November 28 is Giving Tuesday – a great opportunity for organizations and NGOs worldwide to collect donations and get attention for the great causes they support. But how can you take advantage best of this day? With a little preparation, you will be able to benefit from Giving Tuesday to the fullest.
Add your organization to the Participating Organizations Page. You can send your information here. This way, people who want to support charities and NGOs on Giving Tuesday can find you and maybe you can recruit new supporters. Don´t wait until the last moment though as they will need some time to vet you – actually, do it right now!
When people hear about Giving Tuesday, they mostly think about getting donations on that day. While this day is an amazing opportunity to collect donations that can sustain projects throughout the year, there are many things besides money that you can ask for. Make sure that people know about this – if they make the decision to work with you once, they might be inclined to give money at a later time. You can offer a volunteering day, ask for in-kind donations, or do other things you need. Be creative, as people are much more ready to donate their time or things they already have than money.
Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to showcase your best work online. Make sure that you have all the material ready to share and have a plan on how to do it. Even if you have amazing projects in the field, without photos or videos to show them, it will be difficult to attract new donors. Prepare stories with visual support material that you want to share when you have internet attention!
Sometimes, when put on the spot, you don’t know what to share. You might have a project that has been running for a while, but you don’t have an attractive story tied to it so share. Make sure this is not the case this Giving Tuesday. People are much more prone to give money or time when they can see that it will move something and has a true purpose. The more clearly you can explain what you will do with the funds, the better your chances of getting donations or any other support.
Make sure that you frame your projects in a way that makes them accessible to people that don’t know your organization yet. Explain clearly what is special and unique about your organization to attract attention! This is what Giving Tuesday is all about.
You probably already figured this out – all of the above requires planning. You can’t wing Giving Tuesday – you need a game plan. Make sure to meet with your team early enough to make a cohesive plan, so everybody knows how to go about Giving Tuesday. Who will register your organization? Who will prepare case studies to share on social media? Who will answer the comments? Will there be a volunteering day, or a drop-off point for in-kind donations? Try to include as many people as possible in the planning of this event, as some of your staff members might have innovative and amazing ideas on how to take advantage of Giving Tuesday that has not even crossed your mind before.
This day is an amazing opportunity to go out and do something good. You can connect with other NGOs, learn from them, and gain new supporters for your organization! Have a great Giving Tuesday!
Do you have experiences from the past with Giving Tuesday? Was this day successful for you? Please share your experiences with us!
Also read: Branding for Non-Profit Organizations: The Definitive Guide
proposalsforNGOs is an online community for global development professionals with the goal of increasing the sustainability of NGOs around the world. The enormous growth in funding opportunities, as well as NGOs over time, has made fundraising more competitive.
Thank you for the interesting pieces of information about giving Tuesday. I will register my organization to be part of the discussion. I am heading an which struggling to mobilize resources.
Dear Nyandesh:
I’m glad you found this article helpful!
We would love it if you shared this review on our office Facebook page. Seeing positive reviews from existing readers makes others more comfortable knowing they’ll get the support they need on topics related to fundraising and proposal writing. Thank you!
Thank you for the interesting pieces of information about giving Tuesday. I will register my organization to be part of discussion. I am heading an organization which is struggling to mobilize resources in Liberia, West Africa.
Best wishes!