Nonprofits Win Big on GivingTuesday!

Surely you’ve seen this news splashed all over the place: Giving Tuesday, 2024 edition, raised $3.6 billion, a 16% increase over last year.

This is a boon to nonprofits that had seen flat results in 2022 and 2023, both of which brought in around $3.1 billion on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s remarkable, too, given the intensity of November and the fact that political changes always cause economic uncertainty in one way or another. A recent study found that more than half of Americans (52%) reported that reduced giving is a direct result of economic concerns. In a September survey by Wells Fargo, 51% of respondents reported not having enough money to give to nonprofits at all.

So what happened? The CEO of GivingTuesday, Asha Curran, said, “In a world that can feel increasingly divided, we’re seeing people unite through simple acts of kindness that have profound ripple effects.”

If GivingTuesday portends a profitable year-end giving season for nonprofits, it’s time to consider ways you can keep the trend positive until the ball drops (and through next year, too). With nonprofit clients of all sizes, we’ve seen some tactics that will work regardless of your size, mission, resources, or location.

Regardless of the campaigns you’re running, the fundraising goal staring you in the face, or the number of days you’ve got until the year ends, there are at least five tried-and-true tactics that will help you this year-end giving season…and well into 2025.

5 Smart Nonprofit Moves…Right Now

Let’s look at some shifts you can implement right now to shore up fundraising. Are they basic? Sure, but they’re great reminders of the foundational elements of a successful nonprofit.

1. Double Down on Donor Gratitude

A donor that feels appreciated—whether they’ve stuffed a dollar in a red Salvation Army kettle or they’re signing a check for a major gift—is a donor that will feel good about what they’ve done and will feel an affinity for your nonprofit.

Angel Aloma was the Executive Director of Food for the Poor for decades. It’s one of the largest international charities in the country, and he had incredible fundraising success. The reason, he told us, was a “Donor is King!” mentality. Thanking your donors and knowing them deeply are keys to building long-term relationships.

Quick Action: Choose a manageable number of recent donors and recruit your team for a day of phone calls. If every team member calls ten donors and offers heartfelt thanks for their specific donation, mentions how it will impact your mission, and closes with wishes for a happy holiday, you’ll reap benefits that ripple into the future. And don’t only choose big donors….it’s equally important to thank the donors that parted with smaller sums of cash. Sometimes big donors are driven by tax benefits, but an abiding devotion to your mission drives the smaller donors.

2. Turn One-Timers into Lifelong Givers

A strong monthly giving program is key to nonprofit success. It offers dependable and sustainable revenue, and we firmly believe every nonprofit—regardless of size—must focus on starting and growing a robust monthly giving program. (We offer lots of advice on this, from how to get a monthly giving program started to how technology can help your monthly giving program grow.)

Leveraging the flurry of year-end giving to convert donors is a great idea. Be sure your donation form is optimized and that it’s easy to toggle from a one-time gift to a monthly gift. Perhaps consider an “interrupter” popup that urges donors to make it a monthly gift. Especially during the holidays, committing to monthly $15 gifts might be easier than dropping a $50 right now.

Quick Action: Lean on your nonprofit CRM to automate the sending of emails, so that every donation triggers an email thanking the donor for the gift and explaining its impact. Then ask if they would be willing to support your nonprofit more consistently. Use stories or testimonials to drive home the result of increased donations.

3. Plan Something Crazy

“Crazy,” bear in mind, is relative. The idea is to take what people are used to seeing from your nonprofit—in emails, on social media, on your website, even in phone calls—and shake it up. You are one of many nonprofit voices vying for eyeballs and dollars, and the wisest of nonprofits will jump into unchartered territory to stand out.

This can be as simple as a homepage takeover on your website. Or launch a short, high-energy fundraising challenge with a fun reward, such as a board member doing something silly if a goal is met.

You can reach out through a new channel, change your messaging, or go all-in on social media. Come up with ideas that can be implemented quickly and will get attention.

Quick Action: Devise a fundraising challenge that will start and end at specific times. Announce it on your website and social media to build excitement, and consider whether an email announcing the challenge makes sense. When it’s time to start, use a thermometer or some other graphic to create a sense of urgency, and have a constant “live” presence on social media.

4. Dive into GivingTuesday Data

Did your nonprofit fare well? Take a close look at what worked—or what didn’t work—on GivingTuesday. Which campaigns and channels performed the best? What messaging resonated with donors? Looking at your CRM, which donor segments performed well?

If your results were less than expected or hoped for, why? Were your email deliverability numbers low or your bounce rates high? Were emails opened, or do your subject lines need work? What was your messaging?

If you consider GivingTuesday a dress rehearsal for the rest of the year, you’ll learn a lot from the data. This will help you fine-tune your appeals.

Quick Action: Grab a list of your GivingTuesday donors and segment them. They can be grouped according to almost any characteristic! Perhaps you look at those who are brand new donors and those who have given in the past. Enroll these groups in personalized email sequences and choose a goal, whether it’s another donation or a conversion to monthly giving.

5. Collaborate!

We know we’re always stronger together, and this is true of nonprofits. Partnerships can amplify your reach and help you inspire new donors to support your cause. Teaming up is a quick way to grow both your number of donors and the funds raised.

Two popular ways of increasing fundraising are to implement a matching gift program (in which donors can quickly see if their employer matches gifts and even submit the request right there) and utilizing donor-advised funds (in this case, your nonprofit will be a beneficiary of an existing fund). Both are excellent strategies for growing fundraising dollars.

Collaboration can be on a smaller scale, too. Can your nonprofit get profiled on the local news or written up in local press? Can a local business co-sponsor a holiday event or campaign? Look around and see who might be willing to talk about your nonprofit to their network.

Quick Action: Reach out to a local business to co-host a holiday giving event. For example, partner with a local coffee shop for a “sip and support” event—all that means is that a percentage of sales supports your nonprofit. When both you and the business promote the event, you’ll raise awareness and boost fundraising.

Turning Momentum into Long-Term Success

GivingTuesday 2024 showed us the incredible power of generosity, even in uncertain times, with a record-breaking $3.6 billion raised. For nonprofits, it’s not just about celebrating the day’s success, but leveraging the momentum to create sustained growth.

By focusing on donor gratitude, converting one-time donors into long-term supporters, shaking up your strategies, analyzing key data, and embracing partnerships, you can ensure your year-end giving campaigns thrive and set the stage for a strong 2025.

Remember, small, thoughtful actions now can have ripple effects that build lasting relationships and amplify your mission for years to come. And this is sure to keep the good times rolling!