Most of you know the story by now: it started from a simple idea: Black Friday and Cyber Monday were so hugely popular – the team in the US thought: what about adding Giving Tuesday? Could you add a day that reversed the trend? After all this consumerism, create a day where people would give back. It was unique, in that it was designed from the start to encourage people to grab it and take it somewhere new.
And that’s exactly what the Charities Aid Foundation, the organisation that leads Giving Tuesday here in the UK did in 2014. We had been watching with anticipation to see how Giving Tuesday would take off in the US. CAF’s mission is to motivate people to give – and Giving Tuesday aligns perfectly with this.
This year will be the UK’s seventh Giving Tuesday. It now runs officially in over 70 countries. In the UK alone we have over 3,700 partners from large national organisations such as Cancer Research and the Woodland Trust to tiny charities such as Tiny Tickers and Remus Horse Sanctuary. You can sign up as a partner (for free) here.
Last year over £14.2 million was donated on Giving Tuesday via Visa cards alone, this represented a 48% increase in donations on the day compared to an average Tuesday in 2019. We know people make donations every day but we now know that Giving Tuesday is supporting and encouraging additional donations, which is great!
That really is up to you. Giving Tuesday is completely non-prescriptive – it is there to support you and your organisation. Many of our partners have used the day to fundraise – pure and simple. Some use it to call for volunteers or highlight a campaign they need support with. Some use it to raise awareness of their organisation, their impact or their services. Or some charities use the day to say thank you to their donors for their support throughout the rest of the year. Many partners pick at least two of these themes for their Giving Tuesday activity.
- Plan – set objectives and a strategy. Those partners who take some time to think about what would work best for them and really integrate it in to their organisation see the biggest success.
- Create a campaign timeline so you know what you are doing when and who is responsible will be a massive benefit. It will help with delegating tasks so Giving Tuesday doesn’t feel overwhelming and everyone can get involved.
- Engage with stakeholders in advance - start your Giving Tuesday communications as early as possible before the day. That time is already crowded so you want to make sure you message is getting through and sticking – even a few days’ notice can make all the difference!
- Go out to your networks – board, volunteers, corporates partners, staff, customers or celebrity ambassadors, and ask for their support – give them different options for involvement – it could be match funding, sharing your social media messaging on the day, or simply making a donation and posting about it on their own social media accounts – it all adds up! Make sure to personalise your ask for each of your stakeholders
- Connect to you cause – share the impact of your organisation – case studies, beneficiary stories really do bring your work to life
- Have fun – Giving Tuesday is a positive day, share good news and have fun with your social media posts.
- Remember to say thank you to your supporters – they day after at the very least.
- Share your impact – what were you able to do because of Giving Tuesday. And keep your donors updated with their stories so they see the benefit of donating again.
We have lots of free resources to help you get involved in Giving Tuesday this year!
This year we are delighted to launch GiveBack2020 – a fundraising initiative that will help people fundraise for their favourite charity and you engage your supporters in a clear, easy and fun way to GiveBack to your organisation.
GiveBack2020 is an easy, straightforward and fun way to encourage people to support your charity on Giving Tuesday on 1 December. Charities like you have given us so much. Now is the time for people to GiveBack, make a difference and take something positive from 2020.
It can be as simple as asking people who have been working from home to GiveBack the cost of a week's commute or you could suggest they make use of the baking skills they mastered over lockdown by baking and selling mince pies to raise money for your cause or they can give back in lots of different ways while doing their Christmas shopping – so many stores or online platforms offer ways to donate. It’s really just about engaging your audience and giving them a fun and easy way to GiveBack.
Visit www.givingtuesday.org.uk to find out more, sign up as a partner or access free resources to help you get involved in #GivingTuesday on 1 December 2020.