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Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to encourage your donors to give more or attract new donors. In fact, in 2022, American donors gave over $3 billion on Giving Tuesday, showing that it’s a highly popular time to donate. However, many nonprofit organizations don’t adequately take advantage of this day. Today, we talk about five things that many nonprofits do wrong when it comes to Giving Tuesday.
Not Standing Out from the Crowd
If you’re not doing anything different than your competitors or others in your space, then you might just blend in with the rest of the nonprofits. You shouldn’t be doing the same thing as everyone else – or what you’ve done year after year. Instead, think of different ways to reach your potential donors. Maybe try setting up at a local festival with good signage. Or send a stylized, personalized direct mail piece to both current and potential donors. The messaging for these two audiences, however, should be different.
Waiting Until the Last Minute
If you’re not prepared for the day and are scrambling to contact your potential donors until right before Thanksgiving, you’ll lose out. Instead, send out requests months in advance. Many marketing professionals recommend reminding their donors about the day as early as August to beat the last-minute inundation of giving and holiday messages.
Not Personalizing the Messages
Each of your donors is unique. So, why would you send the same message to your entire audience? Instead, you should segment your audience based on their interests or how they’ve donated in the past. Then, you can craft your messages to better fit your audience – and encourage them to give or give more. You should also add the person’s name to each online or direct mail piece.
Not Providing Adequate Giving Options
Some people are more comfortable giving online, while others want to send a check. If you only provide one way to give, you’re missing out on people who might want to donate differently. Provide a few avenues for giving, including a credit card, online payment or check option.
Not Thanking Donors Post-Event
It is extremely important to personally thank all the donors who gave during Giving Tuesday. This acknowledges their contributions and reminds them to keep giving to support your worthy cause, which could turn a one-time donation into a recurring gift.
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