We are now officially down to the wire on GivingTuesday.
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed? I am, for a simple and silly reason: up until last week, I thought November was longer than it is. Like, a whole week longer.
Here is how it went down:
“Thanksgiving is next week.” -Friend, November 15, 2016.
“Haha, no, it’s not!” -Me
“Haha, yes, it is!”- Calendar
“NOOOOOOOOO!”- Me
That’s right. November 29 is GivingTuesday, and it’s tomorrow. It’s time to run your campaign. It may be the literal last minute, but you’ll be fine if you remember to do three things today, and three things tomorrow to keep your GivingTuesday running smoothly.
“That’s right. November 29 is #GivingTuesday, and it’s tomorrow. It’s time to run your campaign…” tweet this
3 Things To Do Today
Take some time today to prepare for tomorrow. While you’ve probably (hopefully) got your campaign video done or chosen a high quality image to represent your campaign, and your peer-to-peer fundraisers onboard, doing these three things today will help you get a jump on GivingTuesday.
1. Testing 1, 2, 3…
Once you’ve got your online campaign all set up, it’s time to test it out to make sure the technology is working. Make sure to:
- Make a test donation to determine that payment processing is in working order.
- View your campaign in different web browsers, just in case something funky happens in the ones you don’t usually use. (I’m looking at you, Internet Explorer).
- View your campaign on a mobile device
- Make a test donation on a mobile device
2. Rally The Troops
If you’re running a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, check in with your fundraisers today. Make sure they know how to use the resources in their fundraising toolkit, and are ready to go.
Remind your fundraising folks:
- Of your fundraising goal, and what kind of impact it will have
- To share campaign posts on social media
- How grateful you are they’re helping your cause
3. Promote Tomorrow Today
GivingTuesday is growing every year, but it’s still not universally known and observed. Therefore, you need to remind your audience that it’s coming. The goal is that on GivingTuesday, when they see your email launching the campaign, or your first Facebook post of the day, they think, “Oh yeah, that fundraising campaign for that organization I love,” rather than, “What is this?”
Prepare your audience for GivingTuesday by:
- Sending an email blast about the campaign
- Posting on social media (use our free #GivingTuesday social images)
- Sharing #GivingTuesday content
3 Things To Do Tomorrow
GivingTuesday won’t get away from you, if you remember to do these three things.
“#GivingTuesday won’t get away from you, if you remember to do these three things…” tweet this
1. Tell Your Story
The thing that makes donors give isn’t how flashy your video is or how clever your emails are, it’s the story you tell. GivingTuesday is a chance to keep telling the story of the work you’re doing and the impact it makes. Make that story the heart of every message you send.
Take a look at World Bicycle Relief’s “Forward” campaign, which focuses on using bicycles to help girls access education. They tell their story by introducing us to two particular girls who live in rural Africa, Angela and Dianah.
By showing us the details of the girls’ hopes and dreams for their future, and how a bicycle will help make it possible, World Bicycle Relief makes it real. It packs an emotional punch–we want to help Angela become a doctor and Dianah become a college professor.
2. Update And Celebrate
Did you hit a goal? Would three more donors push you over the edge? How close are you? Let your supporters know throughout the day.
Don’t be afraid that you’ll be obnoxious–it takes more reminders than you think for someone to take action. In marketing, this is called “effective frequency”, and while there’s a lot of debate, common wisdom says it takes seven encounters with an advertisement before it makes a significant impact.
Chances are, you’ll get bored talking about your campaign long before your audience is bored of hearing about it.
3. Keep The Conversation Going
GivingTuesday is based in social media. Social media relies on conversations–so check in on your platforms throughout the day to re-tweet and share your supporters’ messages about your campaign, as well as your own content.
Participate in the larger GivingTuesday conversation by sharing content from #GivingTuesday to boost the signal about the Global Day of Giving. Everyone benefits as GivingTuesday becomes more known and celebrated. Don’t forget to use the #GivingTuesday hashtag!
“Participate in the larger GivingTuesday conversation by sharing content from #GivingTuesday” tweet this
You’re Going To Be Awesome
Okay, one last thing, right before things get really hectic. Take care of yourself tomorrow. Eat breakfast, take a break, don’t sit in front of your computer screen staring at your analytics all day. The danger of burnout is real this time of year, and a little self-care will go along way towards preventing it.
Here at CauseVox, we’re rooting for you to have your best GivingTuesday yet!
