How to Create Lasting Impact After Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is the global day of giving that results in significant revenue raised. Participation and revenue are growing year over year, with over 34.8 million people giving nearly $2.5 billion in 2020.

But, it is just one day.

How can you better leverage your Giving Tuesday to propel your nonprofit’s future success?

Kick It Off

Purposefully make your Giving Tuesday a kickoff to a larger campaign. Use the awareness of the day itself to your advantage!

Do you have an upcoming in-person event, such as a gala or golf outing? Consider sharing a Giving Tuesday-inspired special ticket or foursome pricing. You can still ask for general donations, but presenting multiple options to supporters will benefit your organization’s bottom line.

Is there an acute need for goods and services before the start of 2022? Create and share a wish list, where donors can give the amount of money you need to specifically get those items. Donors give for a variety of reasons, but one big motivator is that the donor knows how their gift is being used. A wish list provides transparency and helps donors know how they are helping.

Promote Champions

Add a peer-to-peer element to your Giving Tuesday campaign. Allow people to sign up as a do-it-yourself type of fundraiser.

This means you promote it as an option to your database, provide a bit of email and social media enablement, and see what your champions do for your cause. And, of course, you will have a greater return if you have your board members, committee members, and other champions participate in your peer-to-peer Giving Tuesday campaign. Check to see if your fundraising management solution offers peer-to-peer as a part of your online donation campaign.

Peer-to-peer engagement not only helps you raise more than you would alone with your own outreach, but you also get a whole new set of donors to cultivate.

Create Chances for Recurring Giving

Monthly donors give more per year than those who make a one-time gift. Make sure to offer and promote recurring giving as a visible, promoted option as a part of your Giving Tuesday campaign.

You could even give extra incentives to monthly sustainers. These incentives could be recognition-based, like a brick on your path; tangible goods, like a t-shirt; a chance to win something, like tickets to your gala; or unique experiences — such as a tour, meet and greet, special seating at events, or a VIP experience.

No matter what, providing the opportunity to give monthly will benefit your bottom line. Just make sure to communicate that it is available and how monthly donors best support your mission.

Build Stewardship

Leveraging all of these strategies to transform your Giving Tuesday into a robust campaign will give you greater insight into your donor base. That understanding is the biggest contributor to allowing your Giving Tuesday to make a difference for your organization for more than one day.

Of course, you will thank donors immediately. Make sure that thank you includes the impact Giving Tuesday made to your organization and what it allows you to deliver to your constituents. Donors want to know what they were a part of!

And after that initial thank you, make sure you look at who donated to your extended campaigns — be it peer-to-peer fundraisers, recurring giving or a larger wrap-around event. People show what they care about with their money, so if someone gave to your wish list instead of a general donation, that means something.

Use these strategies to gain greater insights into your supporters’ motivations, and your Giving Tuesday can be a flagship campaign for your mission!