5 Free Ways to Amp Up Your Online Fundraising for #GivingTuesday

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Sponsored by Give Lively

#GivingTuesday is approaching fast and we want nonprofits to be prepared. We know that many organizations are unable to take full advantage of the digital movement due to the high cost of online fundraising tech. Last year’s #GivingTuesday attracted over 1.64 million donations and $177 million total. This year, those numbers are expected to grow by double digits, and we don’t want organizations like yours to miss out.

Here are some things you can do right now for free to up your online fundraising so your organization can take advantage of this year’s #GivingTuesday.

1. Set Up a Branded Donation Page

Nonprofit donors are nearly 70% more likely to give a second donation if they used a branded page the first time they made a contribution. Capitalize on those first-time #GivingTuesday donors to create a future fundraising stream.  Make sure your tech vendor or payment processor allows you to fully brand your page.

2. Launch An Email Fundraising Campaign

Once you have a donation page you’re proud of, send the link out to your donors and supporters via email. Email has the highest return on investment of any marketing channel, with $40 coming in for every dollar spent.  Load in your supporters’ email addresses, then write them a short note about how your organization will use their #GivingTuesday donations for good with a clear call to action and a link going to your donation page.

3. Turn Social Followers Into Donors

Facebook makes it easy to add a “Donate” button that links to your personal donation page to your nonprofit’s donation page. Here’s how you can do it right now:

  • Sign into your Facebook page as an admin.
  • Click the “Add a Button” button on the top right of the page directly under your cover photo.
  • A menu will pop up. Select “Make Purchase or Donation” and then click “Donate” in the pop-down menu.
  • Facebook will ask you, “What website would you like to send people to when they click this button?” Enter your donation page URL.
  • Your new Facebook “Donate” button is up and running.

You can also share your donation link in traditional social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Include a #GivingTuesday call to action in your post for the best results. 43% of millennial donors say they are inspired to give by social media. Around a quarter of both Gen Xers and Baby Boomers says the same.

4. Place a Donate Button on Your Site

Each of your website visitors is a potential donor. Make sure you have a “donate” button prominently placed on your site to reach them. Best practice is to link this donate button to a branded donation page where they can donate on the spot, on mobile or desktop. Better yet is an embeddable widget that lets donors give directly on your site without ever leaving the page.

5. Create a Text-to-Donate Campaign

Text-to-Donate is the perfect technology to complement your #GivingTuesday strategy. You can promote your #GivingTuesday text code on social media, in print, through direct mail, and any other way your organization reaches donors. Whenever donors are inspired throughout that day, they can simply text a phone number with your text code and make a donation in seconds. Text-to-Donate has historically come with a high price tag, but Give Lively is proud to provide this technology with unlimited campaign codes at no cost.

Want to learn more about #GivingTuesday tips and free resources? Contact us at membership@givelively.org. We’re here to make your #GivingTuesday a success and if you’re paying for any of the above services, make sure you’re aware that they’re all available for free!

Give Lively is a tech start-up that builds fundraising tech and gives it away to nonprofits for free. Much like a foundation, Give Lively was founded by philanthropists for the sole purpose of providing free resources to nonprofits. Give Lively stands apart from other fundraising tech companies not only because their tech is available for free to all 501(c)(3)s, but because 100% of product development is based on feedback from nonprofits and donors.

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[PODCAST] The Ins and Outs of Community Engagement | Ft. Amy Sample Ward

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NTEN’s CEO, Amy Sample Ward, and Randy covered a lot of topics in this week’s podcast.

Amy referenced her blog, where she writes about the ever-changing world of social media, engagement and the nonprofit sector in relation to generations.

It’s no secret that nonprofit branding is important to the success of your organization, but Amy had some different ideas on whether or not it’s the right thing to focus on.

Instead, she urges organizations to think about the idea of community. She believes that a community is a group of people that is already directly related to you and should never be something that you’re “targeting.” Your community is a group that has already opted to get content from you; whether it be through a podcast or email, they want to hear from you! Amy says that’s important because they’ve already said, “Yes! We like you!”

So what now? Is it like that awkward first date we’ve all been on? Yes, they like you, but what do you do about it? Cue: social media!

The point of social media can be confusing. But, for your nonprofit, focus on using it for:

  • Disseminating information about your causes and the organization.
  • Building community and engaging with different stakeholders.
  • Mobilizing actions like donations and volunteer work.

 

Social media is the perfect platform for getting your information out there! If your community follows you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., then they will see it. It’s less invasive than an email, plus you can send more than one without being too overbearing. By doing this, you are inadvertently building your community. Now you have to direct your posts toward stakeholders. Do this by creating a strong call to action that will communicate your cause to them. Social media is great for actions, too. Asking for donations and volunteers is easy because it’s so widespread. You’re reaching people you’ve never met without doing a lot of heavy lifting!

Not sure you believe how easy it is? Don’t worry! You’ll get the hang of it. And when you do, post on social media and tag us with what you’ve learned in the podcast. Use the hashtag #nphubpodcastlearning to see what others are saying and start building your community!

You can subscribe to the Hubcast on iTunes and Soundcloud to make sure you don’t miss out on our latest podcast.

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