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We’re coming up on the most wonderful time of the year for those in fund development (that’s you!). Just around the corner is Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and end-of-year giving appeals. Your Reliant donors are going to receive a deluge of fundraising appeals from big guys like the Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, and Compassion International. So, make sure they also hear how they can support their “boots on the ground” missionaries like you.

What you'll find below: 

What is #GivingTuesday?

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is considered “Giving Tuesday.” It follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a way to give back and celebrate giving. It's not just a hashtag-Twitter-Millennial trend, In 2017 over $217 MILLION was raised in the US alone. That's a $100,000,000 INCREASE over the previous year! #GivingTuesday can make a significant impact in your ministry support. Blackbaud mentions, "With proper attention and planning, #GivingTuesday can be a focal element in kicking off the giving season." And it's not just about donations. You can also encourage your Reliant partners to participate in #GivingTuesday through advocacy (telling others about your ministry), acts of kindness, donations and volunteerism. There are so many creative ways to get your ministry partners involved in the fun. Let's explore a few...

Is this for me?

If you're raising your initial support, #GivingTuesday may be a fun way to remind people to jump on your Reliant team. But, it's not a long-term relationship-building strategy. So, if you're in Initial MTD, feel free to post a few hashtags, but this is not something to give hours of your time to. 

For those of you in Sustaining MTD, #GivingTuesday can help to bolster your special-time gift needs or set you up well for an end-of-the-year ask later in the holiday season.

#GivingTuesday can be a great chance to try something different or out of the ordinary in your MTD. Think about ways to engage your Reliant ministry partners in a new and meaningful way. Check out the Case Studies & Example Campaigns section below for a few ideas.  

At a minimum, let your #GivingTuesday activity act as a springboard into the holiday giving season. 

How do I participate? 

• Set a goal. Take some time in prayer and ask the Lord what He would like to accomplish in your ministry through the holiday giving season this year. Maybe it's to clear out your backpay, or connect you with 25 new people, or celebrate the good your Reliant supporters have empowered. Your goal will help to inform you on how to challenge your network on #GivingTuesday. 
• Let your people know something fun is coming. A "teaser" post could read: "This year’s #GivingTuesday is on November 27. Stay tuned for our plans and how you can make a difference! @GivingTues”"
• Encourage people to give back in a way that's meaningful to them. The #GivingTuesday website mentions, "There's no minimum or limit to how people can do good. Every act of generosity counts. And everyone has something to give. You can give time, expertise, monetary donations large or small, simple acts of kindness." 
• Activate your Reliant ministry partners by asking them to share stories of why they support your ministry. And remember how helpful it is when your ministry Reliant partners connect you with others! If anything, #GivingTuesday is a day for them to give you a shout-out and let their world know why they love being involved in your ministry.  *More on this in the #UnSelfie section below. 
• Post your giving challenge. Some basic knowledge of social media is helpful. But, your foray into this world can be as simple as posting a giving challenge to your favorite sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc) and adding the hashtag: #GivingTuesday. Data shows that lunchtime and after work are peak hours for people to give. If you're going to post a few things, do it during these two time slots.  
  • Here are a few sample posts from the #GivingTuesday organization: https://www.givingtuesday.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/2018%20Social%20Media%20Toolkit_Final.pdf
  • If your social media game is a little rusty, check out Reliant's Etiquette Basics for Facebook. 
• Hashtag eeeeverything! Posts to social media should be tagged with #GivingTuesday. Or you can have fun creating your own hashtag such as:  #GivingNewsday, #GivingBrewDay, #GivingChristDay, #iGiveReliant. Remember to tag your ministry and Reliant in your post. 
• Logo a go-go. If you like to get fancy, download official logos and other design elements:
  • Reliant: Reliant Brand Identity
  • #GivingTuesday: https://www.givingtuesday.org/logos
• Thanking Wednesday. Remember to OUTLANDISHLY THANK your community for jumping into #GivingTuesday with you. This is a fun time to brag on your Reliant ministry partners and publicly tell them how great they are. Share the results of their combined efforts. Maybe $3,000 was raised in one day. Maybe a much-needed service project was knocked out at your church building. Maybe 30 people posted #UnSelfies and spread the word about your ministry. Whatever the result, openly celebrate it! 

Encourage an #UNSelfie about your ministry

The un-Selfie is one of my favorite ways to encourage current partners to get in on the fun of #GivingTuesday. In the Un-Selfie, donors post a pic of themselves holding a sign stating why they like supporting your ministry. The benefits of this type of campaign are endless:

• It builds community (or a tribe) around your ministry. 
• It gives you some crazy-valuable insight into why people actually join (and remain on) your Reliant ministry team. 
• It provides a way for your existing Reliant donors to participate in the fun of #GivingTuesday without having to give more than they already do. 
• As donors share their pics, and their friends comment, you're able to identify new people who might be interested in hearing more about your ministry. This makes a future  "names ask" a lot easier! 

Mail or email a “this is why I give” sign. You can see an example below. Your #UnSelfie sign can be posted/ Tweeted like the example below. But, your Reliant supporter can also incorporate it into Thanksgiving festivities with family or hang it on the fridge as a reminder why they partner.

Earn bonus points by snail-mailing this sign in a Thanksgiving card to supporters. Be sure to hand-write a personal note! 

Encourage ministry partners to use the #UnSelfie hashtag to talk about how they are involved in your ministry and why. 

Case Studies and Example Campaigns 

The #GivingTuesday website gives a ton of examples of how organizations have built a giving campaign around this one day. Everything from the mayor dressing up like a superhero to challenging people to donate what they would have spent on coffee that day is listed. Read through a few campaigns to get your wheels turning on your own ideas: 

• Religious Organizations
• Local Non-Profits

Keep It personal

Always the very most effective retention tool is to actually talk to your supporters regularly and pray with them. Seriously. It’s not fancy, but people feel loved and cared for by you through this simple act. That’s important. “Donors love thank-you cards, handwritten notes, and phone calls. In the increasingly digital world of fundraising, these “human” touches can put you far ahead of the pack.”  - Blackbaud