On average, your constituents receive around 121 emails every day, including emails from their favorite restaurants, stores, or even meeting confirmations. With all of this traffic, you may be asking yourself, “How will my Giving Tuesday campaign stand out among the clutter?”
Giving Tuesday takes place on the Tuesday following the U.S. holiday Thanksgiving and is celebrated worldwide. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 3 and is quickly approaching, so it’s imperative to have a marketing and communications plan set. Your constituents, members, staff, and friends are eager and ready to support your organization, so let’s break through the noise and gain as much momentum in this last week as possible.
7-Day Giving Tuesday Promotional Plan
Your organization likely kicked off your marketing plan for Giving Tuesday a few weeks ago; however, your organization will gain the most momentum and reach in the last seven days leading up to Tuesday, December 3. Rather than flooding constituent inboxes for the entire month leading up to the event, use the upcoming seven days to gain the most reach and attention. This one–week plan will spark excitement through emails and social media campaigns.
Tuesday, November 24
You’re one week out from Giving Tuesday and the momentum and excitement are picking up across your entire organization.
Updating Your Website
Today, your website is launching into full Giving Tuesday mode with banners, pop-ups, links to your custom donation page, and more!
Email Blast
Later today, your organization will send an email blast to your constituents, donors, prospects, and friends to announce your participation in Giving Tuesday with a short, eye–catching subject line like:
- #GivingTuesday is the new black (Friday)
- A special day is coming
- Your support makes our work possible
Sharing on Social Media
Like your announcement email blast, your organization should also post on all of your social media accounts announcing your participation in Giving Tuesday. In your post, include a live, clickable link that will direct your constituents directly to your donation page. To further your reach even more, use hashtags and create a custom hashtag for your organization’s Giving Tuesday campaign.
Wednesday, November 25
Only six days until Giving Tuesday and excitement is building within your constituent group! Yesterday, your organization launched the official Giving Tuesday messaging and published the live donation page. Now that those tasks are complete, your organization can promote your campaign through email messaging and social media.
Email Blast
Two words: Countdown. Timers. The countdown is finally here; remind your constituents, members, followers, volunteers, and more that Giving Tuesday is only a few days away by including a live countdown in your email blast. You could even add a calendar invite to your email!
Sharing on Social Media
Utilize your community! Engage previous or influential members and donors to create short, casual testimonial videos explaining why they’re excited to donate this Giving Tuesday.
Thursday, November 26
It’s Thanksgiving! Skip the email blast today and stick to wishing your followers a happy holiday on social media.
Sharing on Social Media
Share a thankful holiday message on your social accounts paired with an image or graphic pulling in the Giving Tuesday theme. Today is also a great day to share constituent or member stories about why they’re thankful for your organization. You could even experiment on TikTok and encourage your constituents to share their stories with a 15–second video!
Friday, November 27
It’s Black Friday! Use this annual shopping day to your advantage. While Black Friday shopping may look a little different this year, you can still reach your constituents while they’re looking for the biggest deals.
Email Blast
While your constituents are sifting through their emails and planning their shopping, drop a message in their inbox reminding them of the upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign. You can repurpose the countdown timer to remind constituents of how much time is left before the big day.
Sharing on Social Media
Share an image, graphic, or short video that will capture attention explaining how donations will benefit your organization. To gain more impressions and increase reach, use hashtags that correlate with Black Friday shopping like #BlackFriday #BlackFridayDeals #BlackFridayShopping #4DaysUntilGivingTuesday #GivingTuesday
Saturday, November 28
Email Blast
There are only a few days left! Send an email blast with a direct link to your Giving Tuesday Donation page and share a promotional video about how donations help your organization better meet its mission.
Sharing on Social Media
Start counting down the days and building excitement for your followers with Instagram Stories and Reels, Tik Tok, Facebook Live, and more.
Sunday, November 29
Email Blast
Center today’s message around your donors. Remind your donors that this is their chance to make a difference and help your organization meet its goals and serve those who need it.
Sharing on Social Media
Continue the countdown and share videos or testimonials from partners, constituents, staff, or other influential members to share where donations are going and the significant impact they will make.
Monday, November 30
Twenty-four hours until your Giving Tuesday campaign launches! Today is also the beloved Cyber Monday, and your followers, constituents, and members are going to be online all day searching for the best deals.
Email Blast
Make sure you’re at the top of your constituents’ inboxes with an eye-catching subject line that will urge members to click. Keep the email short, sweet, and visual while still encouraging donations – you could even add a message encouraging early donations!
Sharing on Social Media
Stay consistent and relay the same message, encouraging constituents to donate and share the donation page on personal accounts.
Tuesday, December 1
Email Blast
Constantly remind your constituents of your Giving Tuesday campaign throughout the day with a series of emails. For example:
- Email 1: Send at 7:30 am. Subject line: “The Day You’ve Been Waiting For.”
- Email 2: Send between 12:00 – 3:00 pm. Subject line: “We’d Love Your Support.”
- Email 3: Send at 7:00 pm. Subject line: “Only a Few Hours Left to Donate.”
- Email 4: Send between 10:30 – 11:00 pm. Subject line: “One Hour Left to Reach Our Goal.”
Sharing on Social Media
Leverage your network! Post consistently throughout the day to encourage followers to donate. Leverage the live streaming features on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube to host virtual events throughout the day. During these events, your team can give live shoutouts and recognition as donations are coming in. Your organization could even use Cameo for a personalized celebrity message, encouraging younger generations to donate!
Most Importantly, Thank Your Donors!
Don’t forget to thank all of your donors! Following up with the donors will prolong the support. After a donation is received, send a personalized message thanking the donor for their continuous support. A simple thank you message addressing the donor will show that the organization truly appreciates the support and will lead to a returning supporter in the future!
