I confess, I’m not a big fan of Giving Tuesday. Easily, I can think of ten things your organization should do before you pour time and energy into this hyped “holiday.”
If you are going to do Giving Tuesday, however, you want to do it right. So, I saved all the emails I got about Giving Tuesday 2018 and I just read through them for you. Here are the takeaways.
The Best Ideas I Saw (Steal Them for Next Year!)
Kids4Peace emailed supporters over the Thanksgiving weekend. Create a fundraiser on Facebook, the organization urged. They got a head start on Giving Tuesday, and they made it easy for followers to fundraise for them: a two-fer!
A couple of other organizations sent a “Giving Tuesday is tomorrow” email.
On the day itself:
- One out of four organizations who emailed, told me my gift would go further that day, because of matching funds. That created urgency.
- A few organizations sent a follow-up email, counting down toward the number of dollars or the number of donors that would unlock the match. That created intensity.
- Some groups explained what Giving Tuesday is, and how it’s a values-laden response to the commercialism of Black Friday, etc. That created solidarity. (We’re better than that!)
- Quite a few organizations used vivid, colorful photos to create excitement.
The Worst Ways to Email Your Donors on Giving Tuesday (Please Don’t Do These!)
- Don’t start your email with “It’s Giving Tuesday.” That’s not a reason for me to give, let alone give to you. Start with a reason to give.
- Don’t make “Giving Tuesday is Here!” the subject line of your email either. I’m not going to open it. I’ll probably delete it.
- Don’t copy and paste a letter on paper into your email. Take advantage of what email does. Use photos and provide links.
- Don’t say “You can help us do our great work.” The donor wants to be the one to do great work. (Your nonprofit is just the means to get the work done.) So, make the donor the hero. That’s great advice every day, not just Giving Tuesday!
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