GivingTuesday is providing free resources for nonprofits to utilize for their campaigns leading up to May 5th. We are providing their suggested timeline for nonprofits to use in the weeks ahead to ensure you are getting your message out into the community.

What is GivingTuesdayNow?

GivingTuesday was an idea created in 2012 to promote community giving. Since then it has grown into a global movement and has encouraged millions of people to give their time, talents, and resources to a good cause.

GivingTuesdayNow is an upcoming opportunity for you and your organization to bolster donations and ask your community for help in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The day of giving is set for Tuesday, May 5th and SKC wants to help you get ready. GivingTuesday has many great resources that we will be reviewing below, but feel free to check out their website here.

Week of April 20

Register.

Make sure you’ve signed up for GivingTuesday on their website. This will add you to the list of Participating Organizations and GivingTuesday’s newsletter, so you can receive the latest updates and news. Download the toolkit for nonprofits which includes a press release, sample emails, social media, graphics, and more.

Set a goal.

Consider how to best reach your target audience. Would you like to recruit more volunteers? Get more social media followers? Raise money? Whatever your initiative, set a goal and give your staff and community something to aim for.

Email your supporters.

Share that your organization is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow and share a calendar invite. You do not have to include specific details yet about how you will participate.

Announce your plans.

#GivingTuesdayNow on social media. Announcing early gets your community prepared and excited to give.

Build Anticipation.

Schedule regular social media messages to talk about your organization’s work, how it’s been impacted by COVID-19, and how your community can best support your mission. Some great ideas can be found in the toolkit.

Create Your Own Hook.

Think about a match or other challenge. If you are organizing a fundraising campaign, talk to donors about providing a match or challenge grant to build extra excitement on #GivingTuesdayNow.

Week of April 27

Email your supporters again.

Remind them that #GivingTuesdayNow is coming and provide specific details about how they can get involved.

Get local media involved.

Share your campaign plans with local media. See a sample press release here.

Send a calendar invite to everyone on your mailing lists.

You can even customize those calendar invites with specific instructions for different groups. (e.g. social media ambassadors, donors, reporters).

Go big on social media!

Tweet, post, snap, TikTok, and share to invite your community to join with you on May 5th. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesdayNow in your messages.

May 4th – Day Before

“One Day to Go” Message.

Send out a “One Day to Go” email and social media messages to make sure your board, staff, and community knows that we are in the final countdown for #GivingTuesdayNow!

May 5th – It’s #GivingTuesdayNow!

Update your community throughout the day.

Share where you are against your goal and use the momentum to build excitement for your campaign. Thank donors and people who are helping to amplify your campaign. Add a “Virtual Donor Wall” to your website and social media pages.

Go bananas on social media.

Go live, share a photo or video every hour (no need to create anything new, reuse your existing content), launch a TikTok challenge, highlight stories of generosity from your community.

After The Big Day

Thank you.

May 6th – Say thank you to your staff, donors, volunteers, partners, faculty, and community. #ThankYouWednesday

Videos.

Consider sending individualized “thank you videos” to donors.

Share your success with Giving Tuesday.

Email the GivingTuesday team at info@givingtuesday.org with your success, photos, or announcements they can share.

Use the momentum.

Use #GivingTuesdayNow to boost your spring fundraising and rally support for your mission.

For even more resources and assets provided by GivingTuesdayNow, follow this link.

Beyond Giving Tuesday

Things you can do now and throughout the year to boost your digital and social media presence

While GivingTuesday is a great opportunity for nonprofits everywhere, you don’t need to limit yourself to a single day. Social distancing is challenging nonprofits everywhere to adjust their fundraising habits and schedules. Here are some helpful resources and insights for innovating your fundraising platform in an ever changing landscape.

Upcoming Webinar

Grantspace is offering a free webinar on Friday, April 24th at 1:00 p.m. Central: GivingTuesday’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jamie McDonald, will be sharing ideas on inspiring donations and engagement for nonprofits leading up to the big day.

Digital advertising

With for-profit advertisers pulling back their marketing budgets, the cost for digital ads has come down and may now be a more affordable option for nonprofits looking to reach new audiences. Right now there are fewer competitors but more audience screen time.

Social media

Make use of content you already have. Repost highlights of your organization from recent years. Consider a new video featuring your ED. Ask your social media followers to share stories of why they support your organization and share their replies. Encourage your supporters to run their own Peer-to-Peer fundraiser on behalf of your organization.

Virtual Programming

Cultural and Arts nonprofits have a unique opportunity to share their missions by providing video exhibitions and productions. Demand for these offerings is up due to stay-at-home orders across the country as well as educators looking for material they can offer to students online.

New Demographics

Yes, many nonprofit fundraising events have had to be cancelled or rescheduled. But so have sporting events, festivals and other live entertainment. Getting a new audience engaged now provides the opportunity for more attendees once live events become possible again.

GuideStar

Use this time to update your GuideStar Nonprofit Profile. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of crises like COVID-19. Extend the evidence that your organization is trustworthy and a legitimate entity.

Google Ad Grants

Google allows qualifying 501(c)(3)s to apply for a $10,000/month advertising credit-based grant.

YouTube Nonprofit Program

Tell your story and reach greater audiences through video as well as make it easy for supporters to donate with YouTube Giving features. Find out more here.

If you need help with any of these resources please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Finally, as each day brings new challenges and obstacles, remember to be good to one another. Support KC has spent the last twenty years working shoulder to shoulder with our partners in the nonprofit community to ensure we all stay ‘mission focused’. Let us not forget that message as our community needs us now more than ever. Support KC is here for you and your organization as you face new challenges and obstacles in the face of this pandemic. We can achieve anything if we work together. Support KC remains open (remotely) and accessible via our office phone number or by reaching out directly to your point of contact.