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1 Workbook

2 1 Background What Is #GivingTuesday? It is a global day of giving that unites people and organizations for one common purpose: to do good. Since 2012, #GivingTuesday has helped nonprofits increase their capacity and empowered 45,000+ organizations in over 98 countries to give back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2016, #GivingTuesday Raised more than $177 million on for charities in the U.S. (up from $116M in 2015) Earned more than 1.5 billion media impressions Engaged leading voices from President Obama and Bill Gates to Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres to promote the movement and encourage philanthropy at all levels #GivingTuesday is a Uniquely Mobile Experience #GivingTuesday is a social media movement at its core and nearly 80% of all social media time takes place on a mobile device. Your ability to get people to promote your campaign and make donations from a smartphone is paramount to your nonprofit reaching a new generation of donors. It s All About New Donor Acquisition #GivingTuesday is all about getting new donors involved with your organization that may not have been otherwise. Set goals for how many new donors and how much social media engagement you want to achieve on #GivingTuesday. Focus on these key metrics and you will achieve the best results over your entire year-end campaign. #GivingTuesday Inspires Millennials Millennials (donors under the age of 35) prefer to give to and get involved with nonprofits that they hear about from friends and social networks. This viral way of giving is unique to this generation and organizations everywhere have the opportunity to reap the rewards. Additionally, it is important to remember that Millennials would rather get involved and give, than just give, so make it easy for them to participate in your day of giving. 2

3 0 Your Campaign FOUR STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL GIVING TUESDAY A successful #GivingTuesday campaign requires strong storytelling, key supporters to share your story, a solid plan, and strong execution. Print this workbook and work through it to help you maximize your campaign. YOUR GOALS Set a really specific urgent goal for that one day building a house for a family; raising a certain amount of money for a foodbank, etc. What is your organization s most compelling need? Example: provide meal assistance to local kids. What would success look like? Example: raise $10,000 to service 500 kids. How many new donors would you like to bring into the organization? There are four basic phases to a successful #GivingTuesday. If you follow this guide, you ll be setting yourself up for success. Storytelling Plan Ask Follow -up 3

4 0 1. Storytelling YOUR COMPELLING NARRATIVE Your success in driving donations is largely based on how effectively you engage your audience through compelling storytelling. Breakaway from a boring recap of your organization, tell your story like you are telling the plot to a blockbuster movie! 1. Once upon a time When people give on #GivingTuesday, they want to know who they are giving to, so it is important to make this clear from the outset. Start by introducing -- or re-introducing-- the main characters in your organization s story, namely your beneficiaries or faces of the organization. The main character doesn t have to be a person or group of people. Highlight the noun or object being positively impacted (ex: the school district, the city of Boston, the animals, etc.) 2. What do the main characters do?... It is critical in a successful #GivingTuesday campaign to tell your supporters what your organization is dedicated to, otherwise they won t know how their potential contribution impacts the main characters. Update your supporters about the recent programs have you launched, what you ve been doing this year to advance your organization s mission. Share your story! 3. But every story has a villain... A good story would not be complete without the bad guy. For nonprofits, the villain is any obstacles you are currently facing. What is/are the main issue(s) facing the main characters in your story? What is preventing good from prevailing? Is it a lack of funding to expand a school in an impacted school district; or trouble delivering goods to homeless people in rural communities? Problematize the issues your organization is facing so that you can set yourself up to show how the donor can help! 4. The battle of good vs. evil This is about IMPACT. Convey your plan of action. Since your audience now knows who your beneficiaries are, and what obstacles they face, create and communicate your plan of action to help good prevail over evil. Convey your plan before #GivingTuesday so when the day comes, your audience is prepared to help you fight your battle. On #GivingTuesday, communicate updates on the status of your campaign; let your donors know how close (or far) you are to reaching your goal and continue to share the impact that can be achieved with donor engagement. 5. Resolution You wouldn t turn off a movie right before the bad guy dies. Likewise, don t stop communicating with donors simply because #GivingTuesday is over. Keep communicating over the next few weeks. Even if you do not reach your fundraising goal on #GivingTuesday, let donors know this. If anything, it may motivate them to give another year-end gift. Conversely, if you smash your goal, let your constituents know and thank them for their support. #GivingTuesday will end, but your organization s story should not! 4

