Nonprofits make up some of the most crucial organizations around the world. With a multitude of causes and missions, one thing that unites most nonprofits is dedication to reaching a goal for their community. And, as we all know, success requires not only dedication, but outside resources as well.
When considering external resources that make a major impact on nonprofits, the most common example that comes to mind is money. Of course, this is certainly an important aspect of what nonprofits need for success. However, today we’d like to take it a step further and talk about something called radical generosity: an idea sparked by a global event called Giving Tuesday.
Giving Tuesday provides a predetermined day each year for organizations, including nonprofits, to reach out to their communities and ask for meaningful support in the form of donations, volunteers, or even simple kindness. This day of giving is observed annually on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Though participation in Giving Tuesday is simple, you may be wondering about how your nonprofit could make the most of it. In this article, we’ll go over the history of Giving Tuesday for nonprofits, its spread across the world, and tips on how to harness the power of giving to benefit your nonprofit.
What Is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as, according to the nonprofit’s official website, “a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good.” In the past ten years since the idea was formed, its initiative has become a much larger, worldwide movement for people to give what they can, on a specific day that’s all about generosity.
Though Giving Tuesday was born in New York City, its impact has spread all around the world. Today, over 90 countries participate in Giving Tuesday in some shape or form – and there are no exclusions to who can join in the generosity.
Anyone, along with any organization, can take part in Giving Tuesday. There are no fees for giving, no parameters for a nonprofit to qualify, and 100% of donations or other types of contributions go directly toward the organization of one’s choice.
So, while Giving Tuesday has become a nonprofit in and of itself, it is still more of a movement than a centralized organization. For more commonly asked questions on what Giving Tuesday is about, their website has an FAQ page to help with understanding the full breadth of the day.
Giving Tuesday for Nonprofits: Helpful Tips
The entire Giving Tuesday website is an excellent hub for tips and tricks on how anyone can harness the power of their movement. What’s even better, though, is a page dedicated fully to supporting nonprofit organizations in their Giving Tuesday goals. Check that out here to get all your questions answered.
Some crucial steps for ensuring the success of your nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday campaign from the very start of your efforts are as follows:
- Set specific goals for giving so everyone is clear on what you’re trying to achieve.
- SMART goals are a good framework to use to keep things focused and relevant.
- Set specific goals for giving so everyone is clear on what you’re trying to achieve.
- Develop your strategy:
- Will you host an event? Will you showcase a recent win for your organization? Will you team up with another organization to reach a shared goal? The way you go about your Giving Tuesday campaign is entirely up to you.
- Develop your strategy:
- Spread the word: People can’t give to your nonprofit if they don’t know it exists! Effective social media communications can go a long way – usually further than in-person connections can reasonably accomplish on their own.
When sharing your giving campaign with the surrounding community, the nonprofit should also have some key messages to keep in mind that can help you achieve your goals while honoring the concept behind Giving Tuesday itself. A few of these are:
- The words “global generosity”
- While it may feel natural to center your Giving Tuesday campaign on your own organization, as well as focus on financial contributions above anything else, the idea behind this movement is people all around the world donating their time, money, and effort to worthy causes all around the world. The day is certainly a tool to potentially help you reach your goals, but it’s also a time for reflection on generosity, kindness, and fairness.
- People can give on Giving Tuesday in more ways than just donating money.
- For some people, it may be more accessible to volunteer their time or raise their voice for your cause than to give money. On Giving Tuesday, it’s important to emphasize that people can show generosity in many ways.
- Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for people to come together, especially in turbulent or polarized times.
- The words “global generosity”
Final Thoughts
Overall, Giving Tuesday can be a bountiful and inspiring way for nonprofits to ask their communities for the help that they need to thrive. Taking part in this global observance can not only increase your funds but can also boost the amount of support you receive from your community year-round – financial, or otherwise.
Finally, while Giving Tuesday is generally an open-ended generosity movement with very few rules, there are some regions where registering locally is required. You can check for those potential requirements here.
At KSR, working with nonprofits to help them find success is a huge part of what we do. And encouraging the use of Giving Tuesday for nonprofits has often been a huge part of that!
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions on what we covered today.
And if you are feeling the rush of radical generosity, consider giving to Adam’s Camp: Realizing potential, and developing strengths for individuals with disabilities for over three decades. Or supporting the Arts at every age and every stage with a donation to Aspire Performance Academy of the Arts.
