3 Ways to Give Your Giving Tuesday a Board Boost

Ah, Giving Tuesday! One of the best times of year for nonprofits and those of us who relish the opportunity to support them. This annual event, created in 2012 through collaboration between New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, has evolved into a crucial day for organizations to showcase their missions, seek donations, and attract new supporters.

In 2020, Giving Tuesday set a fundraising record, raising an impressive $2.47 billion in the U.S., marking a significant 25% increase from the previous year. With just a few weeks before the single biggest fundraising day of the year, now is the time to call in reinforcements.

The good news is that your board is more than likely full of local influencers you can use to your fundraising advantage by engaging them in your Giving Tuesday multi-channel promotional efforts. Let’s dive in with three savvy ways to supercharge your Giving Tuesday efforts with help from your board:

Emails

Equip your board with personalized emails they can send to family and friends, supplementing your organization’s planned emails.

Provide content for four weekly emails in November that board members can effortlessly use. Emphasize storytelling about your organization’s impact and a clear call to action for donations. Highlight that while Giving Tuesday comes around once a year, contributions any day of the year make an immediate difference.

Once your board has sent these emails, ask them if they are willing to share the email addresses of their family and friends with you to help you build your email donor list.

Social Media

Encourage board members to share Giving Tuesday on their social media alongside your organization’s posts.

Offer pre-written social media content and graphics for four posts throughout November. Align the social media themes with board emails, including a donation page link and #GivingTuesday hashtag.

Simplify the process for board members to promote Giving Tuesday and make it easy for their followers to contribute today.

Direct Mail

Another great marketing tool to promote your fundraising efforts is direct mail – traditional letters, postcards and greeting cards are all great options to spread the word about Giving Tuesday.

While there may not be time for a large-scale mailing, personal handwritten notes really work! For board members’ convenience, provide the notecards, stamps, and examples of short messages for them to use. Again, you will want to make it as easy as possible for them to support you in your Giving Tuesday efforts.

This is also a great time to ask board members to share addresses of family and friends to add to your mailing list to receive future fundraising appeals – like your upcoming end-of-year piece.

Remember: utilize diverse channels for your message. Beyond the outlined tips, consider involving your board in text messages or traditional phone calls. Best of luck with your Giving Tuesday endeavors! If you need assistance, reach out to us at KidGlov.com/nonprofit for more nonprofit marketing tips.

KidGlov is a boutique, full-service, advertising, branding and content marketing agency and certified B Corp, with offices in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, specializing in nonprofit marketing, healthcare marketing, financial services marketing, social impact marketing, and purpose-driven businesses.