#GivingTuesday: 5 Articles to Read in Preparation for the Year-End Giving Season

It’s Nov. 28! Happy #GivingTuesday! It’s one of the most—if not the most—important times of the year for a nonprofit organization. As your nonprofit makes way and launches its #GivingTuesday campaign, your nonprofit is probably also scrambling around, getting ready to launch other year-end giving campaigns. If you think about it, we only have one more month left until 2018.

Here are five articles to ready in preparation for this momentous time of the year. You can bookmark this and implement these strategies into this year’s campaign or keep them in your repertoire for next year.

1. Get in the Spirit: 5 Best Practices for a Fruitful Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Once the leaves begin changing colors, we know that we’re entering the fall season, which also means we’re at the cusp of the most exciting—and generous—time of the year. The holiday season is kicked off with the most playful of them all: Halloween, where children, and adults alike, engage in ghoulish activities.

Then, we trickle off to Thanksgiving, where the real season of giving begins, followed by Christmas and a dawn of the new year. While this time of the year is a great opportunity for retailers to bring in year-end sales, it’s a better time for nonprofits to kick off their year-end fundraising campaigns. Because of the uplifting spirit of the holidays, people are more willing to give—not typically for tax purposes—but because it makes them feel good about themselves to give back to those in need. According to Bloomerang, nonprofits receive approximately 50 percent of their annual donations between October and December, so it’s no wonder why nonprofits are taking their year-end campaigns very seriously. I mean, every nonprofit should!

NonProfit PRO spoke to Linda Tantawi, CEO of Susan G. Komen’s Greater NYC Chapter, who gave us valuable insight on some key strategies to add to your repertoire. So, without further ado, here are five best practices for a booming year-end fundraising campaign.

Read the full article here. 

2. Is Your Nonprofit Ready for #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday presents a unique opportunity for nonprofits nationwide to drive in new donors (both financial and time-based). If you are not familiar with #GivingTuesday, it is a national campaign that begins the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28, 2017) and kicks off end-of-year giving for many people around the world. There are many ways that your nonprofit can leverage #GivingTuesday to increase financial commitments and fill volunteer opportunities.

In today’s post, we will focus on a few strategic components to getting the most out of your #GivingTuesday marketing efforts.

Read the full article here.

3. 5 Ways to End Your Fundraising Year With a Bang

Approximately one-third of all donations are made during the last two months of the year. People tend to be in a giving mood during the holidays and are taking stock of their contributions before the year-end.

Since the final months of the year can make or break a nonprofit’s budget, marketing messages to raise important funds kick into full swing beginning as early as Labor Day. While competition for these dollars is fierce, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your nonprofit garners its share of goodwill.

Read the full article here.

4. 3 Reasons Why You Should Try Social Fundraising This Holiday Season

#GivingTuesday and the holiday season: We all know that this is the biggest time of the year for those in the giving space. Not only that, but we also happen to think that it’s the best time to try out social fundraising for yourself to see just how powerful it can be.

Social fundraising, by our definition, is how your supporters these days want to engage with your cause, make it their own and show the world how they care and give back—all through the megaphone of their mobile device and social networks.

How would you try out social fundraising? There are a few things you could test out this season.

Read the full article here.

5. #GivingTuesday Survivor’s Guide for Fundraisers

#GivingTuesday is an international day of generosity that empowers individuals to make donations to causes on the Tuesday after the shopping frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Download this free eBook to learn the 10 essential steps to implementing an effective day of giving strategy for your nonprofit organization this #GivingTuesday, including:

• Logo creation and #GivingTuesday branded resources
• Mobile and online campaign integration
• Effective storytelling
• Cross-channel campaign promotion
• Social media sharing best practices
• And more!

Read the full article here.