Four Quick Learnings from Giving Tuesday

I just read M+R’s report on Giving Tueday and there are a couple things that I think are helpful for all of us Fundraisers to know.

According to their data…

Giving Tuesday Continues to Grow

15% more was donated this year compared to last year. 

Giving Tuesday continues to grow.  For organizations that are still holdouts, or still holding their nose at Giving Tuesday, I suggest allocating more resources to it next year.

More Donors This Year

6% more people gave gifts this year compared to last year.

I think this is a reflection of demographics; as more people who are comfortable giving online age into their prime giving years, more people are going to participate in Giving Tuesday.  I expect this trend to continue.  

Matches & Celebrities 

I’ll quote directly from M+R here:

“It’s increasingly hard to stand out in email inboxes with the influx of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday (?) promotions, but tried-and-true tactics like matches and celebrity signers who can really speak to your mission are still helping organizations speak to donors.”

While small nonprofits have a hard time affording celebrity signers, but most of us can get a match.  If you didn’t utilize matching or challenge funds this year, make it a priority to find a match for next year.

Giving Driven by a Fundraising Text is Increasing

M+R says,

“Nonprofits that have invested in growing their mobile lists over the last few years are starting to see major returns.”

If you’ve built your mobile list at all this year, there’s still time to set up text messaging to your donors for this year-end.  The company we recommend to nonprofits is Tatango – they’ve been great for our clients.

I hope this is helpful, and good luck with your year-end fundraising!