Giving Tuesday is one day a year when everyone’s attention is on nonprofits and charities. An effective campaign is a great way to make a big impact for the upcoming year, but there is a lot of competition for dollars.
How do you stand out?
One key to standing out is communication, particularly early communication
Schedule an email campaign several days before Giving Tuesday to let your community know what you are planning. You can even frame it as a “Giving Tuesday Sneak Peak,” but the key is to make sure they are thinking about your organization before the day actually arrives.
During the day of Giving Tuesday, many donors will be flooded with requests from every charity they have been associated with over the past five years. Starting the conversation early means you might already have a foot in the door.
Early nods to your organization’s plan can include a social media preview and emails the weekend before. A simple “teaser” where you just briefly allude to the difference your organization makes can make a memorable impact.
Something as simple as “This Giving Tuesday we’re going to share with you the true story of how we changed one man’s life” or “This Tuesday find out how you can help us continue to change lives” can set expectations. And pairing that message with a simple, crisp branded image, possibly featuring the face of your campaign, can be a simple and quick way to stand out.
Sharing YOUR Story
You still have to build your campaign around your story. It can be done in many different ways, from sharing stories about your volunteers and their impact to the story of someone who has been helped. You can even discuss the huge strides statistically your organization has made. And perhaps most effectively, some combination of all three, while staying focused on your message.
Find the story that illustrates the value that you add to your community most. The one story that year that makes people say “Wow!”. And explain why that story is so amazing, especially any behind-the-scenes details that may not be common knowledge.
Do be mindful of your main goal, telling your one story. And work to avoid statistics, stories, and ideas that may distract from that main focus.
Executing on the Big Day
Once you find and develop your story, teasing it before Giving Tuesday, then the execution on the big day is the final step. Start your push early and make sure you keep your story rolling throughout the day on social media, blogs, and emails, with cross-promotion between all three, keeping the focus on your main storyline.
You can even have your community share similar stories of how they have made an impact through your organization and invite key volunteers to your story to share their stories on their social media pages.
At the end of the day, you can thank your readers and your community for donations and for sharing their stories with you.
The Giveffect Difference
Giveffect cannot write your story for you, but it can help you create emails quickly and allow you to easily find and target groups for the maximum impact. And after Giving Tuesday, Giveffect reporting can give you unparalleled data into who donated and show you instantly how involved the donors are in your organization. Book a demo today to learn more: bit.ly/3FYyBrs