How to participate in Giving Tuesday
Is Giving Tuesday Worth it? I get this question often, and if I had to give a blanket statement, it would be a resounding yes. Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to nurture donor relations and stewardship. Giving Tuesday comes right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday – two of the biggest sales of the year. People are in a position where they want to give. It’s a popular day of giving in the US, and can be the day that pushes your year-end goals over the line, helping you start the next year ahead of the game.
There will be thousands of people looking for an organization they believe in to put their money where their values are. Reduce their work by helping them find you online! Neon One gives more detailed reasons and stats about why Giving Tuesday is worth it for nonprofits. For today, I’m giving you a copy-and-paste automation I made to make your Giving Tuesday easy peasy, pumpkin pie squeezy!
Giving Tuesday Email Templates
I will always sing the praises of email fundraising and how impactful it can be, especially during one of the biggest giving days of the year! Below, I’ve outlined 5 emails you can send for your Giving Tuesday campaign. Use them as you wish, or read until the end to copy and paste the email automation I built for you.
Use this email outline for your Giving Tuesday campaign:
1. Pre-Giving Tuesday email: Send your Giving Tuesday pre-launch email 2-3 days before Giving Tuesday. In this email, introduce your Giving Tuesday goal and discuss how your organization will use these funds to progress your mission. Encourage your supporters to get others involved!
Subject line example: Help us raise $XXXX, [First Name]
2. Giving Tuesday email: Send your Giving Tuesday launch email between 6-10 am local time. Include a direct call-to-action (CTA) that demonstrates how they can become agents of change alongside your organization. Consider sharing an impact story here for optimal impact. Make the subject line speak to the outcome your beneficiaries will get if you reach your Giving Tuesday Fundraising goal.
Subject line example: [Donation amount] provides [outcome/program goal]
3. Giving Tuesday progress email: Send your Giving Tuesday progress email 4-5 hours after your Giving Tuesday email. Share campaign progress and, if possible, include direct quotes from beneficiaries to reinforce your impact. Use a fundraising thermometer to show progress and make it more interactive!
Subject line example: We are almost to our goal – can you help?
4. Giving Tuesday “last chance” email: Send your last call email between 7-9 pm. Include your fundraising thermometer to show campaign progress, and reiterate where this fundraising money will go. This demonstrates transparency and provides a final chance to capture last-minute donors who want to be catalysts in reaching your fundraising goal.
Subject line example: ⏳Last chance to help [outcome their gift provides]
5. Giving Tuesday appreciation email: Send your Giving Tuesday appreciation email the next day to share the results of your campaign. Thank your supporters for their help and give them ways to stay involved with your organization! Reiterate how their gift will help your beneficiaries, and how they make your work possible.
Subject line example: You helped us raise $XXXX 🎉
Email Automation Fundraising Template for Giving Tuesday
You can use the above email outline no matter what email service provider you use. If you use Kit, I have another goodie for you! I’ve created a Giving Tuesday visual automation you can duplicate here. It’s not even walled by an opt-in – I just want to make it as easy as possible for you to reach your goals and expand your impact in this chaotic year. Make sure you update each step with your specific audience tags and steps. You will have to pause the automation to update your progress and appreciation email with the correct numbers, unless you automate this in your fundraising platform.
BONUS: Use this for any EOY campaign and just change the dates!
Are you a bootstrapped nonprofit leader looking to outsource your EOY fundraising campaign? Hannah from Mane Impact and I have a few spots left for our VIP week. Secure your spot today, and we will write and design your EOY campaign social media posts, emails, and donation page for you!
Not a Kit user, but this automation has sparked your interest? Use my link to get started with Kit for free! I will get a kickback if you decide to sign up for a paid option, but there is a free version that gives you one automated sequence and broadcast options! I’m a Kit loyalist – feel free to contact me with any questions!