Among the many nonprofit financial management tips Beck & Company has shared over the years, perhaps none can make such an impact as preparing now for Giving Tuesday.
What is Giving Tuesday? It’s the Tuesday immediately after Thanksgiving. Started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, the event began as “hashtag activism” or the use of hashtags to spur people to action. It’s often abbreviated as #GivingTuesday.
The purpose of Giving Tuesday is to encourage people to give to their favorite charities. After the lavish Thanksgiving meal and the debauchery of Black Friday shopping, consumers are encouraged to focus on something meaningful in their lives: giving to their favorite nonprofits.
That might mean your organization…if you prepare now.
As nonprofit financial management tips go, this is an important one: take steps now to make #GivingTuesday successful.
Five Steps to Prepare for Giving Tuesday
If you were throwing a party, you’d take time to clean your home, polish the silverware, set out the best food and drink you could afford, and generally prepare the entire place from top to bottom to receive your guests in style.
Well, the same goes for GivingTuesday. Now is the time to polish your website, social media channels and more to attract donors and encourage generosity on this important day for nonprofits.
Last year, nonprofits raised $274 million thanks to Giving Tuesday. Smart nonprofits didn’t just sit back and hope for the best – they took action steps to prep for the big day. You can, too.
- Update your website and donor page: Make sure that your website is spic and span. Update text, keywords, calendars, and photos. Pay particular attention to your homepage and your donor page. Add a hot button or large, attractive button on the home page that enables people to donate quickly. Test your donor page and make sure that it is working properly.
- Improve your social media presence: Giving Tuesday began as so-called hashtag activism. A hashtag is a symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase without space (#GivingTuesday) that enables quick searched on a topic on social media. Take time now to update the header, about, and donation links on your social media pages.
- Plan your campaign: Create memes, social media messages and posts now for Giving Tuesday. Get them ready now so that when November arrives you won’t spend the Thanksgiving holiday working but enjoying time with family and friends.
- Cue up the posts: Begin three to four weeks before Giving Tuesday to alert your follows and donors that you will be participating in Giving Tuesday. Many may not be aware of the date or aware that you plan to participate in the event. Include updates in your social media posts, on your website, newsletter and in other places. Get stories ready too that share your mission and vision in photos and text; these motivate people to give and help them to understand how their donation impacts your constituents.
- Begin posting: The weekend before Giving Tuesday, start increasing the number and frequency of posts mentioning the charitable event. Include the hashtag #GivingTuesday and links to your donor page. On the day itself, increase the frequency of posts and share stories, tips and information about your charity’s mission, vision and purpose.
#GivingTuesday is just one aspect of nonprofit financial management to pay attention to but an important one during the holiday season. Many people donate to charities as part of their annual gift-giving. Ensure that your charity is front and center by getting everything ready now for Giving Tuesday.
Beck & Company
At Beck & Company, we help nonprofits thrive. We have extensive experience and a tradition of creative thinking, technical expertise, and a collaborative spirit that can help your nonprofit achieve its goals. Whether you want to increase donations for #givingtuesday or support through transparent accounting practices, we can help. Contact us today or call 703-834-0776.