5 1 1. Storytelling YOUR COMPELLING NARRATIVE Now it s your turn. Put together your movie script to build your organization s story. Remember, the objective is to make your story suspenseful, as if your audience is watching an action film! Main Character(s): What is the Main Character dedicated to? What has been done to prepare for battle?: Bad Guy(s): Good vs. Evil: Happy Ending: Combine the plot elements to create your own script/story: 5

6 2 1. Storytelling YOUR COMPELLING NARRATIVE To help you successfully share your story on #GivingTuesday, you need a team of Social Media Ambassadors. Recruit social media brand ambassadors to amplify your reach Look through your social channels and donor database to identify your most committed supporters. Reach out to those supporters and recruit them to spread your message on #GivingTuesday. Ask your board members to get involved, too. Give your ambassadors a toolkit to set them up to succeed Provide the images, links, and suggested language that you want them to share. Check in with them leading up to and on #GivingTuesday to keep them up to date and make sure they re ready. These are your ambassadors Connect this directly to your ask! Who are the people who care the most about your greatest need? 6

7 0 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT Over the month leading up to #GivingTuesday, build up your footprint in donors lives. Create a calendar of when and how you will share your compelling story. You want to have multiple ways to communicate with donors and multiple touchpoints for each media. It s OK if a donor receives each of the communications from you. Each of your messages should not be an exact replication of copy (your Facebook shouldn t be the exact copy in your text and ), but unique copy with a similar tone and message. All communication pieces should work together. Direct mail is good for telling a longer story and sharing lots of images, but requires long lead times and a marketing investment. enables the ability for a longer narrative and easy links to other media (videos, photos, newsletters) and donation pages. Social Media is great for quick and frequent updates, using images and videos Text supports the highest open rate, quickest review, and creates a sense of urgency 7

8 1 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT CALENDAR Components of a Campaign Calendar Start and end your campaign with physical mail. Use your Fridays for Texting. Tuesdays and Thursdays can alternate between and social media. Four+ Weeks Out The first weeks of November is where you start to tell your story. Use the Messages feature to text your supporters ahead of #GivingTuesday, laying the groundwork for your ask. For best results, send at least four messages before you ask for a donation. Two Weeks Out Mid-November through Thanksgiving week, tell the impact. Lay the groundwork then ask for donations Remind people why they support you in the first place what have you accomplished this year? Who have you helped? A Few Days Before Don t worry your donors want to hear from you. On Thanksgiving Day or the day before, send another text sharing a touching story and thanking people for their continued support. and then the day before and on #GivingTuesday, send your ASK. 8

9 2 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT OCT NOV KEY Channel M Mail S Social E T Text Type Ask Exposition Impact Stewardship 9

10 3 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT What channels will you use to get your message out ahead of #GivingTuesday? Website Post Dates & Times: Direct Mail / Print Post Dates & Times: Instagram Post Dates & Times: Radio & TV Post Dates & Times: Twitter Post Dates & Times: Press Releases Post Dates & Times: Blog Posts Post Dates & Times: Text Post Dates & Times: 10

11 4 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT BRAND Branding your campaign is important. Every asset you make should be branded for your cause and for #GivingTuesday specifically. Share those assets with your ambassadors so they can amplify your reach. Co-Brand your campaigns across all channels Leverage the #GivingTuesday brand to strengthen your organization (just like we did with this document!) Head to to download official logos and other visual assets, then tweak them to meet your needs. Donation Page Create a special donation form for #GivingTuesday that features a custom logo and a specific ask. Create a keyword unique to your #GivingTuesday push. Explain on the form exactly the impact a donation will make, $25 will buy/help us. If you or a local business will be matching donations for that day only, say so! Matching donations are a great way to encourage giving. Examples of mashup logos, created especially for Giving Tuesday 11

12 5 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT TOOLKIT Give your ambassadors the tools they need to succeed! Ambassador Toolkit Keyword and shortcode Donation form shortlink Official logos for your organization, #GivingTuesday, and any mashup logos if you have them. Social media imagery what pictures or graphics do you want people to post on their feeds? Suggested posts what do you want people to say on social media? Other assets for the ambassador toolkit: 12

