Giving Tuesday: Tips to Reach Donors and Volunteers

Giving Tuesday offers nonprofits an opportunity to capitalize on reaching both donors and volunteers.

Giving Tuesday is one of the most important times of the year for nonprofits. Giving Tuesday provides organizations with a time to attract and convert new volunteers and donors who are actively seeking end-of-year involvement in the greater good. According to Blackbaud, Giving Tuesday yielded 2.5 billion dollars in total fundraising donations in 2020. Many nonprofits are also able to fill countless volunteer opportunities by leveraging this yearly day of giving.

How is your nonprofit using Giving Tuesday as an opportunity to create excitement around your organization’s mission, values, and goals? Is your organization capitalizing on this special time of the year and creating a strategy that delivers your nonprofit with the most possible value?

Below you will find a few strategies to help your organization kick off fundraising and volunteer recruitment on Giving Tuesday.

Fundraising Strategies on Giving Tuesday

Creating a strategic Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign is an action that can deliver your nonprofit a lot of value. Your campaign needs to be well-thought-out, positioned to drive results, and measurable to be successful. Here are a few fundraising tips to get the most out of Giving Tuesday 2022:

Promote your organization's Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign on social media

Social media is one of the most valuable advertising tools that an organization can use during Giving Tuesday. According to a report, more than 47,000 nonprofits received donations through Facebook during Giving Tuesday 2018. This statistic is expected to grow going into the 2021 giving season, especially with more virtual campaigns being initiated. Social media can provide your organization with an outlet to get your message across to millions of people. According to NBC News, Giving Tuesday received over 1 million social mentions on Twitter alone and reached 21.7 billion people around the globe.

Here are a few tips to consider when leveraging social media on Giving Tuesday:

1. 1. Strategize, create, and schedule social media content before Giving Tuesday 2022 (November 29th)
   2. Research and use hashtags to get found by donor prospects.
   3. Use images that elicit an emotional response from viewers.
   4. Include a link to your organization’s donation page.
   5. Provide prospects with a strong call to action.
   6. Engage with your audience.

Identify opportunities for matching gifts

Partnering with major donors and/or local businesses in your area can help increase your fundraising impact during Giving Tuesday. Matching gifts is an excellent way to convert new donors and provide incentives for major supporters to contribute. According to research, mentioning matching gifts during Giving Tuesday can increase your organization’s response rate by 71% and can increase the average donation size by over 50%.

Here are a few tips for identifying matching gift prospects:

1. Consider major donors who have given in the past.
2. Research and nurture companies in your local community.
3. Determine the donor-giving capacity of prospects.

Convert volunteers to financial donors

Volunteers provide your nonprofit with a lot of sweat equity and are oftentimes the closest people to your organization’s mission. Through their service, volunteers get to see the impact that your nonprofit, as a whole, makes toward the greater good. Did you know that 75% of volunteers also donate to an organization financially? Giving Tuesday presents a great opportunity for your organization to reach out to volunteers and ask them for financial support. It has been shown that the number one reason that people donate to an organization is the belief in its mission…volunteers have already proven this belief through their commitment to the cause.

Here are a few tips for asking volunteers for financial support:

1. Ask volunteers to contribute financially to the projects they support.
2. Create a focus group to learn more about volunteer motivations.
3. Thank volunteers for their consideration to become a donor.
4. Integrate your volunteer management software and donor database.

Giving Tuesday is not just about finding donors, it's also an opportunity to recruit volunteers!

There is a lot of talk about fundraising strategies and their potential impact leading up to Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday can provide your nonprofit with an opportunity to move the needle on fundraising campaigns, but it also can provide an opportunity to register new supporters for volunteer opportunities your organization needs to fill. The potential to use Giving Tuesday to promote opportunities for volunteers is sometimes overlooked. Your organization can use Giving Tuesday to increase your volunteer prospects leading into the new year.

Here are a few strategies for promoting volunteer opportunities during Giving Tuesday:

Promote volunteer recruitment on your fundraising thank-you page

Your fundraising thank-you page serves the purpose of acknowledging donors for providing their financial gifts to your organization during Giving Tuesday. Your nonprofit's thank-you page can also be used to provide supporters with additional ways to contribute leading into 2023, including volunteerism. If your organization has a landing page with all upcoming volunteer opportunities, why not share this information on your fundraising thank-you page to increase volunteer registration and fill much-needed roles?

Advertise volunteer opportunities on social media using #GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday can provide your nonprofit with a substantial audience to promote volunteer opportunities and additional ways to give (outside of fundraising). Your organization can use this opportunity to fill roles and build your organization’s volunteer database, setting you up on a positive note leading into 2023. Make sure that your organization uses the hashtag #GivingTuesday so that your volunteer opportunities are seen by those following this yearly day of giving.

Final Thoughts

Giving Tuesday is a great worldwide event that can help your nonprofit make an impact. When done effectively, your organization can use Giving Tuesday to impact fundraising and volunteerism. How is your organization going to take advantage of Giving Tuesday?