#GivingTuesday is a day that serves as a reminder to the community that the holidays are not all about big box sales. Arriving after the consumptive barrage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many embrace the opportunity to give back. Propelled by the power of social media and collaboration, over 40,000 organizations have chosen to participate. It is also an opportunity to connect with other engaged nonprofits, businesses and individuals around the world doing vital and timely work to support their communities, including Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ACLU.

So, nonprofits and supporters, mark you calendars: #GivingTuesday will celebrate its fifth year this November 29th. #GivingTuesday is a great way to kick off your year-end fundraising season with a bang, and we’ve outlined the following guide to help make your campaign successful:

1. Sign Up

Visit the #GivingTuesday website and sign up. From there you can download various helpful resources, including a #GivingTuesday campaign toolkit, press release and email outreach templates, and social media fundraising guides. You can also join a local movement of organizations in your region participating in #GivingTuesday for increased reach and community engagement. 

2. Set Your Goals and Draft a Plan

Like any campaign, goal setting is an important first step in formulating a plan of action. Your goals can include both funds raised and the level of community engagement you hope to achieve in various forms, from volunteering to an uptick in social media followers. Your campaign plan should include your content, your outreach strategy, and your schedule for your email marketing, social media posts, and supporter followup.

3. Reach Out

#GivingTuesday was created to harness the power of online giving, so make use of content that is easily sharable and that clearly connects to your online donation page. In your appeals, connect your campaign to the giving season — a donation to your organization can serve as a meaningful holiday gift. Here are a few ideas for campaign outreach:

• Make a #GivingTuesday landing page for your website.
• Send out e-newsletters, blog posts, and press releases promoting your campaign.
• Engage on social media, and brand your pages with #GivingTuesday related messaging and imagery.
• Making your own videos and podcasts to get your message across. Whole Whale suggests creating a YouTube video of your constituents explaining their own reasons why they gave to your organization, followed by a donation appeal.

4. Encourage Participation

Ask your donors to post an #unselfie picture to their social media to share why they gave and encourage others in their networks to support worthy causes. You can start the #unselfie momentum by getting your staff and volunteers to post #unselfies of their own about why working with your organization is meaningful to them. Here’s some #unselfie inspiration!

5. Make Acknowledgements

We know you know, but it’s very important to promptly thank those that have supported your campaign in any way — from donations to #unselfies to encouraging Facebook comments. Throughout #GivingTuesday, keep your supporter informed of your progress and thank them for their participation and kindness. Once the campaign is up, let your audience know the results and the impact of their contributions — if possible, with specifics about how their funds will be used. And give a shout out on social media to your community of #unselfies!

Has your organization led a #GivingTuesday campaign? What are you doing to prep for this year’s #GivingTuesday? Leave a comment and let us know!