13 6 2. Plan YOUR CALENDAR, BRAND AND TOOLKIT UNSELFIES Encourage your supporters to post unselfies to spread your message and raise visibility. Step 1: Take a picture of yourself holding a placard explaining how or why you and your friends are giving this year, and be sure to include your text-to-give keyword and shortcode. Step 2: Always use the hashtags #UNselfie and #GivingTuesday in the text of your post. Step 3: Include your donation link in the text that accompanies your picture (Facebook status, Instagram caption etc.) Step 4: Post your unselfie to Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter and share with your friends and encourage them to take unselfies of their own. Download Unselfie pages to personalize and print here: PowerPoint: PDF: 13

14 0 3. Ask EXECUTE YOUR CAMPAIGN You ve done it! You ve crafted your story, planned your calendar, sent your messages leading up to the big day. Now it s here, time to bring in donations! On #GivingTuesday Send your text message Send your text message. Send supporters a text asking for donations. Includes a link to your donation page. Messages should be direct and remind people that today is #GivingTuesday. Check in with your ambassadors Make sure all your ambassadors know today is #GivingTuesday and are promoting your campaign. Make sure they have the following: o Link to your #GivingTuesday donation form o Keyword and shortcode o imagery and suggested posts you want them to use Communicate with them throughout the day to keep them informed and thank them. Share Updates on Social Media Keep the excitement and enthusiasm building for your campaign, share updates and milestones throughout the day. Let people know how close you are to reaching your goal and encourage them to help you exceed it! 14

15 1 3. Ask EXECUTE YOUR CAMPAIGN Build a Thermometer of progress that you can share when you reach milestones. Make it personal, about what you will do, not just the money you raise. For example, show that you ve raised enough to give the gift of 450 books instead of the dollar amount going toward those books. Nonprofit organizations of all shapes and sizes can live stream #GivingTuesday events to friends, family, alumni, volunteers, ambassadors, and donors around the world in an instant. Empower supporters who can t attend your campaign or in-person event to join the event on Facebook Live Show your impact in action, be out in the community making a difference Feature the Executive Director sharing how the money raised will be used Empower supporters who can t attend your campaign or in-person event to join the event on Facebook Live Show your impact in action, be out in the community making a difference Feature the Executive Director sharing how the money raised will be used 15

16 0 4. Follow-up ENSURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS With #GivingTuesday behind you, the giving keeps going. Your focus shifts to the month of December and the year ahead. However, don t neglect to acknowledge your #GivingTuesday success and the donors who made it happen. Send a thank you message Within the next few days, send everyone a thank you message. Thank them for their donation and let them know how you re putting their money to work. Lay the groundwork for December Lay the groundwork for your year-end ask. Think of this thank you text as the first in your next series of three text messages, culminating in another ask at the end of the month. Review what happened Set aside time for an after-action review of your #GivingTuesday campaign within your org to identify strengths and weaknesses. Don t wait too long to do this even if it s just you jotting down notes, you ll want to have them for next year! 16

17 0 Pro tips OTHER WAYS TO PLAN FOR SUCCESS MobileCause The core of your #GivingTuesday campaign will, of course, be your Text to Give Donation page. Further engage your supporters is by continually modifying your #GivingTuesday donation page throughout your campaign. Add new sections and custom fields of supporters showing their #UnSelfies or videos of them helping. Add a disclaimer with the Custom Fields: Custom Message and Checkbox that your supporters can select, allowing you to use their name, image or video for the campaign. You want to engage your supporters, get them involved to champion your organization for you. Let them know that if they can t give (money) then maybe they can give time. Or maybe they can do both. Add a Volunteer Signup Page on your website and/or Facebook page. 17

18 1 Pro tips OTHER WAYS TO PLAN FOR SUCCESS Create Urgency Why should people give on this day specifically? If possibly, partner with a local business to do matching donations for one day only. Raise awareness with traditional methods Consider airing a public service announcement via radio and/or TV. Spring into Crowdfunding Consider using #GivingTuesday to launch a Peer-to-Peer or Crowdfunding campaign that will carry into the new year. Leverage Celebrity Supporters If you have a celebrity endorser, this is the perfect time to lean on them. Ask them to share your keyword and shortcode on social media or elsewhere. Start planning early and measure your results so you can learn for future campaigns 1. Start planning early and prepare your campaign (6+ weeks) 2. Make sure you have measurable goals 3. Take notes during your campaign just jot stuff down MobileCause wishes you a successful #GivingTuesday! 18