast episodes I’m creating (coming out in March & April!) can still benefit your organization.
Giving Tuesday -- Last Minute, Low Budget Plans
Giving Tuesday is coming up on November 27! If time got away from you this year, or even if this is your first time hearing of Giving Tuesday, you still have time to put together a solid Giving Tuesday campaign. An amazing Giving Tuesday campaign doesn't require a ton of planning time, a huge budget, or even a donation ask if you feel like you've been asking your supporters for money too frequently. In this episode, Hayley Levy from Gilda's Club describes how she planned some of her past Giving Tuesday campaigns. Then Jon Fraser from DipJar comes back on the show to give some advice on adding a live, in-person element to your strategy.