5 Tips to Maximize Your Giving Tuesday Potential
If you work for a nonprofit organization, Giving Tuesday is likely on your mind. It’s one of the biggest days of fundraising of the whole year. Last year, nonprofits in the United States alone raised $3.1 Billion on Giving Tuesday from 20 million donors in a 24-hour period (a 15% increase from 2021).
Giving Tuesday has a lot of potential to inspire your supporters and generate excitement for your cause. It puts your organization in a great place to have a strong end-of-year fundraising season. Whether your campaign is already in place or you are still putting it together, implement these 5 tips to set your nonprofit up for Giving Tuesday success.
Tip #1: Don’t use “Giving Tuesday” in your email subject lines
This may seem counterintuitive, but here’s the thing… Giving Tuesday is a day that’s extremely important to nonprofits, but many of your followers, email subscribers, and supporters don’t know what it is. Even if they do, people won’t necessarily give you money (or even open your emails in the first place) just because it’s Giving Tuesday. A study by Neon One found that subject lines that included the phrase “Giving Tuesday” had lower open rates, click rates, and total dollars raised than those that didn’t.
Instead, make your ask compelling and donor-centric (instead of organization-centric). Your email should tell them a story that shows the problem you’re up against, and how your supporter can help solve it. Introduce them to someone their gift will make a difference for. An emotional connection to your cause is what will inspire your donors to give. Give people a teaser of the email content in the subject line. Rather than an arbitrary date (Giving Tuesday), keep the focus on the reason to give.
Here are a few examples of Giving Tuesday subject lines, representing a variety of causes:
Imagine skiing without your sight…
Individuals like Abdullah need your help, <<First Name>>.
6-year-old Sita dreams of going to school
Donkeys like Sonny deserve a second chance
KEEP IN MIND: Your supporters will likely be getting A LOT of emails today that have “Giving Tuesday” in the subject line. Give them a breath of fresh air!
Tip #2: Set a goal around number of donors, rather than dollar amount
While the majority of nonprofits chose a dollar amount for the Giving Tuesday fundraising goal, we recommend shifting your approach slightly. Try setting a goal around a specific number of donors for the day instead of a financial target.
This approach is more inclusive and inspiring for donors of all levels. If I can only contribute $10 to your fundraising campaign but see that you have a $100,000 goal, I’m going to feel like my measly contribution won’t even make a dent (it's only 0.01% of your goal, after all).
But if I see you have a goal of 1,000 donors supporting your cause this Giving Tuesday—and you’re already at 850 by evening time when I get your update email—I’m going to give my $10 and feel really proud of my gift. I’ll feel like I made a difference as an individual standing up to join the community rallying behind your mission.
One study by NextAfter found that breaking down a larger fundraising goal into a smaller gift amount and the number of supporters needed drove more than TWICE the number of gifts compared to not including the number of supporters needed—AND it led to a higher revenue amount. Can you tell the difference between the two asks?
“It will take $40,000 to provide X service to Y. Will you help make this happen?”
“It will take $40,000 to provide X service to Y. That means we need 4,000 supporters to donate $10 each to make this happen. Can we count on you?”
BONUS: Fundraise Up, our favorite donation platform for a seamless donor experience, has a fundraising element you can use to track the number of donors to your campaign and display it on your website for real-time tracking. To access the lowest platform fee, use our unique Certified Partners link.
Our wonderful clients at Oscar’s Place Adoption Center & Sanctuary use this feature for their monthly donor program.
Tip #3: Offer a fun incentive for meeting your goal
Don’t forget to make it FUN! Add some joy into your social media and email communications with a silly incentive for meeting your goal. This could be your CEO taking a pumpkin pie to the face if you reach your goal, or your team learning a trending TikTok dance and posting the video, or a virtual dance party for all your supporters.
This incentive will add to the excitement around giving to your cause, boost participation, and make your campaign memorable. Plus, it’s a chance to spread a little bit of positivity during a time when our world really needs it.
Tip #4: Secure a donation match from a major donor
If you have a major donor who is willing to provide this opportunity, offer your supporters a donation match. This will make your ask more compelling and urgent. Tell your donors that their gift will be doubled if they donate today, and give updates on how close you are to meeting the match. When it comes to free money, we don’t want to leave it on the table!
Research by Double the Donation found that 84% of donors are more likely to give if a match is offered, and 1 in 3 say they’d make a larger gift if matching would be applied. With their donations doubled, supporters feel like they are making a more significant difference for your cause.
But choose your language carefully here: this is less about the match itself, and more about the donor having the opportunity to make twice the impact. They can be twice the hero today. Their gift can matter twice as much.
Tip #5: Celebrate and validate your donor’s decision to support your cause
Before the big day, set up an automated thank-you email that’s ready to go to all Giving Tuesday supporters. Thank them for their gift, celebrate the fact that they supported your cause, and validate their decision to donate. Tell them a story that illustrates the impact they are making possible. Introduce them to the dog they saved, the child who can go to school, the family who can now have food on the table.
Campaign Monitor reports that people who receive an email immediately after interacting with an organization will have a 33% higher engagement rate in the long-term. Showing gratitude in the window of time right after someone makes a gift is the best way to convince them to stick around!
Have questions on how to put these five tips into practice for your organization? Book a Free Office Hours time slot with our team of digital marketing experts. We’ll spend an hour with you, brainstorming and troubleshooting any aspect of your Giving Tuesday campaign.
