The Art of Giving: A #GivingTuesday Celebration

Tonyehn Verkitus SVP for Nonprofit Engagement

WHO? #GivingTuesday is the brainchild of the 92nd Street Y in New York City. It was inspired by the Jewish term tikkun olam which means ‘repairing the world’

WHAT? A celebration of giving that offers the opportunity for nonprofits, individuals, businesses and schools to come together as partners in support of their communities.

WHERE? #GivingTuesday is a global initiative.

WHY? To GIVE BACK!!! Together we have the power to make the world a better and beautiful place.

The Proof is in the Numbers

5 Simple Steps to #GivingTuesday Success

1. What’s the big idea? 2. What does success look like? 3. What will help you achieve your

goal? 4. What is your theme or narrative? 5. Plan your calendar.

What’s the big idea?

• Want to raise money? • What is your message? • Why is your cause better than any

other? • What is your theme?

What does success look like?

•  Increase dollars raised •  Increase number of donors •  Increase repeat donors •  Increase gift per donor

What will help you achieve your goal?

•  Is there an area business that will do matching gifts? •  Do you have a local celebrity who is connected to your cause? •  Are you targeting non-donors/volunteers with a low-dollar ask via

direct message? •  Are you asking mid-dollar donors to become repeat monthly

donors? •  Have you freshened up the message used in previous years? •  Will you appeal to your social network community? How many

times?

Surprise and delight for attention!

What is your theme or narrative?

•  What issue(s) resonate(s) most with your donors? •  What emotional stories do you have at your disposal? •  How can you weave these issues and stories together into a campaign? •  Create Urgency with powerful verbs and by painting a stark message •  Can a single image do this? •  Repeat this in your social media campaign in a catchy way – think ice

bucket challenge

Make it donor centered!

You!

Plan your calendar

•  Your launch date •  How many times you’ll make an email ask. Ask at least twice, if not

three or more times before December 1. •  What’s your segmentation strategy for each email? •  How are you going to promote your message on your website? •  How will you coordinate the campaign using social media, email,

blogs, etc.? •  What about offline plans?

Do not take off the week before your campaign kicks off!

How do you get this done?

Develop a meaningful campaign

Recruit Fundraising Champions

Promote, promote, promote!

Engage 365 days a year!