GivingTuesday is a global philanthropic movement that has swept the world – and if your organization isn’t participating, then you need to make room in your calendar. You can’t afford to miss this golden opportunity.
What is GivingTuesday?
GivingTuesday is a designated day for giving that’s celebrated globally and takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year.
This unique event has grown exponentially since the United Nations Foundation and the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact established it in 2012. It now connects individuals, communities, and organizations around the world through the common goal of celebrating and encouraging generosity.
What’s the big deal?
GivingTuesday provides an incredible opportunity not only to reach new fundraising goals but also to acquire a unique and valuable segment of new donors. What makes these supporters so special is that they’re 60% more likely to donate multiple times on GivingTuesday and during the following days than donors acquired at other times of the year. And they don’t stop with GivingTuesday; this group is also more likely to engage in multiple types of campaigns over the course of the year. Plus, these donors are even more involved in peer-to-peer interactions, so they might also use their time and talents – as well as their money – to make an impact through your organization.
And because this event attracts more natural traffic than any other day, you don’t have to work as hard to generate momentum through advertising campaigns. Plenty of awareness already exists about GivingTuesday, and it only continues to grow in popularity.
But really, why participate?
There’s one more reason why you should get involved in GivingTuesday: People give more on this date than during many other days of the year. And, they keep giving for days after.
Year-end fundraising on December 31, while important, doesn’t have the same after-effect as GivingTuesday. Because people are typically looking to take advantage of year-end tax benefits, giving drops off quickly.
You see a similar issue with disaster relief fundraising, though it does tend to generate revenue for a longer period of time.
But neither year-end or disaster relief campaigns maintain as much momentum or create as much response as organizations might see in a single GivingTuesday.
Where’s the proof?
GivingTuesday 2018 was a huge success and inspired an increase in total giving. Let’s break that success down and take a closer look at how donors responded last year:
- Global awareness rose as 150 countries participated.
- Donors raised $400 million online from 3.6 million gifts.
- Each gift averaged $105.
- Donors averaged 25 years of age.
- Donors made 17% of online donations through their mobile devices. That’s an 18% increase from the previous year.
- Facebook raised more than $125 million for nonprofits on GivingTuesday alone. That’s a 178% increase from the previous year.
Are you beginning to see why you can’t ignore GivingTuesday?
It’s an amazing opportunity not only to generate revenue but also to attract unique donors who are more likely to stay involved with your organization throughout the year. You can’t get those results from any other giving event.
So, grab your calendar and circle the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It will quite possibly become the most important day of your year.
Learn more about GivingTuesday and how to make the most of this incredible fundraising opportunity in Danielle Rice’s Dunham Institute course, Maximizing Your #GivingTuesday Strategies.
More Insights from Dunham+Company: “What Should I Expect From My Donors?”