Custom Ink’s Top Tips for Getting the Most Out of #GivingTuesday

Why #GivingTuesday?

When everyone gives a little, you can make a big impact. This year, #GivingTuesday is on December 1st—the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Since it falls so close to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s the perfect time to ask people to give in the spirit of helping others. Think of it as the kickoff to giving for the holiday season. When you participate, you become part of a worldwide effort to give back.

What is #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday is a global movement of giving. All kinds of organizations like schools, nonprofits, and large corporations can get involved in order to give back. It was created in 2012 by the team at the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. According to the organization, #GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities, and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.

The key to #GivingTuesday is that you hold the power to give back! The hashtag created the movement, but it’s up to you to harness it and encourage those around you to do good. We can give back year round, but #GivingTuesday provides a unique opportunity to get people excited about giving on one day. There’s also a lot of ways to participate–donations are great, but you can also donate your time as a volunteer, partner with other organizations and businesses in your community, or organize an event that gives back.

Promote your fundraiser

Getting the word out is what’s most important, so we’ve got some tips and tricks to guide you through promoting your fundraiser for #GivingTuesday. You can host a fundraiser year-round, but #GivingTuesday is a great way to inspire others to give back, since the rest of the world is in on it, too!

Spread the word early

Sure, the big day is in early December, but in the months leading up to #GivingTuesday, tell your customers, supporters, and followers all about this day of giving. In October, start letting people know the day is coming via social media and email. Tell them about #GivingTuesday, and that you plan to participate this year. In November and December, send more frequent communications with details about your campaign and how they can help.

Share, share, share

Social media could be a great tool for your organization on #GivingTuesday–the day has a hashtag built in, after all. Write up an announcement post about the launch of your fundraiser–don’t forget the link to your fundraising page, along with a brief description of what you’re raising money for. Share the announcement on your Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram feed. Edit it to work for each platform–on Facebook you have a little more room and space, so you can be more in depth. On Twitter, you have 280 characters, so leave in the most important details and include your fundraiser link. On Instagram, it’s all about the photo, so use a compelling image with a short but informative description, and put the link to your fundraiser in your bio. For more in-depth tips on sharing your fundraiser on social media, check out our 10 Impactful Ways to Boost Your Fundraiser post!

Make sure you keep your followers engaged on #GivingTuesday and during your fundraiser, but be strategic about how often you’re posting. People might lose interest if you share too much. Make sure each post has a fresh message that tells them something new. Consider setting up a promotional calendar like the one below. While social media is important, you can also use email and community outreach to promote your cause.

Use a hashtag

It’s important to use the #GivingTuesday hashtag when sharing on social media so that you are included in the greater conversation about the day. You might even get retweeted or shared by the #GivingTuesday folks or someone who likes your campaign. You can come up with a hashtag of your own that’s unique to your fundraising efforts and use that, too!

Use compelling visuals

Inspire others to support your cause with beautiful graphics. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be an artist to do it. We love using Canva for easy and amazing art. All you have to do is add your group’s name and it helps you match up with creative assets for free. Use these for your posters, emails, social media posts–the opportunities are endless!

Key messages to use

To help you get started with your fundraiser communications, below are some key messages the people over at #GivingTuesday put together that you can share.

“#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in countries around the world. Millions of people have come together to support and champion the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live.”

“We have two days for getting deals – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On #GivingTuesday, we have a day for giving back. Together, people are creating a new ritual for our annual calendar. #GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season.”

“Every act of generosity counts, and each means even more when we give together. #GivingTuesday includes people of all ethnicities, religions and backgrounds.”

“Everyone has something to give. You can give time or expertise, monetary donations large or small, simple acts of kindness, food or clothing.”

Twitter: “This year’s #GivingTuesday is on December 3rd. Stay tuned for
our plans and how you can make a difference! @GivingTues”

Facebook: “We’re looking forward to December 3rd – this year’s
#GivingTuesday. Stay tuned for our campaign plans and share how you can
make a difference this #GivingTuesday!”

Instagram: “We’re counting down the days until December 3rd – #GivingTuesday. Stay tuned for our plans and share your favorite pics for how you are giving back! #givingtuesday #giving #nov27 #unselfie

Inspired to start a fundraiser?

If our tips to get the most out of #GivingTuesday have you saying “hey, I want to join in!” but you still need to set up a fundraiser, then we can help. Not only do we love to give back at Custom Ink, but we have a fundraising platform that’s perfect for helping you reach your goals–and the best part is, you and your donors get some awesome swag, too!

Start a Fundraiser with Custom Ink!

Custom Ink fundraising makes it easy to sell tees for your cause–just design your shirt, share it with your community, and Custom Ink will take care of the rest! We fill the orders and send along the money you raise, with no inventory, hassles, or risk. Supporters can also make additional donations right to your fundraising campaign. We’re sure this is something your supporters can get behind for #GivingTuesday. Here’s a quick rundown of how to set up a successful #GivingTuesday campaign.

Share your info

Fill in the important information like your organization’s name, your organizer, and your goal. Also let participants know who will receive the funds, whether it’s one person, a family, or a group. This is also where you can include information on what the money will be for, such as medical expenses, operating costs for a nonprofit, or meals for a shelter.

Write a call to action

Inspire people to support your cause with a call to action. A CTA should be to the point and actionable. This is how you tell supporters what you want them to do such as “order a shirt to support Tessa’s medical expenses,” or “buy your shirt to help The Virginia Animal Shelter today.”

Design your shirts

Create your shirts using your logo, a piece of art you like, or play around in our design lab. We also have face masks you can customize! Think about what your supporters might want to buy. Do they want a shirt with your logo to show off your organization, or would they appreciate a tee with a smaller logo but a funny or inspiring quote? If you need some help, our art team can create something for you at no cost. Each campaign can feature up to six different products as long as the design is uniform. Pick your products, set the prices that you want to sell them for, and you’re in business!

Write about your campaign

Take the time to write a little bit about your campaign so people know what you’re about and why you’re raising money. Consider sharing the history of your group or cause, who is involved, and what the funds will go towards in the end. You can even encourage them to share your campaign on social media with the social buttons included at the top of the page.

Add a video

Add some rich content and include a video about your cause. Even if it’s a short snippet that you’ve shared on social media, any insight you can give could inspire supporters to purchase your product or make a donation.

Once you’ve completed your campaign page, it will go live for 2-4 weeks. During this time supporters can visit the page, purchase shirts, or donate with or without a purchase.

We hope this guide helps you make the most out of your #GivingTuesday. For more information and helpful toolkits, check out the #GivingTuesday website. What cause are you supporting this year on #GivingTuesday? Tell us all about it in the comments below. Good luck!