Giving Tuesday is an annual movement following Black Friday, meant to direct some of that spending momentum toward supporting good causes with charitable donations. Whether it’s time, money, or good vibes, people are ready to give!
In recent years, Giving Tuesday has exploded, thanks to the immense reach of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X. With over 5 billion social media users, including 230.9 million in the U.S. as of early 2024, the power to make a difference is right at your fingertips. The only question is: are you ready to catch their attention?
Want to stand out and make an impact on Giving Tuesday? We’ve got you covered. Here are ten simple but powerful social media upgrades and content ideas to help you boost awareness, attract donors, and inspire action!
Tips, Tricks, & Best Practices
- Increase your online presence in the weeks leading up to a big event
To get more eyes on your campaign, posting more frequently in the lead-up time can help boost your accounts’ visibility. When planning a big ask, it’s important to keep your channels warm. - Be real with your audience
Think of how you interact with people face-to-face at events–it’s appropriate to match that tone in your social media feeds. Writing content for your socials doesn’t need to be as formal as a donation letter–you can talk to your followers like you would if they had stopped by your booth or introduced themselves at an event. - Give your campaign a branded hashtag
To marshall support and help you track mentions of your campaign from other users, create a unique tag specific to your event, like #dayofgiving24. The more specific, the better–you want something short and sweet that can be “owned” by you and your followers. - Use images and videos whenever possible
Posts with visuals featuring real people tend to drive more engagement, have more emotional impact, and get more love from the algorithm than plain text posts. This could be photos of staff or volunteers, short video clips of events, or anything that helps put a face to your organization’s name. - Make a dedicated landing page with a countdown and donation CTA
For fundraising events, adding a dedicated landing page to your site can be more impactful than sending followers to your general homepage to navigate for themselves. This page should succinctly outline the purpose of your campaign and include a direct link to donate. You can also use this space to outline how funds will be used or highlight the impact of previous drives, helping make the case for donor support. - Encourage signal boosting
Getting members of your community to share your content can expand your reach exponentially. Let your supporters know that likes, shares, and tags are all helpful contributions to the cause, as well as direct donations. - Don’t just ask–engage
Turn an ask into a conversation by exchanging likes, favorites, shares, direct messages, and comments thanking sharers for their support. They’re your megaphones in the crowd! - Include a donate or campaign CTA in all posts leading up to your event
Connect all content with a call to action at every opportunity in the week or weeks leading up to your donation deadline. It may seem redundant, but keep in mind that your followers likely won’t see every one of your posts. Repeating messages helps ensure they get seen by everyone in your audience. - Don’t forget to follow up!
Line up some content for the day after your event, celebrating your success and thanking donors. If you can pull an estimate, tell them how much was raised! You can also include a link or CTA for donating year-round to encourage followers to keep giving. - Coordinate community shout-outs ahead of time
Not all posts have to come from your organization–a shout-out from a community member is just as effective, if not more effective! We recommend reaching out to community members you know personally and providing them with some example copy to help them personalize their message.
Content & Topic Ideas
Remember how we mentioned earlier that staying active on social media during Giving Tuesday keeps your supporters engaged and excited? If that tidbit is still fresh on your mind, you get a gold star. But if you’ve already forgotten, don’t worry. You’re in good company with most consumers on social media in that you might not always remember all the important details, even if you just read them a few minutes ago. The point here? Sometimes, you have to share the information more than once to make sure your message stays at the top of your mind with your audience.
Not sure what to post? Don’t worry; we’ve got your back! Here are some fun, impactful content ideas to help you fill your calendar.
- Create “Did You Know?” content for IG Reels and Stories with donation links
Example Post:
Did you know that millions of people globally are affected by [insert cause]? Your support helps us provide essential resources and services to those in need.
Bonus Tip: Instagram allows you to place direct links in Stories to your website, making it easy for followers to tap the link and donate without leaving the IG platform. - Share free resources related to your community
Provide links to useful tools, guides, or articles offering valuable information about your cause. - Highlight your organization’s programs and initiatives
Create content about your organization’s core programs – what it entails, why it was created, etc. - Provide a transparent breakdown of how funds will be used
Potential donors may feel more compelled to give knowing the direct impact of their donation. You can also use past programs or results supported by donor funding to help demonstrate impact and encourage participation and donations. - Bring it back to core values
Create content explaining why your organization exists, its long-term goals, overall mission, and future plans. This can be as simple as excerpting existing information from your website/About Page for new followers who might be less familiar. - Spotlight key members of your community
To build trust and humanize your mission, create posts, photos, and quick videos introducing the leadership, staff, volunteers, and other individuals representing your organization. - Tell your story through testimonials
Sharing personal stories from individuals your organization has positively impacted is a great way to connect with potential donors and help them understand the importance of supporting the community. - Real-time updates
Consider using Live features or stories throughout the day to share progress toward your fundraising goal. Fundraising thermometers can be a powerful tool for visualizing this. Seeing the thermometer rise as donations are made provides a sense of immediate gratification. - Utilize interactive tools such as polls, posts, or infographic
Example Poll:
Which of our programs are you most excited about?
A. [Program A]
B. [Program B]
C. [Program C] - Don’t forget to follow up!
The day after Giving Tuesday, create content celebrating your success and thanking donors. You can also include a link or CTA for donating year-round so that followers are encouraged to keep giving!
Need an extra set of hands for Giving Tuesday?
Are you gearing up for your next fundraising adventure? The First Ascent team is just a message away! We’re always up for a chat about strategy and would love to help you boost donations so you can keep doing the amazing work you do best. Let’s connect!