Not Just For Nonprofits: 9 #GivingTuesday Ideas That Work

It’s that time of year again! Since 2012, nonprofits around the globe have kickstarted the giving season with an annual day of fundraising called #GivingTuesday. On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the event occurs yearly on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is now a powerful force of its own, having resulted in $300 million raised online for various causes and organizations since its inception. And it’s not just for nonprofits—the movement encourages civic organizations, businesses and corporations, and families and individuals to spread kindness, donate time and resources to causes that inspire them, and help out their communities in whatever ways they can think of.

“Whatever ways they can think of” being the key—it’s a challenge to try to stand out from the many organizations asking for support on this day. But luckily there’s also no shortage of creative ways to rally your supporters (or your shoppers), as evidenced by some of the ideas we came across in the writing of this article. If you’re looking for some inspiration on ways to get your nonprofit or eCommerce business involved in the energy and excitement of this big day, check out the #GivingTuesday campaign ideas we compiled below from years past. Then get planning!

If you’re looking for inspiration on ways to get your nonprofit or eCommerce business involved in the energy and excitement of #GivingTuesday, check out these campaign ideas from years past. Share on X

#GivingTuesday: Ideas For Nonprofits

Look for a community angle. Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue, a 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization, is planning a day centered around a Southern California staple: Taco Tuesday. Taking advantage of Taco Tuesday’s existing momentum, the organization is teaming up with a local Mexican restaurant to host a fundraiser called Giving Taco Tuesday.

Choose a tangible goal. Saint Joan Antida High School wanted to raise money to help with the cost of bus transportation for its students, but rather than trying to raise the entire amount necessary—$108,000—it went for a smaller goal for this 24-hour period: $10,000, or the cost of providing transportation for 10 students. Similarly, WaterAid asked for donations specifically for the purpose of providing safe water to 100,000 kids under the age of five, calling donors “everyday heroes.”

Tell a story. Stories usually have an emotional appeal that cannot be matched simply by asking for donations. For example, one of the Humane Society’s most successful campaigns told the story of one little dog rescued from a puppy mill—highlighting a single win out of a bigger picture. And the Michael J. Fox Foundation asked people to share the reasons why they donated to Parkinson’s research, many of which were very personal. Ask your donors or the people you’ve helped to share their own stories.

Partner up for a clever twist. That’s what the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office did when they teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington to build awareness about the importance of mentoring and consistent role models. On the big day, two county sheriffs were put behind bars in a jail cell and asked the community to “bail them out” by raising at least $20,000. Donations were accepted either in person or online. (An eCommerce version of this: Lands’ End partnered with National Coalition for the Homeless to donate a new coat for every one purchased online during a single hour on #GivingTuesday.)

Say “thank you.” Hunger-relief agency Second Helpings was pleasantly surprised at what happened one #GivingTuesday when it decided to call donors to say “Thank you”: People were so happy to hear from them that they donated without being asked, to the tune of about $40,000—plus a $25,000 match from an anonymous individual.

 

3 Ways To Optimize Donations With Payment Processing The giving season starts with a great #GivingTuesday campaign idea, but you also need to set your donation process up for success during the months that follow. Because one of the most common objections about giving is that it is “too hard,” your online checkout process should be as accommodating as possible. When it comes time to give, these three tips will help ensure every donor has a good giving experience: Make sure your checkout process is optimized for all devices, including desktop computers, mobile phones, and tablets. Online giving in the educational sector increased by 56 percent in 2016-2017 over the previous year, while mobile and tablet users accounted for 50 percent of website traffic across all nonprofit sectors. Your payment process should be mobile optimized to help capture as many donations as possible. Provide numerous payment options. Fundraising campaigns (especially ones that go viral) can attract interest from everywhere around the world, so your payments engine should accept all major cards as well as plenty of other commonly used payment methods globally. If givers don’t see a familiar payment option, they’re less likely to follow through. Make the payment process quick and seamless. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa Checkout, and other eWallets were designed to make payments and donations quick and easy. They’re also most commonly used by people ages 25 to 34—the same crowd most likely to access your donation page via mobile. So it’s well worth your time to implement this payment method, which could potentially help you capture tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars more in donations.

Is your payment platform up to the task of making your #GivingTuesday ideas a success? Talk to us about how you can switch to BlueSnap now and be ready to go for the big day.

#GivingTuesday: Marketing Ideas For eCommerce Businesses

Encourage shopper donations and volunteer opportunities that relate to your product or service. Defining Sports marketing agency has, in the past, created a #GivingTuesday page on its site with giving ideas that might resonate with its shoppers, for example, hosting a “Breakfast of Champions” and donating the proceeds to an organization of your company’s choice, or auctioning sports memorabilia for charity.

Create a virtual “event” utilizing your product or service and donate the proceeds to charity. Playmob, an organization that connects charities and socially-conscious brands with gamers, hosted a 24-hour live streaming event filled with games, prizes, and encouragement for gamers to support causes they care about.

Use your product/service as a force for good. Casper, the online “mattress-in-a-box” store, donated more than 25 mattresses and 50 pillows to five firehouses in each of the boroughs of New York City. They promoted their donation via social media—an important ingredient in making all the ideas on this list work.

Launch a longer giving campaign involving your brand and social media. New Balance used #GivingTuesday as an opportunity to launch its own month-long fundraising effort: For every Instagram or Twitter post of a user’s shoe or apparel donation to an organization of their choice that was hashtagged #NBGivesBack, New Balance donated $5 to Good Sports, an organization dedicated to helping children lead active lives through sports.

Have you heard of other unique #GivingTuesday marketing ideas? Share them with us @BlueSnapInc.