Season’s Givings: How #GivingTuesday Can Give Back All Year Long

How You Can Use #GivingTuesday for Year-Round Marketing Efforts

‘Tis (almost) the season for giving. The winter holiday season usually marks the highest charitable participation from donors around the world. It’s the spirit of the season that makes us look outward and have more concern for those less fortunate.

This time of year also presents a great opportunity for businesses to cultivate brand awareness while supporting a favorite cause. One of the best and fastest-growing ways for businesses to do this is #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is a global event that last year, saw participation from 150 countries and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in donations as well as millions of gifts.

#GivingTuesday happens every year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to focus on the special meaning of the season after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. All types of organizations have gotten in on the action: local and national non-profits, schools, communities, corporations, local businesses, and more. For 2019, #GivingTuesday lands on December 3rd.

It’s important to understand not only how this event can positively impact your business, but how to go about creating a campaign, generating awareness, and turning one day of giving into a lifetime of user engagement.

There are plenty of online resources that can help you imagine, plan, and design your fundraiser.

Here are a few examples:

1. GivingTuesday.org: The site offers stories, ideas, a toolkit, ways to connect with other organizations as well as additional resources.
2. Causevox.com: Causevox offers a Learning Center and design services for your fundraiser.
3. Fundly.com: This site offers lots of helpful tips on running a successful fundraiser with a special focus on crowdfunding. They also offer online platforms that help you build a fundraiser.

There are some universal considerations for successful fundraising — #GivingTuesday or any other day. Here’s a quick outtake:

• Start your planning early
• Assess your resources
• Set a goal
• Assess your target audiences
• Craft your message
• Create a fund-raising site
• Make sure your site is user-friendly
• Make sure your site is visually-engaging
• Tell your story.
• Use social media platforms to spread awareness and encourage action:

Facebook is a good example. Facebook teams up with PayPal and will match up to seven million in donations for eligible non-profits. You can also use Facebook for launching a #UNselfie campaign – encourage your audience to upload their #UNselfie profile picture for the day.

• Keep in touch with your donors: Let them know how your #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign went and keep them updated on future events. This will encourage user engagement throughout the year, not just the season.
• Be sure to say THANK YOU!

Now that you know a little bit about fundraising 101, here are some inspirational #GivingTuesday stories to help you get started:

• One of Virginia’s own local businesses, Northwest Federal Credit Union, recruited volunteers to clean up a community shelter’s storage facility. They also hosted a budget workshop for low-income families, threw a surprise holiday party for children at a local outreach center, donated $1000 to a mentorship program at a community elementary school, and used the day to kick off their foundation’s new scholarship program.
• West Elm partnered with ASPCA, HRC, and St. Jude’s for their “Gifts That Give Back” campaign. All profits from related purchases were donated to their respective charities.
• Plum Organics partnered with City Dads Group and donated 40,000 food pouches across the country.
• Operation Homefront Heroes in Bozeman, MT donated backpacks filled with new boots, clothes, jackets, food, and hotel vouchers to military veterans. The hotel offering the vouchers also threw them a Thanksgiving-style dinner.
• Donors Choose connected teachers in high-needs communities with donors who wanted to help, and, as a result, over 11,000 teachers received support.

Ironistic is excited about this annual season of giving. Supporting our communities is a big part of who we are as a company, and we would love to help you with your own charitable efforts. Designing and developing impactful platforms and creating effective, focused messaging and marketing campaigns are all a part of what we do every day. Contact Ironistic to get started on your plan today.

And if you have a #GivingTuesday story, please share it in the comments below!