This document provides tips and strategies for non-profits to have a successful #GivingTuesday campaign. It recommends creating a dedicated landing page and marketing plan well in advance. Key tactics include recruiting advocates to promote the campaign on social media, planning a "soft launch" to build momentum, and sending frequent communications and reminders on #GivingTuesday and beyond to encourage donations and sharing. Checklists are also included to help organizations prepare and stay organized on the day of and after the campaign.

1. Quick Tactics for #GivingTuesday

2. Julia Kerrigan
Education & Outreach Coordinator @ Firespring
877.447.8941
firespring.com/nonprofit
@firespring

3. provides marketing, printing,
websites and strategic
guidance to thousands of
brands, businesses and
nonprofits in all 50 states and
in 14 countries.
Firespring

5. About Firespring

6. About Firespring
POWER OF 3
1% of our Profits (top-line revenue donated to NPOs)
2% of our Products (in-kind products and services)
3% of our People (volunteer 1 day per month)

7. Takeaways
Why your website needs a #GivingTuesday page and how to
build one.
Getting your community excited.
4 Critical strategies for Giving Day success.
Top 10 tricks to becoming a Giving Tuesday Pro.
Checklists to keep you organized and sane.
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8. So you signed up for GivingTuesday…
A movement that harnesses the generosity of millions of people
around the world to support the causes they believe in and the
communities in which they live.

9. Set your website up for success
1. Don’t wait. Set up your site today.
Create a fundraising site for your entire holiday effort.
2. Craft a compelling and urgent story.
Why must they give today and not tomorrow? Make it personal.
3. Design an integrated marketing plan.
Everything should point to your campaign, even direct mail!
4. Plan for momentum with a soft launch.
Line up supporters to give at least a week before 12/3.
5. Run your campaign through New Year’s!
Ride the momentum of #GivingTuesday through early January.

10. Why do we need a Giving page?
“We already have a general donation page.”
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11. Seth Godin
The first page a visitor to your site sees.
Typically, causes 1 of 5 actions:
Get a visitor to click (go to another page
on your site or someone else’s).
Get a visitor to give (money or time).
Get a visitor to give permission for you to
follow up (by email, phone, etc.).
Get a visitor to tell a friend.
Get a visitor to learn something.
“
”
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2
3
4
5
Landing Pages

12. Why you should care:
“Good landing pages are the most
common element among nonprofits
who knock it out of the park with their
web strategy.”
(Nonprofit Hub)

13. Elements of a great landing page.

14. Show them what you’re made of.
“Removing the navigation
menu can increase
conversions by 100%.”
(VWO)
1. Captivate with an engaging, contextual headline.
2. Showcase your most impactful images or videos.
3. Limiting navigation gives direction.
4. Provide a clear call to action.

15. Landing page power.
“Removing the navigation
menu can increase
conversions by 100%.”
(VWO)
1. Follow-up email.
2. Direct donors to a thank you page.
3. Encourage social sharing after they give!

16. Apply campaign techniques to your landing page.
ü Fun
ü Personal
ü Easy to give
ü Easy to share
#GivingTuesday campaigns
need a dedicated page that is: An effective campaign has:
ü A marketing plan built to create
and leverage success.
ü A prepared and strategic leader.
ü An engaging story and specific goal.

18. A couple A+ offenders

19. pathfrompoverty.org

20. caninesnkids.org

21. Now that’s what we’re talking about.
“Site visitors who enter through a landing
page are 10x more likely to take action
than those who start on your home page.”

22. Getting your community excited.
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23. Get your community excited.
ü Planting early seeds makes a BIG difference.
ü Come up with a catchy and enticing incentive.
ü Devise memorable, appealing, emotional, branded
imagery/video.
ü Remember that how you pave the way matters.
ü Create an orchestra of people to help make a lot of noise for you.
ü Get massive momentum with your soft launch so you start on
top!
ü Craft multiple messages, from various sources that feel personal,
persuasive and validating, that are impossible to ignore.
ü Keep your messaging brief so people don’t glaze-over.
ü Expect to be successful and have plans to propel you forward.

24. Collaborate for More Impact
@waxbuffalo abundanceofhopecenter.org

25. 4 Critical strategies for Giving Day success
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26. “By failing to prepare, you
are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin

27. Create a Giving Tuesday marketing plan.#1
page
page

28. Start with a 360 approach#2
Generate Excitement +
Momentum
Intense
Communication Blitz
Gratitude + Follow Up +
Continued Momentum
Cultivate network Announce incentives Keep it up!
Plant seeds Give updates Celebrate success
Get permission Celebrate milestones Report on impact
Recruit advocates Consistent follow-up Set a new goal
Teasers Show immediate gratitude Request continued support
Soft launch Nudge advocates Identify handraisers
BEFORE DURING AFTER

29. Focus.
Make the most of people you already have access to.
#3
ADVOCATE
SUPPORTER
LURKER
The goal of your
efforts is to move
people along this
continuum.

30. Make Your Own Luck.#4
You can tip the scales in your favor.
Line people up in advance to:
ü Provide a match.
ü Donate when you want.
ü Share when you ask.
ü Give you access to influencers.
ü Advocate for you.

31. Top 10 Tricks to Becoming a Giving Tuesday Pro
4

32. Pave the way with goodwill. #1
Work on the relationship with your mass community now.
q Give updates without asking for anything.
q Train them with consistent email and social media communications.
Build excitement by planting seeds that #GivingTuesday is coming.
q Ask people to vote on the project.
q Make a public call for online street-teamers.
q Give insiders the scoop (e.g., board, staff, committee members, major donors).
Manage expectations and educate.
q Give a heads-up about upcoming push.
q Give an end-date and ask them not to unsubscribe.
q Help them understand why their support matters.

