What is #Giving Tuesday?
Gearing up for the holiday season, so much of the country is focused on consumption: Eating decadent meals on Thanksgiving, lining up for blockbuster sales on Black Friday, shopping for the latest gizmos and gadgets on Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday was started by the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at the 92nd St Y in 2012 as the antidote to the materialism and overconsumption of the holiday season, putting the focus on giving and community instead of sales and pie. Always held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to inspire generosity, support nonprofits, help individuals connect to the causes that matter to them, and empower communities across the globe.
In just a few years, #GivingTuesday has become a fixture on most nonprofit organizations’ calendars. Last year, nonprofits participating in #GivingTuesday raised $116.7 million from 700,000 online donors, in a single day. #GivingTuesday is powerful. Its reach goes far beyond Mightycause, with nonprofits and philanthropists in 71 countries participating in #GivingTuesday last year. Anyone can hop on the #GivingTuesday train — so why use Mightycause?
Well, we may be biased, but we happen to think Mightycause throws one of the best #GivingTuesday parties on the internet. #GivingTuesday encompasses the principles our small company was founded on: Digital philanthropy and using technology to lift the world. And we’re getting better at helping nonprofits maximize their impact on #GivingTuesday each year. In 2015, we helped over 1,700 nonprofit organizations raise more than $3 million for their causes and saw donations increase 60% from the previous year. You can raise money for lots of things on Mightycause, from wedding funds to medical bills to car repairs, but nonprofit fundraising is what Mightycause did first and we’re very good at it. We spend months preparing for #GivingTuesday, making sure our technology is in peak condition and creating resources for organizations. Mightycause’s goal is to set your nonprofit up for success, and empower you to make the most of #GivingTuesday. We sweat the small stuff, so nonprofits can focus on the big picture.
Why #GivingTuesday on Mightycause?
- Fabulous prizes! We’ll have a showcase showdown of prizes for nonprofits to win on #GivingTuesday. Whether your nonprofit is large or small, you’ll have an opportunity to win some extra cash and other goodies for your organization. Prizes help motivate your supporters, drive donations, and keep things lively on #GivingTuesday. Stay tuned to our blog to see what we’re offering this year! (We’ll announce the prizes in October 2016.)
- Free trainings. We want nonprofits on Mightycause to be successful and raise as much money for their organizations as possible, and in the weeks and months leading up to #GivingTuesday, we offer free training to help you get ready and make sure you’re well-prepared for #GivingTuesday. We’ve also got great resources, email and social media templates, and timelines to help you plan for #GivingTuesday. Check them out here!
- Peer-to-peer capability. Mightycause is designed for peer-to-peer fundraising. If you’re not familiar with peer-to-peer campaigns, they allow your supporters to create pages and fundraise on your behalf, putting more boots on the ground and helping you reach new audiences. Peer-to-peer fundraising can be a huge time-saver for nonprofits. Instead of collecting testimonials yourself to share with your supporters and show your impact, you empower people to tell their own stories about how your organization has touched their lives and reach out to their own social networks. Not sure how to go about running a peer-to-peer campaign? We’ve got you covered: Get the scoop on our free webinar on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, Engaging Your Ambassadors.
- No administrative headaches. Mightycause makes it simple and easy for you to thank your donors, track your donations, and provide receipts. How? We do it all for you. Donors receive a thank you email and receipt for their donation just seconds after checking out. Our detailed donation reports track your donations and donors and can be exported into a handy spreadsheet. We’ll also send your donors a report of their donations through Mightycause at the end of the year, so you don’t have to. Many staff members at Mightycause comes from nonprofit development backgrounds, so we know how much it means to have those small details taken care of for you.
- Quick, easy, mobile-friendly donation process. We’ve always prided ourselves on how quickly and easily someone can make a donation on Mightycause, but for 2016, we’ve streamlined the process even more so it’s even easier. Our platform is also fully mobile-responsive, so your supporters can easily donate from their phones. Over 18% of #GivingTuesday donations were made from a mobile device last year — and it’s a feature that is essential to the millenial demographic. The 2015 Millennial Impact Report found that 84% of millenials made a charitable gift in 2014, and we know that this demographic is also most likely to use their smartphones to communicate, browse the internet, pay bills… and make charitable donations. So having technology to make online giving fast and hassle-free can help your organization tap into that coveted younger demographic.
- Built-in community. Thousands of nonprofits and even more donors come together for #GivingTuesday on Mightycause. Nonprofits compete to climb to the top of the leaderboard, and their supporters come to Mightycause to support their favorite causes. Participating in #GivingTuesday on Mightycause can help your nonprofit reach new audiences and gain new donors.
Planning for #GivingTuesday on Mightycause
If you’re registered for #GivingTuesday, the next step is planning. Again, our resources can be a huge help in planning your #GivingTuesday campaign, and you can use our timeline and templates to help with the process. When you’re in the planning stage, think about the following questions:
- What kind of campaign is right for our organization? Think about your organizational capacity and what kind of campaign you have the resources to support. Are you comfortable running a peer-to-peer campaign? Is it easiest and most effective for your organization to take the lead in #GivingTuesday fundraising? Mightycause has seen all types of campaigns be successful and raise lots of money on #GivingTuesday, so don’t feel like you have to do peer-to-peer if the mere thought of it gives you heartburn! Choose a campaign that feels realistic and right for your organization.
- What’s our goal? Setting a goal is an important part of preparing for #GivingTuesday — you may want to look at your organization’s end-of-year financial goal, and use #GivingTuesday as a step to help you get to that larger goal.
- What’s our angle? Think about your “hook” for the day. Are you fundraising for a specific project or your general fund? What do you want to focus on?
If you’re looking for further help in this planning stage, check out our recent webinar which details all the initial steps you can take to get your campaign off the ground.
Where do I sign up for #GivingTuesday on Mightycause?
Registration for #GivingTuesday on Mightycause is easy and free: Go here and fill out this short form! It can take 24–48 hours for your registration to be processed, and then you’ll be up and running to make this years’ #GivingTuesday even more generous!