Countdown to GivingTuesday: Preparing for the Big Day

In our last Countdown to GivingTuesday blog post we covered tips for building committees, meeting with teams, drafting your communications, and setting limits (because there is only so much we can do). 

Now let’s look at what still needs to happen in these final weeks and days leading up to GivingTuesday (November 30). And remember, even if you haven’t started planning, it’s not too late to participate. 

Start November by Preparing Your GivingTuesday Content and Your Amplifiers. 

The weeks ahead should be all about preparing for the big day. Hopefully, you have some impactful stories, graphics, and appeal details that you can start developing into email, social media, and landing page drafts (remember to plan your donor acknowledgement wording, too). While turning your ideas into content, keep in mind the following tips:  

• Think about your target audience and include relevant content  
• Make it easy to share, so your audience can further your reach by sharing with their networks 
• Identify the feelings and emotions you want your content to stir in your audience (happy, excited, sad, challenged, motivated, etc.) and ask others to ensure the content hits the mark  

• Identify the call to action you want the audience to take, and ensure you’ve provided the right steps for the audience to answer that call (share links to your GivingTuesday donation page, links for all the applicable platforms, etc.)  
• Identify the hashtags each communication will include, such as #GivingTuesday (check to make sure those hashtags do not pull up content counter to your mission)  
• Test, test, and test again (ask staff, supporters, board members, and friends to read your content, test links, identify the emotions associated with the content, and provide feedback)  

Prepare your amplifiers (those who will help spread your message) by providing information, timing, and content for them to share with their networks. Your amplifiers should include all staff and board members and may include volunteers, members, and other supporters. Get your amplifiers excited about the GivingTuesday campaign by providing sneak peeks at content, detailed timelines, and specific action items you want them to take throughout your GivingTuesday campaign. While preparing your amplifiers, keep the following tips in mind:  

• Show appreciation to your amplifiers for their help with spreading your GivingTuesday messages  

• Remind them of the impact their support and their network’s support can have on your mission and goals  
• Provide templates and examples of how they can share your campaign with their networks (people are more likely to share the message if they know what to say)  
• Give timelines of what they should be doing throughout your GivingTuesday campaign (i.e., send this email at 10 a.m., share this post at noon, send this email update at 1 p.m.) and create reminders to help your amplifiers remember what they need to do, and when   
• Say thank you (yes, we started this list with showing appreciation, but you can say thank you and show appreciation more than once)  
• Highlight wins from last year’s GivingTuesday campaign and this year’s goals  

• Provide the hashtags your amplifiers should include in their messages to their networks  
• Provide a contact person or FAQ page where your amplifiers can ask questions and get more information  

Continue Preparing and Start Communicating  

Throughout November, keep building the internal and external excitement around your GivingTuesday campaign. As GivingTuesday gets closer, start sharing posts and sending emails to your supporters letting them know you are participating in the day. Consider including a link to your GivingTuesday donation page, so people can donate before the big day.  

To help get people excited, consider some of the following:  

• Create a GivingTuesday banner (linking to your GivingTuesday donation page) that staff members can add to their emails, under their signature   
• Add a banner to your website announcing your participation in GivingTuesday and providing a link to your donation page  
• Send an email to your amplifiers reminding them of the ways they can contribute to your GivingTuesday campaign success  
• Schedule emails and social media posts to be sure your content gets to your supporters and amplifiers on a timely basis on the big day  
• Check in with staff and volunteers to ensure they know about your GivingTuesday campaign and have the answers to common questions (or know who to go to with questions)  

• Send a special “thank you in advance” message to your staff and supporters for their contributions to the organization throughout the year and during GivingTuesday  

Set limits (yes, we posted this one in the last blog, but it’s important to remember). 

Between holidays and year-end appeals, the end of the year can be busy. Consider this as your organization decides how large of a GivingTuesday campaign you want to create. Yes, the more you invest into GivingTuesday, the better the return; but remember that having something planned for GivingTuesday is better than having nothing planned. 

For more tips and planning ideas, check out the GivingTuesday Goals and Planning worksheet on page 33 of Blackbaud’s GivingTuesday toolkit! 

Remember to register your participation on www.GivingTuesday.org!