December is a busy time for fundraisers. There is so much to get done between year-end appeals, it’s easy to lose track of time and not dedicate the time needed to implement your Giving Tuesday strategy.
That’s where we are here to help. Now is the time to start thinking about year-end giving and creating a plan for the biggest day of giving in the year!
Why Do You Need A Marketing Timeline?
Creating a timeline now will help you stay organized and get the most out of your campaign. The sooner you set goals and plan, the more time you can spend making connections, writing copy and getting fun graphics together for your posts.
You should also decide how often you will be sending out communications and when you want to post. It’s also key to make a list of all the resources you need to set realistic deadlines for your staff (including turnaround for approvals!).
End of September
Research
This is when you should dive deep into research for your Giving Tuesday strategy. You may want to go onto the Giving Tuesday website, as they have a ton of tips and resources available for use.
Build a Team
This varies depending on the size and capacity of your nonprofit. It could just be you, or maybe you have a marketing team to fuel your strategy. If you have a big campaign planned for this year, this would be a good time to decide if you need to hire any freelancers or outsource any work. Figure out who will be involved with your campaign.
Set Your Goals
You can set a fundraising goal t, or have an impact-driven goal based on your programs. For example, you can ask supporters to help you raise $100,000 or aim to collect 1000 pounds of dog food through donations. Or it could be a mixture of both; you can set a smaller goal to raise enough money to purchase something like a van, or a few meals for your clients.
Think About Your Voice
Start by deciding who you want to reach. Donors, volunteers? Maybe you want to grow your audience and find new supporters. Next, think about what is appealing to them. Pick a focused theme and get creative with it, use your goal to guide you.
Pick Your Marketing Channels
How are you going to collect donations, and where will you reach your audience? Think about how many integrated marketing channels you want to use and the different ways you can connect with supporters. If you are going with a multichannel approach, what needs to be done to have everything delivered on time?
Look For Opportunities to Collaborate
Search out community partners that may want to work alongside you! This would be a great opportunity to partner with other nonprofits and combine your resources to create an epic Giving Tuesday campaign. Other organizations are not necessarily your competition, oftentimes they can be your biggest ally and you get to increase your impact by working together.
Don’t forget to also reach out to local businesses for a potential gift match incentive or other ways to collaborate like a giveaway or social media takeover.
End of October
Write Your Story
Think about your mission and how it inspires people to give. Therefore, it’s important to spend time ensuring that you’re telling your story effectively. We have a ton of free resources to help you build your story. Check out our interviews with Micheal Kass and Nneka Allen on the Fundraising Superheroes Podcast, and our guide on the 4 C’s of Nonprofit Storytelling.
Think About Your Communication Strategy
After you decide on your story, get the team together to create a branding plan. This should outline the tone and language you will use across your platforms. Messaging should be consistent and everyone should be on the same page. This is also a good time to come up with a slogan or signature hashtag to use to track the campaign.
Begin Promoting Your Campaign and Recruiting Fundraisers
If you’re running a peer-to-peer fundraiser, reach out to potential personal fundraisers and ask them to get involved. You can make the process easier by creating a tool kit for fundraisers including any images to post, information on how to participate, and links to share on social media.
Next, reach out to your local outlets and colleagues to begin promoting your campaign. tart posting on social media, reaching out to local news or sending emails to your lists.
By Mid-November
Ramp Up Campaign Updates
Begin being more forward about your goal and posting multiple times a week to promote your campaign and ask people to "save the date of Giving Tuesday”. You may want to send out a press release or create regular email updates on your goals.
Donation Website
Ensure your online fundraising campaign is ready. If you need a great platform to host your page and collect your donor information, we are happy to help! Donor Driven does it all, and we would love to hear more about your Giving Tuesday goals.
The Big Day!
Get Everyone Ready for #GivingTuesday
Make sure your team is ready and people are given specific jobs to track their progress. Have someone tracking social media, responding to posts and interactions. Maybe someone else can be troubleshooting any technical issues, and other people can monitor the donation page.
Track Your Progress
Keep up with how your campaign is progressing and share updates on social media regularly throughout the day. You can also create a fun graphic or impact meter so that donors can see the impact of those dollars. Don’t be shy to send out multiple emails that day updating your supporters on your success.
Don’t Forget the Follow-up
After Giving Tuesday is over, you want to make sure you are following up with new donors.
If you did a peer-to-peer campaign they may have donated because of a suggestion from a friend or family member, and therefore don’t have a connection to your cause so consider reaching out to them with a special thank you, including an impact message
This is the perfect time to implement an email series to get your Giving Tuesday donors familiar with your nonprofit and passionate about your work. For more information on how to follow up, make sure to listen to our Donor retention Interview With driven’s Farrah Rooney!
