5 Ideas for Boosting Giving Tuesday Charity Donations in 2023

You can read this article in Swedish.

Giving Tuesday is one of the most important dates for charities and non-profit organisations worldwide. It’s also a great opportunity for charities and non-profits to generate visibility for their campaigns and collect more donations. Take a look at the following GivingTuesday strategies that are popular and effective! 

GivingTuesday was first celebrated in 2012 when it emerged as a simple idea to encourage people to do good, promote generosity, and counter the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Since then it’s become a worldwide phenomenon! Every year, more and more people celebrate GivingTuesday by donating to good causes, with the total raised amount increasing yearly. According to Neon One, a whopping amount of $3.1 billion was raised on the 29th of November 2022 only in the United States, beating 2021’s record-breaking $2.7 by 15%! In 2023, GivingTuesday will be celebrated on the 28th of November. 

With GivingTuesday right around the corner, it’s time to plan your strategy, stay top-of-mind with potential donors, and differentiate your organisation from others. Take a look at the following five ideas that will help you boost GivingTuesday donations in 2023.

1. Promote your current projects, give visibility to core values, and share information about beneficiaries

2. Spread awareness on social media to generate visibility right in time for GivingTuesday

3. Implement different payment methods to cater to all preferences

4. GivingTuesday strategy: thank donors with incentives

5. Create a team of ambassadors to promote your GivingTuesday campaign

1. Promote your current projects, give visibility to core values, and share information about beneficiaries 

One of the most important aspects for donors is transparency. At the end of the day, we all want to know where our donated money is going and how it’s being spent. Although transparency is crucial for donors throughout the whole year, GivingTuesday is a great opportunity for your non-profit to share vital information, for example, about the funds collected in previous years. By spreading awareness for your projects you generate trust and a sense of loyalty, concurrently attracting new donors interested in your cause. 

2. Spread awareness on social media to generate visibility right in time for GivingTuesday

Social media is where your audience is. This is why generating visibility and noise is so important for any charity looking to benefit from GivingTuesday 2023. But start by planning way ahead! Instead of just sharing a single post on GivingTuesday inviting people to support your charity, prepare a series of posts leading up to the big event. Inform your followers in advance about how they can support your organisation, its mission and its beneficiaries. You can also share summaries of how much of a change a single donation can make, like in the following example from Action Aid UK. 

3. Implement different payment methods to cater to all preferences

So you want to boost GivingTuesday donations - that’s a great plan! But you probably know by now that great plans need great strategies. One of them is to implement as many payment methods as possible! By allowing people to choose their preferred payment method you boost your chances of converting potential donors into paying supporters since people tend to opt for their favourite payment methods.

4. GivingTuesday strategy: thank donors with incentives

The feeling of social conscience and moral duty are the two most popular reasons for which people donate to charities, putting your non-profit in a good starting position. However, with so many organisations out there, potential donors often feel lost and indecisive when it comes to choosing the one charity that would receive their financial support. One way to stand out from the crowd is to thank each donor in a unique way. Apart from sending grateful thank you emails, think of another way to help your donors. 

Take a look at the following example from WWF. When signing up for monthly donations, each new member has a chance to opt-in for a members’ pack and regular updates about the membership.

WWF Spain goes a step further by offering members magazine subscriptions, offering publications for children, teenagers, and adults. However, members are encouraged to opt for electronic versions of magazines in order to protect the environment. 

Don’t worry if your resources are limited and you can’t offer content that requires a lot of time or money. Instead, thank your donors by sending out a PDF about topics related to your charity. 

5. Create a team of ambassadors to promote your GivingTuesday campaign

Word of mouth is the cheapest and most effective way to generate visibility and awareness for your campaign. Organise a team of ambassadors who will help you attract new donors by promoting your charity and its campaign on social media. 

A great idea would be to involve local influencers or celebrities. Many of them like to use their social media reach to promote charities and non-profits close to their hearts. But don’t worry if you don’t manage to get in touch with popular social media influencers; ask the team of your volunteers to spread the word on their channels - this will help you reach more new users who might be more likely to donate to a cause supported by their friends. 

What do you think about these five strategies for Giving Tuesday? Contact us with all your questions - our team will be happy to help.