Giving Tuesday Ideas: Multichannel Strategy by Sector

6 Multichannel Ideas for Giving Tuesday

“We had a clear and concise strategy, story, and matching gift plan. Our goal was to raise a set amount for one piece of medical equipment and we secured a social media plan as well. We had pre-Giving Tuesday promotion, social media posts during the day of, videos, testimonials, and follow-ups. We’ve learned to have a great case for support, have a story, and use online giving tools that are compatible with your system.”
– Nonprofit professional in the Health & Medical Sector

Post example: “Today, we have a goal to purchase X ($32,000) to ensure safety and peace of mind for our patients during routine procedures. Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign! So far, we have raised $27,580, which is more than 80% of our goal (including an incredible $10,000 match gift). We are so close! Will you help us?”

“We created social media and email campaigns using the Giving Tuesday branding. We used stories of our animals and asked donors to help us cover medical costs. We planned ahead, planned our emails, and got people involved. Email templates are great!”
– Nonprofit professional in the Environment & Animals sector

“We did a multichannel campaign with lots of email blasts and social media posts throughout the day. Our campaign was called A Seat at the Table and asked donors to remember loved ones lost this year, as well as those who didn’t have a family to celebrate the holidays with. Lots of posts were tied to how the holidays are difficult for families, and that’s how we cut through the noise. We had a countdown on social media for 10 days prior to Giving Tuesday, 10 posts throughout the day, and additional opportunities to give throughout the week. Make sure all of your messaging ties together!”
– Nonprofit professional in the Religious sector

Giving Tuesday social media tip:

Say thank you by calling out your supporters on social media in 3 steps:

1. Search your feed and campaign hashtag for your donors’ posts.
2. Take screenshots or save the images to your desktop.
3. Upload to your preferred social media and tag the donor in your post. Share how their gifts translate to good.

“We utilized the DonorPerfect template kits to be ready and prepared and started our email templates in late summer. We focused on immediate needs like a food pantry and emergency scholarship aid and emailed our donors asking them to visit our special Giving Tuesday page. All of the donor information from our Giving Tuesday donation page was downloaded into our DonorPerfect database.”
– Nonprofit professional in the Education & Research sector

“Our theme was Helping Seniors Live Well at Home. We created videos with sub-themes about being 1) connected, 2) safe, 3) engaged, 4) healthy, and 5) supported. We start planning early and developed a regular cadence for sending emails.”
– Nonprofit professional in the Human Services sector

Giving Tuesday video tips:

• Repurpose any compelling media from your website or footage you’ve taken on the job that clearly illustrates your mission in action. Perhaps include footage of your facility or, if appropriate, powerful images of the population you serve.
• Keep the number of calls to action to one or two per video. Providing scalable, tangible goals will help donors visualize how their donation will be used and prompt a more specific and immediate action. Ex. “Your Giving Tuesday donation of $25 will provide a homeless dog with a two-month supply of food. Give now to help us reach our goal of feeding 100 dogs in our care this winter.”
• If you use an email marketing tool like Constant Contact, you can link to your video in the call to action button of your email and track your recipients’ engagement.
• Add a personal video to your crowdfunding page and raise 150% more!

“We focused on crowdfunding for Giving Tuesday, so we started with our volunteers and our advocates that we already had segmented in our DonorPerfect database. We created the email template ahead of time to get them involved starting November 1st. On Giving Tuesday, we asked them to really engage that day – mostly focusing on social media and text messages all leading back to a donation page.
– Nonprofit professional in the Human Services sector

Giving Tuesday crowdfunding tips:

• Provide templates for your ambassadors to share their page with friends and family in your chosen channel – social media posts, emails, or phone scripts.
• If applicable, provide them with photos and videos they can share. DonorPerfect Crowdfunding forms allow you to add video links to your page with ease!
• Provide guidance for your ambassadors to share Giving Tuesday goal updates – when and how often should they ask friends and family to help them reach their crowdfunding goal?

Post example: This Giving Tuesday, I’m crusading for [ORG NAME]. We’re dedicated to protecting children whose caregivers have been taken by domestic violence. Please join me in our fight to break the cycle of abuse. Your donation will go toward their goal of securing shelter for the 20 children currently in their care. Donate through the link in my bio, and share this post to your story.

“We sent postcards to past donors. We regained a lot of lapsed donors just by sending them a postcard. We also sent an email that stated in the subject line, ‘I just donated, can you donate too?’ Our campaign was titled, “Where’s the next adventure?” We asked our supporters to look past COVID limitations and help us fundraise for a new marriage enrichment weekend in a new place in the country. We used images of people going somewhere new, on top of a mountain, and a hugging family – all really resonated with our supporters.”
– Nonprofit professional in the Religious sector

On Giving Tuesday, every touchpoint counts. As your fellow fundraisers have shown through their experiences, a multichannel strategy can be as simple as trying a few social media posts or setting up a crowdfunding page and then using email or direct mail to promote your efforts to supporters. We hope that you’ve found these ideas inspiring!