October 13, 2022
Estimated Read Time: 5 min.

How to Make Your #GivingTuesday Campaign More Successful

Brands and nonprofits are working hard to create their end-of-year campaigns for #GivingTuesday. 

But, when these efforts aren’t well-thought-out, these end-of-year giving campaigns can come across as rushed, disorganized, and potentially disingenuous. 

#GivingTuesday is a crowded space, and if you are trying to raise money for a nonprofit, you won’t be alone this December. Even if your impact is real, interest will be lost if you don’t have a campaign that engages your consumers or donors.

So, how do you make #GivingTuesday work harder for you and your cause? Below are three tips to help you use this important annual event to help you cut through the noise and build a credible #GivingTuesday campaign.

 

  1. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: It is crucial to have a reason for choosing a nonprofit, and consumers will want to know the reason. Make sure to communicate through email, social media, a press release, and on your website why your specific charitable cause matters to you. Finding a cause to support that impacts your consumers’ lives directly or makes your industry more ethical, sustainable, or inclusive all help to make it easier for customers to build an emotional association between your cause and your brand. Connect the dots for them and make sure it’s authentic! When it makes sense for them, they have more reason to spend their hard-earned dollars with your brand!  

 

  1.  DON’T ASK, DO: One way to guarantee yourself social media “cancellation” is by asking something of your customers your brand isn’t already doing or prepared to do. Why would you expect theirs to be if your skin isn’t in the game? According to a survey of 50,000 people done by the Poverty Action Lab, just mentioning that you’ll match donations – even if only up to a certain amount – can increase the likelihood of a consumer donation by 19%. Matched contributions also increase the average consumer donation by 22%, meaning more money is given for a more significant impact. 

 

  1. PLAY THE LONG GAME: A whopping 10% of the U.S. population participated in GivingTuesday in some way in 2021. 35 million people (and companies), across 80 countries donated over $2.7 billion. #GivingTuesday as a movement has much to do with its community-building success. People worldwide can do something together on this day to make the world a better place. That means your #GivingTuesday campaign is already expected. But what about the rest of the year? Our advice: While planning this year’s campaign, start thinking about how you can make a difference all year long. Our friends at Deloitte recently announced a $1.5 billion investment in social impact focused on three areas vital to helping create equity in society: education and workforce development, financial inclusion, and health equity. So if you’ve chosen a cause that has a deep connection or impact on your business and community and is willing to invest, why not look for ways to make it a year-long thing? After all, two-thirds of consumers were more likely to choose a purpose-driven brand over a competitor, and 72% said a company’s purpose made them more loyal to that brand. So, the only thing you have to lose by not putting social impact at the heart of your business is… customers. 

 

To make it sticky, #GivingTuesday has to be more than words and pretty Instagram images. Consider your long-term goals in social impact and how you want your brand to be perceived. Make sure to align your charitable cause and your brand’s purpose in ways the public can understand and connect with the other 364 days a year.

 

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