5 Steps to a Successful Gives Day
Speaker: Jody FarrellAgency Partner and Creative DirectorTungsten Creative Group
Community Foundation of Fayette County presents:
Webinar Overview
• Tungsten and Gives Days
• CFFC and Fayette Gives
• Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
• 5 Steps to Success
Tungsten and Gives Days
Tungsten and Gives Days
Tungsten Creative Group is a marketing and web development firm specializing in helping community foundations and nonprofits in the communities they serve.
• We have been hosting Gives Days for the past 10 years, focusing on the needs of community foundations and nonprofits
• Excited to share that we have helped community foundations raise more than $40 million for their local communities
Gives Days
• The best thing about Gives Days is the incredible sense of place and community that happens.
• Nonprofits, volunteers, donors and the media all band together on that one day and rally for their community.
• This work is so important right now in the middle of the pandemic, unifying the community around a goal.
What is a Gives Day?
Gives Days
• Gives Days are lots of work, especially the pre-launch phase which is why we are all here today.
• We are going to guide you through a few tried and tested ideas for nonprofit promotion and encourage lots of collaborative thinking.
What is a Gives Day?
CFFC and Fayette Gives
CFFC and Fayette Gives
• Let’s give a big hand to the Community Foundation of Fayette County.
• They initiated this project and are providing the donation platform, the technology, as well as raising money for the pro-rated match pool.
• They are also investing in some general paid media to assist in the overall awareness of the event.
• CFFC’s donors are not your donors.
• Your donors may not know exactly what the role of a community foundation even is.
• The real way to make the Fayette Gives successful is for nonprofits to actively engage your own donors to give on this one day.
CFFC and Fayette Gives
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
• 75% percent of donors give to a nonprofit they have already supported in the past
• About half of donors give to only 1 or 2 nonprofits
This tells us that Gives Days donors want their favorite nonprofit to benefit from the extra money in that match pool. That is the motivation.
A few Gives Days statistics…..
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
• Donors that give on Gives Days are usually higher-value donors, they tend to be more engaged, and typically can continue and increase their donations with interaction.
• Gives Days provide the opportunity to drive longer-term engagement.
• Gives Days donors tend to become more loyal, this has to do with the engagement, communication channels and the idea of galvanizing around a cause.
Higher-value Donors:
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
This engagement may have to do with the non-traditional type of communication that nonprofits utilize during Gives Days.
• It’s typically more frequent.
• It’s more PR-oriented, more legitimate per the consumer.
• Driven a lot by social media and direct emails.
• Yet, it is a perfect opportunity to underscore your brand, like the Y...
• Gives Days provides a more level playing field between small and large nonprofits.
• We say people like to ‘give where they live.’
• Donors want to know they are helping locally during this community event.
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
Fayette Gives logo:
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
• Using this brand ensures the community see continuity and guarantees more bang for your buck.
• Potential donors should be seeing this logo everywhere.
• This will make them recall communication from their favorite nonprofit. If definitely will start to have as we say ‘stickiness’ and will hopefully stay top-of-mind.
Fayette Gives logo:
Gives Day Donor Behavior and Engagement
5 Steps to Success
5 Steps to Success
Start with a Goal Focus on your Impact Create an Activity Plan
Set a Timeline Enjoy the Day
5 Steps to Success
Start with a Goal
Internal or external facing, it needs to be specific, attainable and measurable.
This doesn't necessarily mean a monetary goal, it could be something like:
• How many new donors do you think you can attract?
• What impact do you want to demonstrate to the community?
• How many touch points do you want to create?
Start with a Goal
The United Way’s mission for this Gives Day was to actually let donors know what their main goal for the community is.
It is to crush poverty.
They created the following graphics to show the many facets of their plan and utilized this design all the way through their Gives Day.
United Way of Erie County — Crush Poverty
Start with a Goal
5 Steps to Success
Focus on Your Impact
Focus on Your Impact
Focus on the good that you do, the people, animals, or things that you help.
This impact is a concrete reason for donors to give, it should be the centerpiece of your communications.
Your Messaging
Focus on Your Impact
They are demonstrating to donors how their gift will impact the nonprofit.
Bethesda Lutheran Services
Focus on Your Impact
They are telling and showing how you can help during the pandemic through Gives Day.
ServErie
5 Steps to Success
Create an Activity Plan
From our experience, the point is not to spend a lot on paid media.
This can sometimes feel disingenuous to donors and typically results in low ROI.
The most effective way to reach and encourage donors is to develop a comprehensive plan to showcase that community-minded impact.
Create an Activity Plan
Create an Activity Plan
Facebook + Instagram – Daily Active Usage
Media That Works: Social Media
Daily Active Users Daily Active Users
1.623 Billion 500 Million
Source: HootSuite
Create an Activity Plan
Facebook and Instagram – Usage by Age
Media That Works: Social Media
Source: Sprout Social and Pew Research
Create an Activity Plan
Facebook – Usage by Location
Media That Works: Social Media
Source: Sprout Social and Pew Research
Create an Activity Plan
Instagram – Usage by Location
Media That Works: Social Media
Source: Sprout Social and Pew Research
Create an Activity Plan
Social Media: Facebook
No need to reinvent the wheel if donors are engaged with your current email or traditional print newsletters. This is a perfect place to start to plant the Fayette Gives seed.
Create an Activity Plan
Piggyback on current email or print newsletters
Consider sending a quick email to say hello and let them know Fayette Gives is coming up.
Create an Activity Plan
Direct Donor Emails
5 Steps to Success
Set a Timeline
• The Activity Plan should be based on a timeline.
• Our recommendation is to roll it out as soon as possible, with early and frequent mentions of the Gives Days date.
• As the date gets closer, start engaging with more frequency.
Set a Timeline
4 to 6 Weeks Out — Start October 5 to 19
This is the day to actively make sure your donors know the Gives Day is tomorrow.
Set a Timeline
One Day Before — November 11, 2020
Emails and social posts throughout the day drive donations. We see activity spikes after emails and posts.
Set a Timeline
Gives Day — November 12, 2020
A day of thank you emails and social media posts.
Set a Timeline
Day After — November 13, 2020
5 Steps to Success
Enjoy the Day
You will have worked hard to create the energy that happens during this day, whether you are actively in touch with donors that day, making videos, speaking with the media, posting updates, be sure to share your enthusiasm.
Enjoy the Day
5 Steps to Success
There’s actually one more step!
5 Steps to Success
Be Grateful
Thank you notes are awesome to brand and carry the contagious positivity of this day.
Top Related