Is Your Organization Launching A GivingTuesday Campaign?

Giving Tuesday is Nov 30 this year and while it was no surprise that 2020’s event was one many groups decided to skip, I’m curious to see what transpires this time around. More to the point, I’m curious to see if/how the pandemic will impact the way groups approach crafting campaigns.

I could only find two examples in my email archive of campaigns from 2019 and while that’s hardly a representative sample, they both felt out of place in a pandemic driven climate.

Givingtuesday.org provides insights that project a rosy picture of fundraising potential over the pandemic, but their data doesn’t really break down results into sector, such as charitable vs. arts and culture.

At the same time, it’s worth pointing out their position on donor fatigue, which contains some truths we could all benefit from hearing (emphasis added).

GivingTuesday Data Commons research definitively shows that people are very motivated to give to many different causes. The key right now, as at any time, is ensure your relationship with supporters is experiential rather than transactional.

We find that people want lots of ways to show support for the causes they care about, and on GivingTuesday, the vast majority of people also take some other action besides giving dollars. Providing multiple touch points, messages and opportunities to show support helps make you relevant and inspiring.

We believe, and our data show, that “donor fatigue” is a function of the quality of the message and engagement rather than a question of frequency. Think about how your organization is providing supporters with an opportunity to exercise their generosity and agency to make positive change – that approach will help focus engagement that is motivating.

So what are your plans? Did you take a step back in 2020 but are jumping back in for 2021? How has the pandemic impacted your messaging?