What I'm Focused On Right Now

Happy Tuesday, I’m 100% certain that today there will be lots of folks focused on a certain Tuesday in November that’s now only 7 weeks away (yikes). Some nonprofits have been factoring that one in for a while now, and are active participants in conversations about what’s at stake this year. Many have been working on their plans A, B, C, and a bunch of other letters to be ready for a variety of outcomes for the presidential and congressional contests. The campaigns themselves are running what should count as master classes in real time, testing tactics and journeys with test audiences larger than most orgs will ever see. And donors – even donors who are grumbling about the increased flow in their inboxes and mailboxes – many of those donors are activated and paying a little extra attention to the world around them and the role they play in it.

But even while lots of eyes are on November 5, I’m looking exactly four weeks past that. Because GivingTuesday is on December 3rd, and it’s a critical opportunity this year to gather your audience in for the season of giving between the election and the end of the year.

Since its origins in 2012, GivingTuesday has grown in popularity and familiarity every year. Where it began as a simple day for encouraging people to do good, it’s now grown into a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity” (according to the GivingTuesday org). And I agree with them, it’s grown in the eyes and wallets of donors, and it’s grown in importance to the end-of-year fundraising budgets for many organizations across the U.S. and beyond. 

I’ve been part of efforts to kick off that EOY season that started in July, and elements that were added late in the game when opportunities came onboard that couldn’t be missed. Cohesive messaging to align efforts across multiple channels. Engaging email and ad content. Powerful donation pages. And then taking things further: Working with corporate partners and employee giving opportunities, engaging your board or key supporters’ networks through a sharing toolkit, standing up extra channels like postcards to Mid-level donors or peer-to-peer texting to your sustainer audience, this is a time to go all out.

Because the thing about GivingTuesday is: It’s not a day when you have to convince or explain to people that they should give. The surround sound from news outlets and multiple orgs, some of it starting even before Thanksgiving, lets donors know this is their moment to shine. So your job is to help them shine. To make it easy. To make it feel great. 

And then to work hard balancing between gratitude and urgency to encourage a second EOY gift before December 31 closes its eyes, or a monthly commitment ready to start in the new year ahead. 

If your nonprofit team is looking for any of those elements for your GivingTuesday efforts, we should have a conversation right away. Or if they sound like things you might want to add to larger EOY or year-round fundraising work, I’d love to talk with you. 

P.S. I know lots of folks also work beyond their primary job as volunteers or board members for nonprofit organizations, those can be great places to share resources if they are looking to ramp up their fundraising!