In 2024, GiveBIG raised over $11 million for 1,429 nonprofits in Washington and GivingTuesday raised $3.1 billion for nonprofits across the U.S. But, numbers aside, our clients frequently ask us if the return on investment into these campaigns are worth the effort.
As GivingTuesday approaches, we were curious to learn how organizations in our community approach these campaigns and the tactics and strategies they’ve found useful. Through a survey of our network of past and current clients we found these common themes:
One third of our clients shared they only promoted one of the campaigns, primarily participating in GivingTuesday.
GivingTuesday often conflicts with their year-end giving campaigns.
The fundraising space seems crowded and noisy during these campaigns, with larger nonprofits attracting the majority of funding.
Limited staff capacity and resources led many smaller organizations to opt out or minimally participate - finding the extra effort outweigh the low return and the extra work.
A number of respondents shared they passively participate and send out minimal communications to promote the campaign(s).
A key takeaway from the survey was the challenge of limited resources and low ROI. To help your organization prepare and stand out, here are prioritized tips and strategies for GivingTuesday 2024 and GiveBIG 2025:
Use Digital Communications Strategically
Email is a cost-effective tool that played a major role in GivingTuesday 2023, accounting for 55% of total revenue, with an average of five emails sent during the campaign. A multichannel approach—combining email with social media—keeps your organization front and center before and during campaign days. Plan an email and social media schedule that highlights your goals, potential impact, and compelling stories.
For optimal engagement, consider sending emails at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., catching your audience when they start their workday or after dinner. Organizations using this timing earned an average of 28% more than those that did not. Let your donors know about the campaign and share match details a week in advance, and again the day before to capture their attention.
Urgency-Driving Language
To boost engagement, use urgency-driving tactics like countdown clocks, thermometers, compelling graphics, and videos that emphasize deadlines. In your emails, highlight match opportunities and clearly convey the impact of each donation, turning the process into a meaningful investment in your mission. Keep supporters engaged on social media throughout the campaign by using Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories for shout-outs, progress updates, and reminders about matching deadlines.
Target Mid-Level Donors
If GivingTuesday or GiveBIG overlap with your annual campaigns, leverage these events to engage mid-level donors. Segment and tailor your messaging to highlight their unique role in supporting your mission, using matching incentives, impact equivalencies, and graphics that showcase how a mid-level gift can significantly boost your organization’s impact.
Compelling Creative
The power of storytelling lies in its ability to connect with the audience on a human level. Sharing stories helps donors see themselves as a part of your work and how their contribution impacts someone else. Share pictures or video clips in your email communications and on social media to demonstrate the impact of your organization and create a compelling story that motivates donors to give. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the community and people you serve and share their testimonials. This doesn’t need to be professionally done – you can repurpose footage from a previous year’s mission video or have a staff member or volunteer snap some pictures or clips on their phone. The goal is to connect with your audience on a deeper level and inspire and activate your donors to give.
Keep Track of More than What You Raised
Reviewing your campaign data lets you know what you need to change to get better results. You can use these campaigns as an opportunity to analyze your campaign metrics to determine what is working well, identify areas that could be improved upon and adopt a data driven fundraising approach going forward. When analyzing your donations post campaign, we suggest looking at:
Donation page and overall website traffic.
Email open rate, click through rate and unsubscribe rate.
Conversion rate.
Average donation amount.
This will help you identify how donors made their way to your giving page, how well your messaging is resonating with your audience, and what strategies can be adjusted to better engage your audience. You may find your emails generate less traffic than your social media posts or incorporating video testimonials increased giving. This gives you a better idea of where to focus your energy for the following year.
If you choose to participate in GivingTuesday this year or GiveBIG 2025, think of these campaigns as an opportunity to test out new communications strategies, reach a wider audience and build new or deeper relationships with those who choose to give. If you would like to talk through your GiveBIG, GivingTuesday, or annual fund strategies, the Ostara Group is always here!