4 Steps to Start Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

Step #1: Review historical data

• Compare data from previous campaigns.

• Which communications performed well? Which donor segments responded well? What is your retention rate for first-time Giving Tuesday donors?

• Determine how the funds will be used.

• Review budget requirements and upcoming initiatives.

• Review progress on annual fundraising goals. 

• Pull donor lists to be used for segmentation and outreach.

• Determine which donor segments would be best to target this year, and pull the reports that support your reasoning.

Step #2: Determine your need 

• Pinpoint the reason for your Giving Tuesday campaign.

• Is there a program or aspect of your mission that could use more support? Is there something happening within your community that your team feels strongly about? Is there an exciting opportunity to expand your mission?

• Consider what your system will need for a successful campaign.

• Update addresses and other key donor information.

• Create solicitation codes for your Giving Tuesday cause.

• Ensure all necessary form fields have been created. Does your Giving Tuesday cause require you to collect additional donor data on your form?

• Test your form tool for friction. Is it mobile-responsive? Can it be completed in 1-2 minutes? Is there a monthly giving option?

• Create specific, actionable goals with target amounts and percentages. Ex. Raise 20% more than last year, and acquire 50 new donors.

• Create an infrastructure to measure your Giving Tuesday goals.

• If possible, customize the goal-setting feature in your fundraising system.

Step #3: Go for the story 

• Develop a theme and story that match your Giving Tuesday cause.

• Think about how you will spread your theme across all campaign assets (website, donation page, thank-yous, video messages, etc.). How do you want constituents to feel?

• Tell a story that will move people to give. It could be as simple as the story of how your nonprofit started, or an impact story from a beneficiary.

• Determine viable avenues for sharing the story.

• Does your team have the tools to post on social media? Do you have a dedicated team member to help with website changes?

• Consider integrations that could dramatically increase your story’s reach.

Step #4: Set the stage 

• Delegate preparational tasks to the necessary team members.

• Who will determine how you prioritize each donor segment?

• Who will develop messaging for your Giving Tuesday donation page?

• Are there any tech issues for your administrator to address (i.e. payment processing, integrations)?

• Develop a plan to capture and keep new donors.

• Develop an appropriate ask for new, small, and infrequent donors. If your system has a prospect research feature, use that data to support your acquisition ideas.

• Explore opportunities for major and matching gifts.

• Consider a giving contest to increase momentum.

• Create a plan to increase your rate of second-time gifts.

• Prepare all resources your team will need for the campaign.

• Build and style your Giving Tuesday donation page.

• Reply to general inquiries and process incoming gifts.

• Set up a mail merge for thank-yous and tax letters.

Need more Giving Tuesday guidance? 

For more best practices and task recommendations, visit the DonorPerfect nonprofit technology blog and download your copy of the Giving Tuesday Cheat Sheet.