Giving Tuesday & ROE
Ohhhhhh Giving Tuesday… we want to like you… we really do. We want nothing more than to be your cheerleader! We’d love to think of you as the perfect balance to the consumerism surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But, Giving Tuesday, rather than being the perfect balance… you feel more like the needy younger brother.
Hear us out— and be sure to read to the end for our best tip on doubling your income.
No matter how hard we try, we are just not fans of our clients’ spending time campaigning around Giving Tuesday. While the idea for GT began from a wonderful space, there is just too much noise and competition for attention on this day. Our recommendation? 1) Keep the experience of your donors front-of-mind on Giving Tuesday and 2) Focus on ROE - (Return on Energy for those new here).
First off — your donor experience: They wake up on Giving Tuesday, likely exhausted and a little burned out from all the spending (or avoiding spending) they did the week before. And yet that morning they open their inbox to find how many “Support us this Giving Tuesday!!” emails? Three? Five? Maybe ten!? They log onto Facebook and Instagram and there we are again: SUPPORT US PLEASE IT IS GIVING TUESDAY! We need YOU, TODAY! Suddenly the donors we love are feeling a little bombarded… and all in the name of “kicking off the philanthropic season”?
Shame on us. Our donors should feel INCREDIBLE when they give, not put-off or overwhelmed.
So what’s the solution?
Make your presence known, but do not bombard. Lead with Impact. Share your wonderful stories— at the bottom, include a link to Give. Let me say that again… LEAD WITH IMPACT. Don’t make Giving Tuesday about you. Heck, don’t make Giving Tuesday about giving! Just tell your best stories. Thank your donors. Share the best photos. If they want to, they’ll take it from there. And if not, you’ll catch them during your Holiday Campaign (Need help with your holiday campaign? Reach out to learn more about our Holiday Campaign Module).
People do give on Giving Tuesday, but we believe they know which charities they’re going to support ahead of time, or with one gentle reminder. All of that is to say, please, don't overthink, over-plan, or over-execute this one! Give yourself permission to spend less than 1 hour on coordinating all of your GT activities. Consider posting on social media only and not emailing your list.
Lastly, #2, The best gem we can share with you is to utilize Facebook on Giving Tuesday. Be focused with your energy. With zero processing fees and potential gift matching, Facebook is your best GT partner. We’ll even take this is a step further… Look back at your Giving Tuesday donors from last year. Are there any large donors with whom you have a great relationship? Do you anticipate them giving on GT again? Call them personally, thank them for last year’s gift, and inform them of the Facebook program. Ask them to please donate on Facebook as it has the potential to double their gift. Facebook matches gifts on a first-come, first-served basis so run those gifts early! More details below.
Need help with your messaging or crafting the Ask on Giving Tuesday? We’re here to help!
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Facebook’s match for GivingTuesday 2019 begins at 8:00 AM Eastern Time (5:00 AM Pacific Time) on Tuesday, December 3, 2019.
- Donations are matched dollar for dollar on a first-come, first-served basis until $7,000,000 USD in eligible donations are made on Facebook.
- Facebook will match up to a total of $100,000 per nonprofit organization.
- Each donor can have up to $20,000 in eligible donations matched on GivingTuesday.
- We cover processing fees so that when you donate using Facebook’s payments platform to a nonprofit organization, 100% of your donation goes to support the cause you care about.
