Early indicators are that #GivingTuesday will grow for nonprofits

With the summer over nonprofits everywhere much like the public at large begin to turn their eyes towards end of year activities and festivities. It might seem a little early to be focusing on the key events of November and December but planning is (almost) everything when it comes to results. Today I wanted to provide some additional resources about #GivingTuesday to help you plan ahead if you’re a nonprofit. Last year we wrote some early preparation tips for the big day which are worth a look and I am sure we’ll continue to see huge growth this year too. We’ll have further updates about the special day here on the Miratel blog.

Hopefully you’re aware of #GivingTuesday but don’t worry if you’re not, indeed the whole concept is just a few years old. The idea was developed to help promote an annual day of giving – a philanthropic stamp on the calendar – to promote the essence of giving to compete with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The logic being that retailers have two huge days that have caught the imagination of the public so why shouldn’t charities have an annual day to raise awareness about the spirit of giving at the same time of year? This year’s event is set for Tuesday December 2nd so make a note of it and you’ll learn below that there are more resources than ever to help raise awareness.

In the words of the organizers:

“#GivingTuesday is a day when people around the world come together to give back. As the movement continues to grow in the US, countries around the world are leading their own #GivingTuesday movements by creating their own initiatives to encourage giving in their communities.”

This is likely to be the year when #GivingTuesday really enters the mainstream lexicon of fundraising events not just for those within nonprofits but of course also for those who support them. Initially in 2012 just a few hundred organizations were involved and this mushroomed many fold last year. 2014 looks poised to be the year where it will be harder to find nonprofits who aren’t participating than those who are which should cement the day on the calendar. Perhaps the most interesting element are the possibilities. Nonprofits often see a surge of interest and support following a major global disaster, a well known planned fundraising event or viral fundraising events that have captured the heart of the public. GivingTuesday doesn’t lend itself to any of these elements but instead creates a day in marked contrast to the consumerism around those two huge shopping days that precede it.

As the day becomes more popular and adopted it creates a bright opportunity for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes to have their message heard and find new supporters or reconnect with existing ones. The idea is also hoped to light the touch paper early for the traditionally very successful month of December, a month of great importance to charities, and to maintain that interest for the rest of the month.

A selection of the official logos for #GivingTuesday 2014

There are some great resources online already via the official GivingTuesday website including national details and links to the campaigns in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia along with others. On the site you’ll find further insight into the campaign along with ideas and examples, toolkits, logos and banners, case studies and videos/graphics to help you prepare. This year the clever hashtag #unselfie (learn more via the site) looks set to create a buzz. By preparing early and also sharing advance notice with your audience by using the hashtag #givingtuesday you’ll be ready to join what will be a wonderful international community day this December 2nd.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.