By: Lidia Varesco Racoma
Owner, Lidia Varesco Design

You did it—you made it through #GivingTuesday! But your work is not done yet.

Take advantage of the momentum of your campaign: Follow up with your donors and supporters, create meaningful connections that will last throughout the year, and use the insights gathered this year to inspire next year’s campaign.

Say thank you—and share results

Thank your supporters on social media and share the results of your campaign as well as the impact it has on the people your serve. Sharing a video thank you from the organization’s founder or leaders can make it more personal.

TIP: Create an infographic or graphic that shows the results of your campaign and how you met your goals.

Send an email

A day or two after #GivingTuesday, send a thank you email or postcard to your donors and supporters. If possible, segment your email list to personalize the message based on their giving (ie first-time donors, returning donors, etc.)

TIP: Don’t forget to ask donors and supporters to follow you on social media so you can engage with them throughout the year.

69% of donors prefer to be thanked for their donations via email, followed by a print letter [2018 Trends in Giving Report].

Focus on them (not you)

Rather than talking about your organization’s needs, tell your supporters specifically how their gift will be used, the change it will make in the community or how a person’s life will be affected.

TIP: Add photos or infographics for extra impact.

Cultivate new donors

Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with new donors: Send a personalized message that tells the story of your organization, including ways they can be involved throughout the year. Mention any upcoming events or volunteer opportunities they can be a part of.

TIP: Link to a blog post or landing page with a compelling story to help them experience your organization’s mission.

Donors acquired during Giving Tuesday are 10–15% more likely to give again than donors acquired on typical days through peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns (Classy).

Promote your year-end campaign

Just because someone donated on #GivingTuesday doesn’t mean they are unwilling to give again, so add them to your list for year-end giving. Again, segment your list so you can thank them for their previous gift accordingly.

And if they do give again, remember to take them off your active list so they are not receiving unnecessary emails.

TIP: Include non-monetary ways they can give or get involved with your organization.

Encourage peer-to-peer fundraising

Give donors a way to be more personally involved with your mission by suggesting a peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising campaign for their next birthday or special event.

Contrary to what you may think, all ages respond well to P2P: Over 90% of Gen Xers and Millennials and almost 80% of Baby Boomers report using P2P (Guidestar).

Nearly ⅓ of online donations are made through peer-to-peer fundraising (Classy).

Gather data

Use this time to gather important data on your donors. Analyze their behaviors during #GivingTuesday, note what type of communications resonated best, and use this insight to improve future engagement with donors.

Check your social media insights and Google Analytics and save screenshots to compare next year.

TIP: Use the data you collect to make notes for next year’s campaign.

Collect ideas for next year

Create a shared document where you and your team can collect ideas and design samples to inspire next year’s campaign.

TIP: If you still have them in your inbox, save the standout #GivingTuesday emails you received this year (as I did myself!) as well as your favorite social media images.

Return donors whose first interaction was on GivingTuesday re-engaged sooner than donors whose first interaction was outside of GivingTuesday (The State of Modern Philanthropy 201).

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Don’t let all your hard #GivingTuesday work go to waste. Use this time to genuinely engage with new and returning donors—as well as to make next year’s campaign even better.