Hopefully you are breathing a big sigh of relief now that #GivingTuesday is over.
So… did you make your #GivingTuesday goal?
Please let me know in the comments (at the end of this post). I’d love to know how your nonprofit did compared with your expectations, as well as the effort you put in.
- If you met or exceed your goal, congratulations!
- If your results were disappointing, you might be in a panic. But trust me, you’re not alone.
Regardless of how the gifts rolled in, you’ve still got your work cut out for you. There’s one month remaining until the end of the year, and the fundraising race is on. Will you fall short of your year-end goal, or will you exceed it?
That all depends on what you do in the next few weeks…
4 Critical Things to Do After #GivingTuesday
Whether you are thrilled or disappointed with your #GivingTuesday results, take a deep breath. You are past a huge fall fundraising hurdle. Now you’re in the final stretch. You’ll need your energy and good cheer to get you through the remainder of the year.
Here are four things you can do to finish off the year strong.
1. Call #GivingTuesday donors.
Run a list of everyone who gave yesterday. Sort by the largest gifts, new donors, loyal donors, and those who signed up for monthly giving.
Plan to call every single #GivingTuesday donor this week. You can (and should) leave messages. If there are too many donors for you to call, divide up the list between staff and volunteers. Provide bullet points for yourself and other callers. A simple message will suffice:
We’re thrilled you gave yesterday and thank you for being such a generous donor.
If they are a first time or recurring donor, mention that. The more specific you can be, the better.
Don’t underestimate the power of a thank you call. My guess is that you’ll be the only call your donors get, even if they gave to ten charities yesterday.
2. Identify #GivingTuesday donors you’d like to cultivate.
From your #GivingTuesday list, identify a handful of donors you would like to meet, provide a tour, or get to know better, etc. You or your ED / CEO should personally call those donors — don’t hand them off to a volunteer.
In addition to thanking them when you call, invite them to get involved. Do your best to find out why they gave to your organization on #GivingTuesday. Make a note of that (as well as next steps) in their donor file.
3. Prepare for remaining in-person asks.
There’s still time to close the year out strong by making in-person solicitations. Identify ten people (probably not #GivingTuesday donors) you have been meaning to ask for a major gift this year. You’ve got about three more weeks to get it done.
If you’re not sure who to ask, start with your board members or those closest to your organization. If you haven’t raised major gifts yet this year or have people you’ve been meaning to get to, it’s now or never.
4. Make a plan to call LYBUNTS the third week of December.
As a final push for year-end fundraising, develop a plan to call all LYBUNTS (donors who gave Last Year, But Not This year) and let them know you’d love to have their support again. Remind them that they gave last year, and you hope they will continue their support.
Be prepared with three accomplishments this year that their previous gift made possible. Additionally, be prepared to leave a message. Let them know where they can go (i.e., your website) to make their year-end gift.
I’d Love to Hear From YOU About #GivingTuesday
I’m extremely curious whether #GivingTuesday was worth the time and effort you put in for your organization. Please let me know three things in the comments:
- whether you participated in #GivingTuesday this year;
- how much effort you put in;
- and whether you raised more or less than you expected.
Based on your participation in #GivingTuesday this year, are you more or less inclined to participate next year? Leave your comment below!
I really dislike Giving Tuesday–I think they should have it the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (for many reasons) and it feels like we are competing with ALL other nonprofits on the same day. However, I used AI to create a plan for Giving Tuesday which made it all a bit easier for me! It wrote the posts/recommended the pictures/images and so I didn’t feel so overwhelmed! We have just cleared $2,000 which is right about what we usually do on this day each year. So I feel happy!
I’m a long-time professional fundraiser, now only taking occasional consulting work. When Giving Tuesday began years ago, I enthusiastically embraced it, participated in it, and watched its success grow year after year. This year, I’ve begun to think GT may have overstayed its welcome. I’m sure it still helps organizations raise some funds but wonder how much of those funds wouldn’t have been raised through thoughtful, personalized fundraising at year end anyway. My inbox was overflowing with solicitations, many from organizations I’ve never supported nor even have an interest in, and will never support–delete, delete, delete. Wonder if others are having second thoughts about the effectiveness vs. work and time commitment of Giving Tuesday?
Hi Amy, I tried something new this year and did a “Day of Giving” the week before Giving Tuesday. While I didn’t quite hit my goal, your advice is great. I’ll implement your suggestions for personal call follow-ups for donors and reaching out to LYBUNT supporters in mid-December, building on the recent personalized update emails I sent at the end of October and the first few days in November. Scheduling visits or virtual meetings in December may be tough, but I’m committed to trying. I would try Giving Tuesday next year.
I agree with Sherrie and Patricia that it’s difficult to overcome the “noise” of all of the other nonprofits clamoring for GT dollars. We did do a campaign this year because I had a new part-time communications assistant and it seemed like a good project for her to work through social media engagement and processes, as well as learn about our agency, however, I think in the past we’ll choose to do a Day of Giving in line with our awareness month (April – Child Abuse Prevention Month) to be more meaningful and encourage larger gifts that are intentional for our mission, not attached to a generic marketing effort that doesn’t necessarily resonate with our donors. We will likely look for a way to engage peer-to-peer support at that time, to grow our reach through “warm” relationships and referrals, as well.