Giving Day Guide

Best Practices

Questions to consider

What will be your goal for giving?
What donor engagement strategies will you employ?
What social media/marketing activities will you do?
What other tasks or strategies would you like to participate in?

Know Your Audience

To craft the most effective message, you need to know your audience. Who are they, how can you reach them, and how can they be your best ambassadors?

Questions to consider

Who is your current audience?
Who is your prospective audience?  
How will you reach them?
What stories of impact can you share?
What tools do you need to  implement your strategy?

Donor Engagement

Stewarding your donors – before, during and after Giving Day – keeps them aligned with your organization for continued engagement and support. Check out the training series about donor stewardship.

Questions to consider

How will you engage your current donor base?
How will you thank your donors when the campaign ends?
What is your plan to follow up with donors after campaign?
How will you engage new donors?

Goal Setting

Goals for Giving Day can be more than financial. Manage your expectations for setting your overall philanthropic goals: new donors, visibility, marketing, social media.

Questions to consider

What is your financial goal for Giving Day?
How many donors would you like during Giving Day?
What other goals do you have?
Are there internal vs. external goals?
How do you plan to share your success with your donors and volunteers?
What tools do you need to make this happen?

Communication Tools

Once you’ve defined your audience, crafted your message, made videos, and set goals, be sure to maximize the communication tools available to you.

Social Media

For an online event, social media plays a huge role. Utilizing Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms will help you communicate with your current and future donors at every stage of the campaign.

Questions to consider

What social media platforms will  you use for Giving Day?
What are the key messages you will  convey through these platforms?
Who will run your social media campaign?

Develop and Execute Your Plan

Download Our Comprehensive Communication Guide

Now that you’ve answered some key questions let’s put it all together.

Dedicate time to planning and preparation, and then implement your plan 2-3 weeks before ALL IN
Start with soft marketing and then transition into heavy marketing at the 2-week mark.

Giving Day Goals (Know this at least on month before ALL IN - Talk to Laura at the Foundation once you have these questions answered):

What is your dollar goal?
What is your donor goal?
Do you want incentive prizes for your students?
What are some other goals that will help motivate your students to participate?

Meet, Plan, Discuss (Start this at 3-months out)

Set meetings with your students/faculty/staff who will assist with your campaign
Meet and complete this work plan
Review the prize challenges and decide which ones you want to participate in - Develop a plan to participate (times, donors, outreach)
Finalize donor email/contact lists and make sure all information is ready to use - discuss with the Foundation if you want to send out a personalized email through them.
Create an outreach strategy for current donors

Teasers and Preparations (Start this at 2 months out)

Download all items from the Nonprofit Toolkit
Add a Giving Day logo to your email signature
Add a teaser or save the date block to your website and outgoing e-newsletters
Make sure you have completed all checklist items from the previous week

Preparing Your Soft Marketing Launch (Start this at 6-weeks out)

Decide on communication tools
Determine who will run your social media campaign (staff, consultant, volunteer, etc.)
Decide if your organization will attend or host an event on Giving Day

Continue Soft Marketing (Start this at 4-weeks out)

Begin talking about your involvement in Giving Day at meetings and events.
Get ALL IN flyers and/or posters from Foundation and leave in office, lobbies, buildings, hang out spots
Continue to implement your communications plan (emails, social media posts, etc.)
Consider posting a save the date video on social media with the dates and basic information about ALL IN

Prepare for Two-Week Marketing Blitz (Start this at 3-weeks out)

Customize email templates from toolkit and schedule e-blasts to go out (you can work with the Foundation on this, reach out to Laura)
Finalize social media schedule and content

Two-Week Heavy Marketing Begins

Amp up social media posts – add Giving Day graphics to Facebook and Instagram (don't forget to tag the foundation so we can share it out!)
Begin sending emails (the Foundation can help with this)
Make targeted phone calls to donors

Heavy Marketing Continues (1-week out)

Make sure you have your Giving Day page link (talk to Laura at the Foundation if you don't have your link!)
Continue heavy social media presence
Finalize day-of event plans
Finalize day-of roles and staffing plan
Schedule social media posts before going to bed

Giving Day April 16th 10am

Kick off with a bang! Have at least 10 donors give at 10 am or during the first hour
Get out into the community and spread the word of Giving Day events
Be active all day on social media
Check your GiveGab Admin Dashboard every hour and make sure you are thanking donors in real time, either on social media or via email.

April 17th and Beyond!

Campaign ends at 10am - FINAL PUSH!!
Review any matches/challenges you have to see if there are any that have not been met yet.
Reach out to any donors that have not yet given, and ask them to support specific donor matches/challenges (send direct link)
Continue your plan of thanking all donors
Implement donor thank you plans such as who will make personal calls, send thank you cards, etc. (check your staff role list)
Send thank you letters/cards to businesses and other nonprofits you partnered with