On December 2 the fundraising world with be swirling with Giving Tuesday (GT) initiatives. GT was established as a day to “give back”, on the first Tuesday after US Thanksgiving, to counteract the “Black Friday” retail shopping frenzy and “Cyber Monday” online promotions. So, on Tuesday after days of feasting and shopping, we reflect on where our riches can be directed to “do good”.
For the SSVP, GT is an opportunity to reach out to donors. If your conference or council is considering joining in, below are a few strategies:
Early “prompting”: Send out teaser reminders that GT is coming mid month, and the week leading up to December 2.
Multiple incursions: you may send out 2 or 3 emails on the GT day, starting with the appeal, and then reminders mid and / or late day.
Follow up contact: some will send out a reminder a few days later to donors who didn’t participate.
A good tactic is to get a major donor or sponsor to participate in a matching program. For every dollar the donor sends, the sponsor will match one to one, sometimes up to certain level. During a day filled with heightened awareness of fundraising, it can provide added incentive for donors to contribute.
You can also approach your parish and suggest an announcement for its Sunday, November 30th bulletin. We have included a message and a custom logo for the SSVP’s Giving Tuesday (image shown in this article) on our website. Visit: ssvp.ca/members/resources/giving-tuesday.
Happy fundraising!
