Giving Tuesday is Over, Now What?

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2014’s Giving Tuesday is now behind us, so what’s next? Here are some pointers on what to focus on while wrapping up 2014 on a high note!

  • Start Planning for 2015’s Giving Tuesday December 1st, 2015 to be exact. After thanking your Giving Tuesday donors, make a list of areas where you exceeded expectations and areas where you need to improve. Don’t lament too much on solidifying 2015’s strategy 100% (social media changes too much), but do spend some time reflecting on 2014’s Giving Tuesday to better prepare your nonprofit for the next year. There is always room for improvement! Check out what other nonprofits did and see what you could incorporate next year or build upon. A simple running tab of “Giving Tuesday Ideas 2015” can suffice, but make this an organizational priority for a few hours.
  • Focus on End-of-Year Giving Okay, we’re repeating ourselves, but that’s because it’s super important: be clear in your call to action. It’s the end of the year, and it’s our favorite time to give back! Take advantage of this. Ask your donors for last-minute donations. Don’t forget to mention that this is their last chance to make a tax-deductible gift for 2014. Ensure all e-mails are scheduled properly with a clear call to action on how to make a donation. Also, it is a good idea to update your website to reflect your end-of-year campaign. Make sure social media follows suit, too.Tip: ‘Tis the season to take time off. If your nonprofit is small and employees will be enjoying some much-deserved vacation days, make sure all e-mails have proper forwarding information. If possible, try to keep at least one person in the office (aside from closed business days) or responding to email to keep your nonprofit running smoothly.
  • Check for missed opportunities. Run some reports to see if you can track down anyone who made a big gift in 2013, but missed 2014. Reach out to them and ask for their support! The number one reason why people don’t give is because they aren’t asked to give. Ask!
  • Gather data. Gather and clean up as much data as you can for 2014, so that it’s smooth sailing into 2015.
  • Send holiday cards and thank you notes. This should be a year round effort, but it’s especially important that Executive Directors recognize and personally thank major donors and sponsors.

No matter how you end your year, the more you do now, the better positioned your organization will be to take on 2015. Happy planning!

Last Minute Tips for Giving Tuesday

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With less than two weeks to go until 2014’s Giving Tuesday, it’s our goal to make sure your nonprofit is prepared to reap the benefits. Follow these last-minute tips to ensure that your 2014 Giving Tuesday campaign goes off without a hitch!

 

 

 

  • Make sure you have a solid plan in place.

In an ideal world, your nonprofit would have started developing a strategy for Giving Tuesday months ago, but this isn’t a perfect world and life happens. First things first, don’t panic. You can STILL reap the benefits! If you don’t have a plan in place, get to it today (seriously – right now!), but keep it simple. You can always build on it next year.

  • Get your team on board.

Since Giving Tuesday is a socially charged movement, make sure that you stay engaged with fans. Schedule team members to monitor your social media accounts throughout the day. Prior to Giving Tuesday (especially since it falls in the midst of holiday season), ensure your staff members can access all social media accounts and understand their game plan. Make sure e-mails are scheduled with clear directions on how to donate to your cause. Because Giving Tuesday is only a one-day event, there’s not too much room for error. Put the extra effort in ensuring all information is correct.

  • Follow through with promises.

If you planned ahead and have sponsors and/or matching gift campaigns running parallel with your Giving Tuesday, it is vital your nonprofit follows through with all promises made on your end of the sponsorship agreement. If you agreed to give them visibility on social on Giving Tuesday, first and foremost, make sure this happens.

  • Have a clear call to action.

Make it ridiculously easy for your donors to give and share information about your Giving Tuesday campaign. The purpose of Giving Tuesday is to raise awareness about generosity and giving back to the community, so people will be fired up and ready to give, but your nonprofit needs to make giving accessible with a clear call to action. Also, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to create some messages your donors can post to their social accounts with all the info on how to give to your nonprofit. Make it as simple and easy as possible.

  • Be creative and have fun.

10,000 nonprofits across the world participate in Giving Tuesday. How do you make your nonprofit stand out? Take a chance. Don’t be afraid to be bold, fun, and energetic in your asks.

  • Be thankful.

Don’t forget to say thank you.