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.

1. Enable peer-to-peer fundraising in your campaigns, especially campaigns on #GivingTuesday.
2. Enable an optimized social sharing flow around your campaign story, campaign supporter actions especially during donation. On CrowdRise, we call ours “Social Amp.”
3. Successfully communicate to your supporters that when they share and lend their voice, it provides a real and tangible value to your organization.

So, let’s say you’re interested. Why is #GivingTuesday and the holiday giving season a really good time to give social fundraising a try?

#GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is basically the biggest social fundraising experiment ever created. It embodies exactly what social fundraising stands for and is designed to achieve. It’s a global day of giving designed to be fueled by the power of social media and collaboration, and it’s quite possibly the best proof that social fundraising works. And, works really, really well.

It stemmed from the idea that along with the heavily consumerized days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there is a whole other part of our psyche that craves the opportunity to share with others what we really connect to that helps drive our belief system. It didn’t succeed because there was a huge marketing push backed by millions of dollars or an ad campaign that went viral. It succeeded because it struck a nerve with the world and filled a gap in what we were doing with our voices and pocketbooks during this time of year. It allowed us the opportunity to show the world that we are a part of something else, something much bigger, that’s more deeply connected to who we really are and how we want to give, share and support the causes we love.

Now if that isn’t a big enough reason right there...

Are You Already Doing Something Over the Holidays? 

We’re not reinventing the wheel here by telling you that the holiday season and #GivingTuesday are huge to nonprofits. We’re even betting that you’re already planning a pretty big campaign around this time of the year with that notion mind.

So, if the holiday season is so huge for you, and you’re already planning on reaching out to your network, why not incorporate social fundraising? From our perspective, if you’re leaving social fundraising out of your holiday strategy, then you’re leaving money on the table.

By making sure your supporters are encouraged to not just donate, but to share and fundraise on your behalf as well, you’re opening up a whole world of possibilities fueled by social fundraising.

Everyone Wants In

By incorporating social fundraising into your mix this time of year, you’re able to tap into a huge sample size of supporters just waiting to tell the world about your cause. Like we said above, with such a heavy emphasis on consumerism at this time of year, people tend to crave a reason to share with the world what they really care about. With 31 percent of annual giving happening in the month of December, you know that the number of people looking for a place to support is amplified tremendously over this time of year. So, make sure to really tap into your eager network and focus not only on giving, but looking for supporters, sharers and influencers. With such a big group looking for something to back during the holidays, it’s a great opportunity to use the megaphone effect of social fundraising to increase your reach and donation volume.

The key is in the platform you’re using and in the messaging you’re sending out. You’ve got to make sure you’re using a platform that has social fundraising capabilities completely ingrained into the product. In addition, you have to create a messaging strategy on email, campaign updates and social that allows and encourages your supporters to use their own voice and their own narrative to connect more deeply on a personal level. When they take your story and make it their own, then share it to their network, that’s when the magic of social fundraising really happens.

There’s Nothing to Lose

By harnessing the power of the giving season and really creating opportunities for your supporters to take their love of your cause #BeyondTheDonation, you’re opening up a whole new world. Get out there this holiday season and make sure social fundraising is a part of you mix. You’ve got nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.