Giving Tuesday is a once-per-year, global day of giving that motivates individuals to give and nonprofits to campaign. It's also a year-round giving movement that aims to create a more generous world, to bring communities together, and to unite people with generosity. It's been going for seven years, and to date over 400 million U.S. dollars have been raised online as a result of Giving Tuesday campaigns.
In 2019, Giving Tuesday falls on December 3. There's still time to create a great campaign and give your nonprofit a boost towards the end of the year. To help you out, we've compiled some of our favorite features from Giving Tuesday's fantastic website.
Nonprofits tend to rely heavily on donations, and they often gear up their giving campaigns towards the holiday season. Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday, so it's a great way of kicking off your holiday giving campaign while providing some respite from the thoughtless consumerism of Black Friday.
Giving Tuesday provides a great toolkit for nonprofits that gives you advice and resources about how to organize a great campaign. Included in the toolkit are a sample press release, templates for requesting a mayoral proclamation, a campaign timeline, and loads of other great resources to guide you through the campaign.
Just as important as getting donations is engaging those who might want to give time instead of, or as well as, their money. Giving Tuesday provides a great opportunity to connect with potential volunteers, to meet them face to face and give them a sense of your organization's heart and mission. This can help people to feel valued and seen by your staff, which encourages them to get involved and contribute to the work you are doing.
Giving Tuesday's Success Stories page contains lots of inspiration for interesting ways to recruit volunteers.
Local businesses can be great partners for your organization. Not only can they donate their money, but they can also host events and reach a much wider audience. Businesses in the customer service industry, such as cafés and retail shops, are especially great partners because they can advertise your organization to their customers, reaching new potential donors and volunteers while raising funds to support your work.
Some great examples from the Giving Tuesday website include businesses running employee volunteer days, donating their services to nonprofits or people in need, and hosting fundraising events. Even small things like asking a local business to put a flyer in its window can raise awareness, as well as starting conversations and laying the groundwork for future partnerships.
Social media is one of your greatest assets when it comes to promoting your Giving Tuesday campaign. Businesses and individuals can promote your cause easily by liking and sharing, increasing the reach of your Giving Tuesday campaign. This is an important tool for everyone, but especially organizations that work in many different locations or are entirely remote.
Giving Tuesday's brand has gained traction and recognizability in the time it has been running. Include Giving Tuesday in your social media strategy. Incorporate the "mega messages" from their toolkit into your fundraising campaign leading up to Giving Tuesday, and tag the @GivingTuesday accounts in social media posts. It's also great to participate in Thank You Wednesday and to incorporate the Giving Tuesday messaging into your social media all year round.
The Social Media Toolkit for nonprofits holds plenty more great ideas and information. There you can find the relevant hashtags, logos, and templates central to the Giving Tuesday brand, so that you can adapt them to your own organization's style. Social media is a tool: make the most of it!
Giving Tuesday wouldn't exist if not for the individuals who donate, volunteer, like, share, and champion their local nonprofits. Giving Tuesday has a section of their website crammed with ways for individuals to get involved, from volunteering your time to donating your skills to advocating for local causes.
The Giving Tuesday website includes a database called Happening Near Me, which allows you to search for Giving Tuesday events and campaigns in your area. You can even narrow down your search to a certain kind of organization or search for a specific one to check if it's taking part.
One of the easiest things an individual can do is donate money. Whether you can spare $1 or $100 or even more, nonprofits and the people they serve rely on lots of small donations to survive. They are genuinely grateful for the generosity of ordinary people, regardless of the amount given.
You're never too young to volunteer, to think about the issues affecting our world and our communities, or to make a difference. That's why #GivingTuesdayKids was founded by 12-year-old Khloe Thompson. #GivingTuesdayKids ambassadors head up projects across the U.S. and beyond, addressing the problems they see in their local communities through acts of kindness, fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and more.
If you're a child or a parent or you work with children, you can get involved with Giving Tuesday by planning a project and rallying friends and classmates to get involved. Register your event or get project ideas through Giving Tuesday's website.
Giving Tuesday has made a huge impact in the seven years since it began, but there's still more to do. Help create a culture of generosity in your community by taking part in this year's campaign on December 3.