Be Impossible to Ignore
The key to any Giving Tuesday campaign is to be impossible to ignore. Ensure your theme is top-notch; it should be both emotionally and logically compelling. Demonstrate the community need and show exactly how your nonprofit is solving it. Keep the messaging brief and powerful; people should feel inspired after just a couple of sentences. That’s the tricky part! Hopefully, by the time Giving Tuesday arrives, you’ve told your story, engaged your audience, and spent the past year communicating your impact.
Keep a Positive Attitude
It's essential to strike a balance between being overly hopeful and pessimistic. Be realistic, but also dare to dream about what could happen with the fundraiser. Avoid expecting miracles, like raising $50,000 without an existing community. Instead, maybe set a goal to raise $500, and use that as a baseline for next year. If you're well-established with a history of successful campaigns, perhaps set a benchmark of $30,000 and a stretch goal of $35,000. Aim high, but keep it realistic to avoid disappointment. A positive attitude fuels success and keeps the momentum strong!
Consider the Successes
Even if you don’t meet your fundraising goals, find the success to celebrate and learn from for next year. Success could mean your following grew, you connected with new people, or you gained insights into what resonates (or doesn’t) with the community—knowledge you can apply to future fundraising.
Content Is King
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Content is King.” But content should go beyond your story. Highlight the benefits of donating—maybe donating will reduce crashes and fatalities, more hungry children will be fed, or services and programs will be enhanced. Donating also builds community. Recognition benefits like having donors' names or logos featured on your website, newsletter, social media, or a plaque in the office can make a big difference. People are more likely to give when they feel they’re part of a community making a difference.
Message for Head and Heart
Some people donate when their hearts are touched, while others respond to compelling data. Use both approaches! Use graphics and video, and be confident with your messaging. Phrases like “We aim to,” “We plan to,” “We will,” and “We expect” convey confidence and purpose. Remember the story of Chicken Little—if you’re always saying the sky is falling, people may tune you out. Be focused, impact-driven, and avoid desperation. It should be clear that you believe in your organization as a successful nonprofit that is dedicated to the community.
Fundraising Is Networking
Have you seen those impressive fundraisers that raise $30,000 in less than a week? Many usually have a private phase where the campaign team hustles to get the landing page in front of as many people as possible, sometimes engaging with potential donors in personalized conversations before they go public to social media. Social media rarely has the return you need unless you have hundreds of thousands of engaged followers. Fundraisers succeed when you connect with those you already have relationships with. Once the campaign reaches 30-70% during the private phase, then it can go public on social media to help it cross the finish line. Think of it like pre-filling a tip jar—it builds momentum.
Make Communication the Standard
Overcommunicate your fundraiser. Keep your fundraising committee excited, engaged, and informed. Have you shared the impact with them? Illustrated milestones reached? Encouraged another push? Host daily or weekly check-ins to keep the energy high. Leadership can set the tone and rally people around sharing words around the campaign. You could even devise incentives like a giveaway or performance-based recognition to keep the enthusiasm up. Don’t go it alone. And keep pressure on the campaign by setting clear start and end dates.
Work Giving Tuesday Like a Pro
There are many ways to run a successful Giving Tuesday campaign. Consider matching donors, private and public launch events, or working with volunteer influencers. Make donating easy with a clear, straightforward pathway. When the campaign is over, send thank-you emails, text messages, and make personal calls to the top contributors. You could even create a thank-you video to share how donations will be used. Gratitude and communication are the best ways to make sure your charity becomes their charity of choice year after year.
