One of the biggest days for nonprofits is less than a week away—Giving Tuesday, and you might be wondering what your organization can or should do to take advantage of this event. Giving Tuesday is held every December 1, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and is a designated day of fundraising around the world. It can be a busy and overwhelming time to compete for attention, especially with many large, well-funded organizations participating. However, you can still take a radical approach to Giving Tuesday that uplifts your social justice cause and stays true to your values. 

Here are some tips to create an effective Giving Tuesday campaign:

Set a Goal

Setting goals makes this day more exciting and is a great way to rally your staff and supporters to participate. If you can, announce a goal of how much you’d like to raise. If you have a matching grant, make sure to mention that, so it encourages people to donate on Giving Tuesday specifically. At the same time, let people know that you are looking for support beyond December 1 and you appreciate their donation however they can give (whether it be financial, time, talent, influence etc.) Decide how you want people to support you. Then, have a clear and consistent call to action/link in all your Giving Tuesday content.

Tell Authentic Stories

Pick a supporter, a program participant, a donor—someone who truly represents your cause and can allow you to center your campaign around. The best stories show transformation and leave people with hope, so make sure to share enough details to show how donating to your organization can make a real difference. And be visual! Gather your best, high-quality photos and videos to share that day.

Use All Your Channels

Plan for a cross-platform promotional strategy so you can capture your supporters’ attention, no matter how they engage with you. Some ideas: send an email that morning or the night before, post several social media messages over the course of the day, update your social media pages with special Giving Tuesday cover photos, or create a banner on your website. 

Encourage your staff, ambassadors, and board members to post on their social media channels by sending them some prepared posts and a donation link, so they can easily customize for themselves.

Make sure to use the #GivingTuesday hashtag in your social media posts so you can tap into the global conversation.  Check out the official #GivingTuesday templates and read their guidebook for inspiration. 

Get Conversational + Creative

Host a Facebook Live or Instagram Live session on Giving Tuesday with a prepared theme or topic of conversation. This could be an open session to the public or you could also make a special invite only event for your biggest supporters over Zoom. During this event, you could have staff members interview each other, chat with an ambassador or influencer who supports your organization, or have a general Q&A session with the audience. If you’re really feeling creative, your live session could feature a staff member doing a fun challenge or showcase a talent in return for raising money from your supporters that day. 

—

Giving Tuesday is a fun opportunity to celebrate the spirit of generosity and connect with new and old donors. You don’t have to overextend your team to participate and can just think of it as an introduction to your year-end appeal. Look at donations in a number of ways, not just monetarily, but also consider time, talent, and influence. Share the stories of your organization and members, express gratitude to your supporters, and make sure to center the work you do more than anything. 

If you want some more advice on building a successful campaign, you can also check out this Facebook group, the Giving Tuesday Learning Lab, to connect with other nonprofits throughout the year.