5 Reasons to get in on #GivingTuesday

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s right, the end of the tax year is fast approaching and most donors are preparing to make their annual charitable gifts. We know you’ve already got the wheels in motion on your Year End Appeal, but are you thinking about how to fold #GivingTuesday into your campaign?

Here are five reasons why we think you should:

1. The timing is right. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is the perfect time for an online push for donations that coordinates directly with your Year End Appeal. Tie your social media content to your mass mailing with overlapping imagery, graphics, and messaging so that all of your asks support one another.

2. The price is right. While you may decide to support your #GivingTuesday push with a Facebook or Instagram ad campaign, you might also accomplish what you need to without spending a dime (other than the staff time that it takes to write and set up your #GivingTuesday posts and emails).

3. There’s money on the table. Just as people have become accustomed to Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping deals, so too have they gained an awareness of #GivingTuesday. The GivingTuesday website reports that last year, the movement garnered 3.6 million gifts totaling $400 million. That’s plenty of money to go around, especially for just one day’s worth of fundraising.

4. There’s EVEN MORE money on the table. This year, Facebook is matching donations made through their giving platform dollar-for-dollar, starting at 8am EST on Tuesday, December 3rd until $7 million in eligible dollars have been matched.  Some restrictions apply, so read more here. Don’t leave this money on the table!

5. You’ve got nothing to lose. Your #GivingTuesday strategy can be scaled based on your staff capacity and fundraising budget. You don’t have to go-big-or-go-home in order to participate in the #GivingTuesday movement. Even if you aren’t raising the big dollars on December 3rd, your work to get your message out there is just another opportunity to communicate your impact with your friends and donors.