For the uninitiated, Giving Tuesday is the charitable counterpart to Black Friday. It is a day to celebrate the giving spirit of the season, usually by contributing to a select nonprofit. Like Black Friday, the competition is fierce and the results sometimes underwhelming.
The basics: what and when is Giving Tuesday?
The answer to that is evolving a bit, as the concept of Giving Tuesday evolves. Any Tuesday can be a Giving Tuesday, and the movement encourages the spirit of generosity every day of the week. However, the original – and by far the biggest – Giving Tuesday of the year occurs the week after the USA Thanksgiving holiday. However, it is not restricted to donors (or fundraisers) in the States; it is considered a global day of generosity with initiatives in over 80 countries.
This year, the big day is Tuesday, November 29, 2022. Yes, it is less than a month away. Yes, you should have started planning for it weeks or months ago. But, if you didn’t, if this annual fundraising opportunity snuck up on you, well… it’s not too late!
Give your fundraising plan the KISS of success
With last minute planning, the rule of thumb is KISS (Keep It Simple & Streamlined). It’s tempting to go “all out” with high-budget, high-impact advertising for this special day; save your best ideas and most innovative campaigns for the time when they can make the biggest splash. Considering the high competition for donor dollars, that strategy is questionable at best. Even if your campaign is flawless, your “wow factor” will be significantly diluted by the high number of wow-inducing marketing ploys. And, considering the timeline, your odds of pulling it off are reduced.
You don’t have a lot of time to waste with complicated content creation workflows, strategy sessions, plan revisions, or technology testing. This is not the time to try out new formats, test new ad types, or raise the bar on your graphic design. Instead, stick with your “tried and true” staples. Review historical marketing analytics to see what type of content, messaging, and channels tend to perform best.
Being realistic is SMART
One of the best ways to keep any nonprofit marketing campaign on track is by using SMART goals. If you aren’t familiar with the term, SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, and Timebound. When it comes to Giving Tuesday fundraising, the last element – timebound – is built in. And, since November is already underway, you are on a very short deadline. Unfortunately, that limits what is realistically achievable.
I’m not saying to give up on Giving Tuesday. You have a little time, just not much of it. If you spend a week planning a project, which requires 10 days to finish the creatives, there won’t be much time left to actually launch your campaign and distribute content. Moreover, there won’t be any room for delays. Take a realistic look at how many days you have, and how much time your team is able to dedicate. Then, decide how to make the most of what time is available.