Each year, this day of giving is held on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the holiday fundraising season. Giving Tuesday or #GivingTuesday can serve as an integral part of an effective holiday campaign for nonprofits, and individual fundraisers are well suited to join in on this campaign and lend a hand.
What is Giving Tuesday?
I assume that everyone is familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, right? Giving Tuesday was created to offset the consumerism of those days by encouraging people to contribute to their communities in the form of donations and volunteerism. This push for generosity is driven mostly by social media, thus #GivingTuesday, which has allowed the message of Giving Tuesday to spread far and wide.
Giving Tuesday began as a small idea with big heart. The main goal was to remind people to give back and to help others, even during the holiday rush. For the past 12 years, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been designated as a day of giving and generosity. Since its inception in 2012, Giving Tuesday has grown exponentially and has now become a “global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity” (givingtuesday.org).
Last year over $800 million was raised on Giving Tuesday!
Why is Giving Tuesday an important time to fundraise?
On Giving Tuesday, non-profits from all over the world will be asking for donations, and if the past is any indication, those asks will be met with an outpouring of support.
As NEADS fundraisers, you’re in an ideal position to leverage this global day of giving to boost your fundraising campaigns and to continue to support NEADS. What better way to kick off your holiday fundraising than to tap into the social media buzz of Giving Tuesday?
How can I use Giving Tuesday to help with my fundraising?
The beauty of Giving Tuesday is twofold. First, it’s a day when people are expecting to be asked for donations and contributions. It’s not uncommon for clients to feel uncomfortable with the idea of asking friends and family for donations, so the fact that people are already anticipating an ask removes some of that stress. Second, the marketing for Giving Tuesday is already done for you. Hurray! You can find GIFS and logos, as well as pre-written social media posts from NEADS. As always, if you can personalize your shares, that’s even better.
Keep in mind that you are fundraising on behalf of NEADS and make sure to link everything that you post back to your personal NEADS fundraising page. Many organizations and individuals will be using Giving Tuesday as a platform to talk about their cause so be sure to mention NEADS in all your posts. And remember, post often!
Though it’s been a difficult year, one thing that still holds true is that people are willing to contribute to causes that better their community and help people that they know. So take advantage of Giving Tuesday and spread the word about NEADS and our mission. And keep in mind, Giving Tuesday is about giving of all types. If someone can’t make a financial contribution to NEADS they can still share your fundraising page, like or share your social media posts, talk to people they know about NEADS, brainstorm fundraising ideas with you, or help you write fundraising letters. There are so many different ways that people can contribute to your fundraising so keep an open mind and be accepting of assistance of all kinds.
