Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday - the national holiday to give back during this hectic season. And as if fundraisers weren't already busy enough with year-end giving, most organizations and boards expect you to join the giving rush on the first Tuesday of December. Cutting through the noise of millions of nonprofits, all with the same Giving Tuesday message, might seem impossible.
Maybe, your time and energy is better spent elsewhere than on Giving Tuesday.
According to Market Smart, Giving Tuesday is NOT the most important online giving day. That honor still goes to December 31st. So, don't feel bad if you opted out of Giving Tuesday, or don't have a full campaign planned. Now you have data to back up your reason to skip it. Read Market Smart's full article for some tips on how to maximize your December 31st strategy.
Are you still all-in on Giving Tuesday? Or at least wanting to dip your toe into the water, with very little risk? Try these last minute strategies:
Ask board members, top volunteers, and staff to host a personal fundraiser on Facebook tomorrow for Giving Tuesday. They do the setup, which is quick and easy, and your message hits a wider audience. There is even an easy link to share with them via email that walks them through the process: https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Craft a "Door-buster" email to your donors, and send it tonight. Have the messaging focus on squeezing in their Giving Tuesday gift while they wrap-up their Cyber Monday shopping. You "won't tell" they gave early and count it for tomorrow's giving - and remove them from multiple email reminders on December 3rd. This helps you get ahead of the email blitzkrieg tomorrow.
Put down the email blast. Instead, run a list of 30-40 of your top annual fund donors from last year who have not yet given. Then craft personal emails from you to each of them today. Highlight their past giving, the impact it has on your organization, and your hope that they will renew their support on this important giving holiday. Explicitly state in your email: "This is not an automated email. I am reaching out to you today because you are an important annual supporter of ours. I want you to know, since I am asking you to support us on Giving Tuesday, that you aren't just a merged email address."