Is your charitable organization participating in Giving Tuesday on December 2nd? Giving Tuesday is a special day to take positive action in your community! Many Americans and Canadians are planning to volunteer with a cause they care about, or donate to a charity they support.
Giving Tuesday is a natural extension of the Thanksgiving holiday. After the turkey is eaten and deals are scored at the mall, it’s a great feeling to be able to give back with your family and friends.
Last year, Giving Tuesday left a big impact on popular social networks!
In 2013, 29% of online donations to American causes through FirstGiving.com were referred by posts and comments on Facebook. Non-profit organizations were sharing the Giving Tuesday call-to-action on Facebook and asking supporters to help by spreading the message too.
And in Canada (where the #GivingTuesdayCA campaign was in its very first year), FrontStream’s online fundraising platform saw the number of donations referred by Twitter rise by 712% in a single day! Those numbers likely reflected the many associations, consultants and non-profit professionals who were choosing to use Twitter as the main channel for introducing this new initiative to Canada.
Technology makes an online day of action like #GivingTuesday possible. We can now organize, communicate and engage in conversations like never before! A big part of Giving Tuesday’s success is the popularity of social networking activity through mobile devices. “Social” is now inherently “mobile” as the majority of Facebook posts, Instagram pictures and tweets are now sent and viewed from smartphones and tablets.
Did you know: Mobile traffic to charity donation forms on the FirstGiving.com platform has reached 49%? That means more donors and supporters are browsing on smartphones and tablets than ever before!
How can a charity or NPO participate in Giving Tuesday?
1) Create memorable content to share on social media: Tell a story about how donors have helped your cause. Design an infographic that can be shared on Facebook or Twitter. Or, try surveying your community to ask them how they’re giving back today. Make sure your content is unique to your cause and includes your logo, website or social media handles.
2) Be prepared for mobile visitors: Make sure that your online donation forms and volunteer registration pages are accessible on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. When so many emails and social networking posts are currently read on mobile devices, it’s essential that your supporters are able to respond to your call-to-action wherever they see it!
3) Engage with your community: On one special day, everyone will be talking about the importance of philanthropy! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to chat with your donors, volunteers, corporate partners, politicians and local media online. Follow the conversation on Twitter using the #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdayCA hashtags.
On Tuesday December 2nd, we’ll be sharing live updates about social and mobile donations, so keep an eye on @FirstGiving & @artezonline on Twitter. Let us know how you are participating, we’re excited to share your comments, pictures and videos!
