What We Learned from Giving Tuesday

November was a busy month at the Farmhouse. Giving Tuesday was front and center with many of our clients participating and needing a plan of action. As we evaluated our clients’ results, a few lessons were learned.

Preparation = more success. Conversely, those organizations who jumped in the day of tended to receive substantially lower donations.

Email balance. Emails are definitely an effective way to communicate with donors, but cluttering up inboxes is counterproductive. You don’t want your emails deleted before they’re even opened because the message is the same as the previous 5 you sent throughout the day.

Know your donor base. You need to know who you’re marketing to. Some organizations’ stakeholders are older and more established. These folks tend to read print and write paper checks rather than donating online. This isn’t to say that they aren’t seeing your social media posts, they’re just more inclined to bring you a check if they’ve received a Giving Tuesday direct mail piece.

Take advantage of community events. This year our Colab neighbors, The Facing Project, organized “Thanks for Giving Tuesday.” Much like a tradeshow, nonprofit organizations set up booths in the Community Hall at MadJax.  The public was invited to peruse the organizations and donate on the spot, gather information or sign up to volunteer. It was a great success with one organization reporting receiving a $5,000 donation during the event.

Connect the day to a tangible goal. Communicate the specific reason for your donation request and set a monetary goal. This drives more donations than just pitching your organization.

Next year, maximize your Giving Tuesday donations by letting the Farmhouse guide you through it!