33. Devise an incentive! #2
You need a motivator and something
with an excuse to report back:
ü Set a goal and make it official.
ü Ask a major donor to do a match.
ü Secure a back-up match to follow-on.
ü Motivate them with something silly!
ü Create a contest between groups.

34. Don’t be a one-man-band. #3

35. Do a staff campaign. #4
Most organizations don’t solicit staff support.
ü Bring them in the loop on your #GivingTuesday initiative.
ü Ask them to share the campaign.
ü Create massive internal hype and help them feel part of the momentum so they
are naturally motivated to give. You won’t even have to ask.

36. Identify and recruit advocates. #5
Who do you know who is
invested and has influence?
ü Board members are obvious, but don’t overlook
committee members, zealous volunteers and staff!

37. Make sharing easy. #6
Create a marketing toolkit.
Write blurbs people can
copy/paste to social media or
email their network. Don’t
forget the email signature!
Use clickable tweets.
Pre-write tweets so
people just click to post.
Orchestrate waves of sharing.
Encourage people to post to
Facebook and Twitter on the
same day with a specific
hashtag.
#
Create schedule to remind
people to share for you.
Come up with a themed
messaging calendar.
Write a thank you script.
Send to a contributor within 24
hours of giving and ask them
personally
to share.
Issue a press release.
A simple link to pitch press
and bloggers or respond to
HARO inquiries.

38. Plan for a soft launch. #7
ü Giving begets giving, so try to make the thermometer rise 30% before you go mass.
ü Receive feedback, fine tune campaign,
get community buy-in.
ü Expand your advocates group.
ü Give press ‘exclusives.’
ü Make connections…who do you know?
Create the perception of a successful campaign.
People want to be on the winning team.

39. Plan for a soft launch. #7
ü Choose a specific timeframe. Set a deadline.
ü Start talking it up early.
ü Have soft launch goal and target audience.
ü Make sure your target list is enough to hit your goal.
ü Confirm they’re truly in.
ü Include your staff!
ü Show immediate gratitude.
ü Send multiple reminders.
ü Be relentless.

40. Cover all the bases. #8
Press Outreach
Website
Social Media
Campaign Page
Offline
Communications
Everything should
point to your URL!

41. #9
üMultiple mass emails with a clear call to action and interesting update.
üPersonalized email scripts that feel like it was written for them.
üTake the pressure off: Just ask people to share.
üFor key advocates: Communicate in their preferred way to solicit
support and then follow-up via email.
üGive hourly/daily/weekly updates to staff, board and street team.
You are asking them to share just as
much as you are asking them to give.
Make Your Own Luck.

42. #10
ü Put people in the mood to share with appreciation.
• Within 60-120 minutes on #GivingTuesday.
ü ‘Thank yous’ are an excuse for personal asks.
• Follow-up with requests to share.
ü Leverage new supporters to spread the word.
• Ask them to join your online street team.
ü Report back on impact, progress and success.
• Send timely updates to keep them engaged and feeling good about
supporting you.
Use gratitude, turn supporters into advocates

43. Checklists to keep you organized and sane.
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44. Launch week checklist
Be ready for a full court press.
The momentum you get during the soft launch and the first official launch days is
critical, so have a plan for what communications will look like this week.
q Two mass emails (e.g., on Tuesday and Thursday)
q Make specific asks:
q Will you ‘like’ our campaign?
q Will you ‘share’ our campaign?
q Social media every day
q Public acknowledgments every day
q Announce a big contribution
q Personal follow-ups
q Big push with your online street team ß stay on top of people!

45. Day of checklist
Tips to prepare yourself for 12/3:
The momentum you get during the soft launch and the first official launch days is critical, so have a plan
for what communications will look like this week.
q Make sure team roles and responsibilities are clear to be nimble and responsive.
q Prepare as many materials in advance that you can tweak and deploy.
q Come to work ready to be ‘on’ all day.
q Use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule social media and a third-party party email system to
schedule one email the night before and one that morning.
q Have the rest of your emails in the can, but editable in case something happens that
warrants an update.
q Be prepared to monitor social media all day to interact with supporters and give immediate,
motivating updates.
q Leverage the tag n’ thank method to create buzz and subtle social pressure.
q Send immediate personal thank you emails asking people to share the campaign.
q Blast mass email updates throughout the day.
q Send internal emails to keep street team and staff motivated and reminded to share.

46. Marketing toolkit checklist
Promotional calendar:
q Plot communication strategy
q Frequency
q Desired milestones
q Special announcements
q Pre-plan excuses to invigorate
the campaign
Easy to share tools, provide your supporters:
q Pre-written scripts
q Blurbs for Facebook and LinkedIn
q Clickable tweets
q Crowdfunding custom receipt tool
q Special email signature
q Press release link
Social media engagement tactics you can plan for:
q Unique hashtags
q Shareable imagery
q Contests and matching gift announcements

47. Action Steps
ü Successful fundraising is about marketing.
ü Get people engaged as early as possible.
ü Include your community in the conversation.
ü Personal relationships will play a key role.
ü Create an online street team. Make sharing easy with toolkits.
ü The ‘soft’ launch is critical.
ü Frequency is everything: Lots of emails. Lots of postings.
ü Create excuses to share. Don’t just ask for money.
ü People are more invested if they feel their impact.
ü Turn supporters into advocates to expand your reach.

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