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#GivingTuesday: Opportunity or Distraction?
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become a global day of generosity known as Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is more than crowdsourcing and more than a gimmick. It has become a movement that seeks to encourage individuals, businesses, and organizations to give back through donations, volunteering, and acts of kindness.
Opportunities to give back should be lauded and applauded. Shining a spotlight on mission-serving organizations and encouraging communities to recognize and support their charitable work is valuable. At CDP, we champion using community events, awareness campaigns, and commercial marketing strategies to highlight mission. Giving Tuesday has become a routine way for many nonprofits to collectively advance mission and give people an opportunity to give. Should you use it to raise awareness and funding? Consider this:
Do the numbers. Consider how much you can raise, where it will come from, and how many donors at what level you need to meet the goal. Set a realistic goal, and ensure you have the reach to meet it.
Prepare and plan. Consider how you will develop the campaign. Does the campaign include email blasts? Social media posts? Letter campaign? Will you tell stories, share pictures, or create videos? Be clear about what you will accomplish, who will do the work, and the preparation timeline. Make a plan for the campaign.
Count the cost. How much time and effort will planning and implementing the campaign require? Quantify the time staff and volunteers spend before and during the campaign. Also consider the cost to other tasks. As staff focus on this one-day campaign, what are they diverting attention from? What is sacrificed in order to participate in Giving Tuesday? Outline costs associated with developing marketing pieces and posts and collecting donations. Consider any out-of-pocket costs for boosting posts, mailing letters or otherwise promoting the campaign. Consider the cost and compare it to the potential revenue. If there's a positive return on investment, then move ahead.
All fundraisers should raise funds. Before automatically hopping on the bandwagon of #GivingTuesday do the numbers, prepare and plan, and count the cost. If there isn't going to be a return on your investment, sit Giving Tuesday out.
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