Soapbox Engage Blog

It’s October, and we’re just over a month away from Giving Tuesday 2023. November 28th will be this year’s biggest celebration of generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a day to encourage people to do good. In 2022, organizations received $3.1 billion in donations on GivingTuesday, a 15% increase from the year before! It’s an incredibly important day for nonprofit organizations to participate in fundraising.

We're here to help make sure your nonprofit is ready to take full advantage of this fundraising opportunity. Here is a checklist of things you can do to improve your organization's likelihood of success.

Giving Tuesday online fundraising checklist

1. Mobile-friendly design
2. Donor coverage of processing fees
3. Preset donation amounts
4. Recurring giving
5. Compelling call-to-action
6. Newsletter subscription options
7. Updating social media
8. Thanking donors

5 Items to Get Your Website Ready for Giving Tuesday 2023

The vast majority of Giving Tuesday activity happens online. It’s important that your website is prepped and ready! Check and update these things to ensure your donors have an enjoyable giving experience. If it is simple for them to donate, you could even raise more money!

1. Make sure your donation page is working and mobile-friendly

You’d be surprised at how many donations nonprofit organizations miss out on by not ensuring people can simply give online. It’s important that you visit your page and test all the links to make sure they work. Follow the donation process all the way to the end, so you see precisely what your supporters will see when they make an online gift. Organizations should check these things regularly, anyway, but it's especially important right before a giving day or major event.

In 2022, online donations in the U.S. exceeded $1 Billion for the first time ever on Giving Tuesday. It's critical to have a mobile-friendly donation page. Make it as easy as possible for people to support your organization.

If you want to go the extra mile, set up a custom donation page just for Giving Tuesday 2023. You can use the Soapbox Engage Donations app to set this up and seamlessly accept online gifts. Having a custom donation page for Giving Tuesday 2023 will help you track donations and streamline your follow-up plans.

2. Give donors the option to cover your credit card processing fees

One way to increase your income for Giving Tuesday 2023 is to ask supporters to cover the transaction fees of their online donations. The Soapbox Engage Donations app allows you to ask supporters if they will cover your credit card processing fees. It might seem like just a few pennies or dollars, but that money adds up quickly!

Most people understand that it's costly to process all those online gifts. Your donors will likely be more than happy to either cover the full processing fee or a portion of it. But you won't know unless you ask!

3. Offer donors pre-set donation options

Consider adding suggested donation amounts to your custom donation page. Studies show that offering suggested amounts, as well as an "other" option for people to type in their preferred donation, can increase the average gift amount.

For example, if someone goes to your donation page with the intent of giving $20, and they see pre-set giving options of $25, $50, $100, and "Other," they're likely to select the $25. It's only $5 more, and there's a "social good" pressure to choose a suggested amount.

There are studies that prove organizations need to walk a fine line between asking for too much or too little. Setting the suggested donation amounts too high will result in fewer donations. Conversely, setting the recommended amounts too low may bring in more gifts, but they'll likely be smaller than they would have otherwise been.

Consider using your average donation size from the previous few years to set some suggested donation amounts for your Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign. If your organization's average donation is $50, consider asking for gifts of $25, $50, $100, and "other." That way, you're staying close to what you know your supporters were previously capable of donating.

4. Add a recurring giving option, like a monthly giving program

Recurring giving options (also called monthly giving programs) allows people to sign up for an automatic draft program that bills their account for the amount they'd like to donate regularly.

These programs help create predictable cash flow for the nonprofit and empower donors to be more generous. Many people don't have $1,000 at their disposal, but they may be able to donate $100 each month, which adds up to $1,200 per year!

In 2020, 40% of Millennial donors and 49% of Gen X donors were enrolled in monthly giving programs. They're very popular, especially for people who are used to paying bills with an automatic draft.

Don't miss out on the chance to bring on some long-term supporters with your Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign. Times are tough financially for many people right now, but they still want to support causes they believe in! Monthly giving options help them give generously over time.

5. Give a compelling call to action

Once everything is set up properly, you must write a strong call to action. "Support our cause" does get to the point, but it's not informative or compelling, and it doesn't stand out from all the other nonprofits.

What's your “why?” If possible, connect your cause to what is currently going on in the world, whether locally or nationally. Your call to action should help potential donors understand the problem and why your organization is an excellent solution.

3 Things You Can Do to Benefit From Your Giving Tuesday 2023 Campaign Long Term

In addition to bringing in much-needed funds on November 28, savvy nonprofits should be able to take advantage of Giving Tuesday 2023 for future fundraising efforts. Here are three things you should do to prepare.

1. Ask donors to subscribe to your newsletter

Don't settle for one-time donations! Stay in touch with supporters so you can invite them to give in the future. Newsletters are an essential communication tool for nonprofits to connect with people, tell stories, inspire, and raise money.

Ask supporters to subscribe to your email newsletter when they make a donation on Giving Tuesday 2023. Even if they can't make another donation in the near future, you'll be able to build trust and share about your nonprofit.

2. Make sure your social media pages are up to date

Does your nonprofit have a Facebook page? It should! And, it should have current content (new posts within the last week). Before Giving Tuesday 2023, make sure your Facebook page is updated and active.

Having active and updated social media pages will help you broadcast your Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign far and wide. Plus, your loyal donors will be eager to fundraise on your behalf! Make it easy for people to find and follow your pages on social media so they can share your content with friends and family.

3. Get ready to thank every donor

You read that right. Be prepared to thank every person who makes a donation to your nonprofit on November 28th. Saying "thank-you" is about more than showing gratitude. It builds (or strengthens) your relationship with each donor and increases the likelihood that they'll give in the future.

Thanking donors moves your fundraising away from a transactional experience and makes it relational, where you and your supporters have a shared commitment to your cause. It's definitely worth your time and energy to express gratitude, especially in this season of stress, fear, and financial hardship.

When donors feel appreciated, they're far more likely to give again in the future! It doesn't have to be a big production. Even a handwritten note goes a long way to show gratitude. Don't be afraid to be creative, but make sure your organization has a plan to thank all the people who donate to your cause during Giving Tuesday 2023.

Now that you're ready to thrive during your Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign, here are three more resources to help boost your nonprofit fundraising:

• 5 Easy Steps to Create A Monthly Giving Program: Monthly giving programs create a predictable cash flow and can help donors give more money to your cause. With the right online donation software, monthly giving programs are cost-effective and easy to run. Learn how to set up a monthly giving program quickly for your nonprofit.
• 5 Ways To Make Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign More Successful: Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the easiest and fastest-growing fundraising strategies for nonprofits! You'll be able to mobilize your supporters to fundraise on your behalf. Learn how to get the most out of your peer-to-peer fundraising efforts.
• Boost Your Revenue with These Matching Gifts, Tips, and Tricks: Matching gifts are an excellent way to increase your donations. Learn how to market matching grants and leverage them well!