How to stand out on GivingTuesday
Come GivingTuesday (December 3, 2019), election day has come and gone. People have been donating to politicians for months. How do you restart the donation train for GivingTuesday? How do you stand out from your competitors? There will be a million and one organizations advertising their #givingtuesday strategy and you need to cut through all that noise. Don't be overwhelmed! With the right plan, your organization will thrive.
Start Early and Be Specific
What easier way to get your supporters to notice you than to be the first GivingTuesday advertisement they see? The sooner you start pushing your cause, the sooner you beat that million and one organization rush.
It is also important to be specific in your goals. Explaining why giving is important shows your audience how important the act of giving is. Explaining how the funds will be used gives your givers a sense of security.
How About Last Year?
In addition to explaining how these future funds will be used, explaining how they have worked in the past as well may help. Showing the impact of past donations makes what you are asking more realistic to your supporters thus resulting in an easier time donating funds.
Let’s Get Digital and Physical
The majority of GivingTuesday takes place online, and so should your advertising. Post on social media. Email your subscribers. Write a blog article. Any communication you do over the screen is where you should be pushing your GivingTuesday efforts.
While we are on the subject of getting digital, adding a video is a great way to say a lot in one post. While it does take a little extra effort when compared to sharing just a photo, you are able to tell your whole story at once. You are able to explain all the information described above. You are able to add flashy graphics or subtle humor. You also are able to demonstrate your tech-savviness to your supporters.
Although the bulk of GivingTuesday is behind the screen, don't shy away from printed marketing materials. Something as simple as sending out postcard-sized advertisements to your mailing subscribers or clients.
Make it Frictionless
By giving your supporters a simple way to donate, they are more likely to donate money. Or, to put it simply, a simple donation process = more donations.
By using software such as the CharityGiving OneClick Donation®, your viewers are able to give as much as they want while spending as little time as they want. You can read more about this solution at https://www.cgiving.org/.
Additionally, use a OnePage™ https://www.onepage.com to keep your donors and supporters engaged in your organization. No supporter ever said they wish they knew less about the mission they wanted to help!
Rally Those Troops
Going for new givers? Great! But don’t let your usual fans feel forgotten. These are the easiest eyes to reach. These are people who know about your brand and connect with you in some digital way. Social media followers, email subscribers, etc. Similar to our first point, reach out to them any way you can. Luckily, this approach costs no extra social promotion dollars as these users are already following your accounts. It's time to celebrate your community and send your followers some love. Too many organizations use GivingTuesday to send one-way communication, be the brand that makes your audience feel loved.
Get Creative
Make an impact. Do you want to be remembered? Be funny! Say something out of character. Post a photo of your team in a non-work environment. It's all about showing personality. Like we stated above, to stand out you must cut through the noise of all the other brands asking for donations. Remember, all those email subscribers you have most likely subscribed to other email blasts as well. Your social media subscribers absolutely follow more brands than just yours. Their screens are going to be flooded with messages just like yours. Being memorable is key.
Be Engaging
- Be interactive. Tell a story. Propose a challenge. Ask a question.
- When was the last time you gave?
- What is one word that giving makes you feel? Comment below!
GivingTuesday is all about humanizing your brand and connecting your story to your viewers’ hearts. The whole prospect of charitable giving is based on emotion, so don’t be afraid to pack an emotional punch. Don’t be afraid to connect with your reader. Anything that encourages your audience to take that extra step. Hopefully, they take that extra step by sharing you through their own social channels.
Be “Shareable”
You want to create something that people will want to attach their names to. Something that people see, donate to, and then tell their friends about it. You want them to brag to their social media friends about the organization that got them into GivingTuesday. You want them to show their friends that hilarious Instagram picture that got them to donate, “and you should too!” This gives your brand the opportunity to reach new eyes online organically.
Of course, to be “shareable,” you need to be funny, creative, or just all-around memorable. Make the message memorable.
Set a Goal
Setting a goal with milestones makes things easier for you and your supporters. You get to track your donations and your supporters get to see how they are making a difference. It creates a sense of community, all those who donate see how they are a part of a larger movement. Each time you surpass a goal you can post about it on your social channels and email the great news to your email subscribers. This strategy is a great way to break up the monotony of “please give now” posts GivingTuesday is known for.
Partner Up and Turn those tables
You do the giving. You don’t want to ask them to donate without participating yourself. It humanizes you and your organization. It makes you relatable. Perhaps seeing you give back makes others feel compelled to do the same.
Perhaps you can start a match offer; either a full match or donate a percentage of whatever your followers do. This giving back can either be monetary or take place through acts that your business does. Think, “for every $50 we will plant one tree.” A small incentive goes a long way and is a win-win in regards to your community. Posting photos of your team doing these acts would look wonderful on your social accounts with #givingtuesday attached to it.
If you cannot give back yourself, find a like-minded or complementary business to partner with. Many corporations participate in charitable giving campaigns; establishing a partnership gives you both double the views and double the positive press.
It’s called GivingTuesday, why shouldn’t you be the one doing the giving too?
Don’t forget to say “thank you”
When GivingTuesday ends, you need to remember to let all those who gave know how much it is appreciated. Send them a postcard to say thanks. Post a uniform social post to say thank you. Send out an email to anyone that supported you that day. Maybe post a shout-out when someone donates.
Remember to highlight their achievements and the good they have done. Give them a taste of what you are able to do now that the donations have come in.
