Giving Tuesday is a prime fundraising opportunity for nonprofits and it is rapidly approaching. Is your nonprofit ready? Do you have an online campaign and social media strategy in place? If not, you could be missing out!
What is Giving Tuesday?
According to their website, Giving Tuesday is a “global generosity movement.” Started in 2012, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated to giving back – whether it’s to your local community or the world at large. The organization encourages people to spread a little of the love and generosity that comes with the spirit of the holiday season through a donation of time, funds, or platform.
One of the more well established ways that people contribute to Giving Tuesday is through donations to charities and nonprofits.
Social media should be part of your Giving Tuesday campaign, but how can you use it most effectively?
Make it Easy!
Make sure your appeal is always visible. There are two simple ways to do this: 1) Pin your main Giving Tuesday post. As a result it will always appear at the top of your feed; 2) Use the page banner to display your Giving Tuesday campaign. The banner can also be used for donation instructions.
Provide instructions for how supporters can donate in every Giving Tuesday post. If you’re accepting donations by text, put the directions in every post. If you’re directing them to your website or a third party page for donations, include a direct link to the donation page. Don’t make potential donors have to search for instructions, Make it as easy as possible.
Make it Engaging!
Use User Generated Content (UGC). Get creative with your posts. Ask your followers to share photos and stories about their experience contributing or why they chose your organization. You can also use Call to Action (CTA) campaigns like Unselfies.
Use video. Video can be used in several ways. You can showcase where contributions go, share highlights from previous Giving Tuesdays, or post countdowns and updates about the current Giving Tuesday’s progress.
Go live. Do a live post before Giving Tuesday to tell supporters about the impact their donations will make and how they can donate. Get them engaged by streaming real time updates, providing a sense of urgency, and thanking those who have already contributed.
Make it About the Mission!
Tell a story. People want to know what they are contributing to. Explain how your mission has changed peoples’ lives, the community or what progress has been made. Make it less about donating because it is Giving Tuesday and more about what they are contributing to.
Use mission-related hashtags. There will be a lot of people using the same hashtags for Giving Tuesday. If you want to stand out, avoid generic tags like #charity or #donate and make it more about the mission. (Example: #SavetheWhales #SupportourSchool.) Use Best Hashtags to look up other hashtags associated with your cause.
Social media is a great tool to drive interest and engagement in your cause. If used effectively, this could be one of the greatest Giving Tuesdays ever for your organization! Need some help? Reach out to our troupe today!