“It’s Always GivingTuesday”

An Unexpected Gift

A few years ago, a friend of our work reached out to me on the phone in early October. He had been following our work for years, always spoke kindly about it, but had never made a financial investment.

As we talked he started asking me questions about how The Hope Effect was doing financially at the moment. More specifically, he wanted to know how GivingTuesday was shaping up.

I told him of our progress in securing matching donors, what the funding was going to be used for in the coming year, and what early indicators were showing us. This was going to be the biggest ask and biggest goal in our GivingTuesday history.

He listened intently, nodded along verbally, and said he'd been meeting with his accountant and was looking for the right opportunity. No promises were made, but he was confident he would make his first contribution to The Hope Effect for GivingTuesday. He concluded the call by asking for information about how to make a stock gift and I connected him with our financial lead after the call.

When he made his stock gift on GivingTuesday my jaw dropped. It ended up being one of the top five gifts The Hope Effect received in the last few years! It not only helped us hit our goal, but it reminded me of the importance of GivingTuesday.

The Hope Effect has run a GivingTuesday campaign every year since 2017. We have learned a few things. Some of them surprised us. Here are three things to consider regarding GivingTuesday or any major campaign you are going to run in the next year.

A Match Is Inspirational.

Thinking about a match for a campaign is nothing new. We did not pioneer it and I'm sure you have seen it hundreds of times. We have seen the match work on GivingTuesday in two huge ways.

First, the team of people who we ask to join forces to make up the matching gift absolutely love to inspire others. They want to see more children get into families, and if their dollars can inspire others to join the cause, that is an added win for them. Second, we have noticed that when there is a match involved it inspires others to give and to even give more than if there was no match at all. For them, knowing their gift is unlocking more funds is a win.

None of this is just simply math. Something more meaningful is going on. The match brings a deeper win into the equation for everyone. The people who give the match love knowing their generosity is inspiring someone else's generosity. And donors give more when they know their gift is being doubled. It is a win-win-win that is hard to replicate any other way. If you do nothing else this year, find a match.

Pro Tip: We line up our matching commitments in order. This can be done by when the gift was committed, by amounts, or any way you would choose to do the list. For example, Donor A commits $10,000 and she is first in line from $0 to $10,000. Donor B commits $2,500 and he makes up from $10,001 to $12,500. So on and so on. Then as each matching gift is fulfilled on GivingTuesday we reach out to our matching donor and celebrate with them. Not only is this fun, but it is super meaningful.

Start Earlier Than Feels Reasonable.

Another learning from nearly a decade has become a fun internal staff phrase around here. "It's always GivingTuesday!" Gets a laugh every time because it does feel that way. We set the goal early in the year, we start looking for matching donors in Q1, we think through branding and voice in August, and we begin soft communication in late September. Then we open our public giving page in late October so November paychecks can land on the campaign before holiday celebrations and Black Friday sales get too loud.

GivingTuesday is a 12 month adventure. If an organization launches a campaign cold the week before GivingTuesday it is far too late to build momentum and the likelihood of success is much lower.

Pro Tip: This year we are seeking to raise $350,000 on GivingTuesday with $175,000 coming from matching funds. This is our largest stated goal in our 9-year history with GivingTuesday. Our first year we set a goal of $10,000 and struggled to hit it. We learned from it and gave it a try the next year. That is when we began to realize that starting earlier was going to be critical. Whether you are trying to raise a few thousand dollars or a few hundred thousand, start early.

Giving Tuesday Is Part Of Us.

Whether you think this is a good strategy or not, one thing is for sure. GivingTuesday is a normal part of our calendar and those who love The Hope Effect, "our people" if you will, anticipate it every year and look forward to it. I have had people tell me they are saving for it. They actually put it in their budget and set money aside so they can move the needle on the tracker. This didn't happen by accident. It happened because we showed up the same way, at the same time, year after year, until it became part of us. It is something our donors expect and anticipate.

Additionally, our GivingTuesday campaign generates year-end gifts before the last week of December. Many people are going to wait until the last week of the year to make up their mind on their annual donation, but there is a large group of pre-planners that love to settle their generosity earlier. For them and for us, it takes the pressure off the most stressful fundraising window of the year. Many of your donors are making decisions about charitable giving throughout November, not just on December 30th. When you are already in front of them, you get to be part of that conversation.

Pro Tip: Whether you are going to use GivingTuesday or not, a recurring event or campaign people want to be part of can be a great strategy. However, be careful what you build because it might be hard to shift away from it in the future easily. This year, 35% of The Hope Effect's annual budget is riding on one campaign. I am not telling you that to impress you. I am telling you because you need to know that before you build something this significant into your strategy. If GivingTuesday fails, there is very little runway to make it up. That reality sharpens our preparation and keeps us honest. It is not a magic solution. It is a tool. Use it like one.

It's Not Too Late, Yet.

If you are thinking about running a GivingTuesday campaign this year and you have not started yet, you still have time. The page does not have to be perfect. The match does not have to be massive. It just has to be real and it has to be early enough to matter.

Tuesday, December 1st is roughly eight weeks away and it's not too late to start. August would have been better, but now is still good.

I am cheering for you.