Sure, you’ve probably already planned out your #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign over the last several weeks (or months). But have you remembered everything for the big day? Checked all the boxes on your checklist? For nonprofits, this is a big role to fill because not every organization has a large staff. If you’re like the typical nonprofit marketer, you wear the hats of campaign strategist, the copywriter, the digital marketer, and the data analyst to name a few. So, to keep it all running smoothly and to help nothing fall through the cracks, we’re offering this blog to provide you a checklist of things to cover that maybe you haven't thought of yet.
What Type Of Campaign Will You Choose?
Based on your goals of the campaign, your nonprofit can participate in a variety of activities, as indicated on the #GivingTuesday website:
- Fundraise for your cause
- Rally your best advocates
- Fill a gap in your community
- Fundraise for another organization
- Rally your community to help spread the word
- Bring holiday cheer
What Communications Message Will You Choose?
The message(s) you choose for informing your audience about the campaign should also revolve around the goals of your campaign:
- Make your goal very clear by stating the amount of money you need to raise or the number of volunteers you need to sign up
- Powerful, compelling messages such as a success story of a life your nonprofit impacted goes a long way
- Let people know how their participation in your campaign will make a difference
- Brand your social media content with #GivingTuesday logos, if your nonprofit allows
- Use hashtags such as ##GivingTuesday and ##GivingTuesday2022, but also come up with a unique hashtag for your nonprofit
What Communication Channels Will You Choose?
Because ##GivingTuesday only happens on one day, social media is the most active channel to get the word out quickly. But using a variety of channels helps spread your message further.
- Social Media Posts
- Social Media Paid Ads
- Video
- Print (use QR codes to donation pages)
- Text Messaging
- Website Pop-Ups
- Radio Ads, Live Events, Interviews
- Podcast Ads, Interviews
- Streaming TV ads
- Referrals / Word-Of-Mouth Contests
- Pay Per Click Ads
- Vendor Partners
- Local Businesses
How Will You Track Your Donations?
After your #GivingTuesday campaign is complete, you’ll want to share your achievements with your supporters and donors. You’ll also want to report to leadership how well the campaign performed and what tactics did best. Make sure you’re tracking all of your fundraising on that day by setting up automation:
- Unique Registration URLs
- UTM Parameters for Landing Pages
- Unique Call Numbers
- Customized Destination URLs for Keywords
- Google Analytics Traffic Sources
Remember To Say, “Thank You”
Your #GivingTuesday campaign will not only increase awareness about your mission and brand, but more than likely will also bring in new donors and volunteers. Here are a few items you should remember for follow-up:
- Engage New Donors: set up a welcome series that thanks them for supporting your nonprofit and shares easy to read information over a specific amount of time
- Onboard New Volunteers: provide training and mentoring opportunities for your new volunteers to feel welcomed and knowledgeable about your nonprofit
- Thank Recurring Donors: let your current donors know the impact they made and the goals achieved because of their generosity
- Inform The Community: send out a public thank you (posters, website notification, fliers, postcards, radio) to everyone who helped with your #GivingTuesday campaign
- Report Goal Progress: share the campaign’s goal progress through analytics and reports to your staff and leadership
Wrapping It Up
We hope this last minute #GivingTuesday checklist will help has you prepare for the big day! If you want a few more ideas on how to optimize your website for #GivingTuesday and year end fundraising, check out our webinar Tips & Best Practices for End of Year Giving. We wish you much success!