Is It Too Late for a Giving Tuesday Campaign?
The holiday season is upon us, and maybe it’s snuck up on you and your team. It can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of being a higher education marketer – especially during the fall semester. One “holiday” that may have gotten lost in the shuffle of your larger communications plans is Giving Tuesday, which started in 2012 with the intention to inspire people to “do good” on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, retail and consumerism giants.
Luckily, a last-minute Giving Tuesday campaign doesn’t have to take up too much time and effort for the university's marketing team. Here are a few ideas to make even the quickest Giving Tuesday campaign pay off.
Don’t skip the strategy – but be realistic
Even with a quick turnaround campaign, it’s important to work through the basic building blocks of the campaign with your team – identifying target audiences and ways to achieve engagement through appropriate messaging and channel choices. But be careful to establish a realistic goal for your short timeline. Perhaps it’s simply to test out participating in the social movement for the first time to see how university supporters respond, or perhaps you are seeking a specific dollar amount for a distinct purpose.
Take advantage of the larger movement
Giving Tuesday has gained widespread recognition for its mission to “build a world where generosity is part of everyday life.” By creating a Giving Tuesday campaign, the university is not asking for donations in a vacuum, it’s asking its community to come together not only to support the school, but also invites them to be part of a global movement that inspires general kindness and altruism. This isn’t the time to reinvent the wheel in the name of institutional branding. Don’t be shy to jump on the existing Giving Tuesday bandwagon to help your audience remember that they are being involved in something even larger than the university.
Maximize shareability
Since Giving Tuesday primarily plays out on social media channels, it is the perfect chance to encourage your loyal following to share about your campaign – it’s low risk, high reward. By sharing that they are participating in Giving Tuesday to benefit your university, your donors get a double shot of dopamine; they not only helped the university, they “did good” as part of this global movement. And, contrary to many philanthropy situations, it’s the Giving Tuesday norm to “humble brag” about even the smallest gifts. These fans who share present an easy entry point for first-time donors through their personal testimonials. Their shares can manage to kill two birds with one stone – fostering existing donor loyalty while also bringing new donors on board.
Plan for follow-up
Track who participates in your Giving Tuesday push and plan to continue to engage with them through stewardship and future campaigns that are similar in nature. Perhaps they form their own audience segment for your next university giving day and receive unique messaging or follow-up. For example, if this segment also donates during the next campaign, surprising them with a special stewardship piece like a university magnet, pennant, or personalized thank you video can solidify their loyalty. It may even draw in donors who haven’t yet participated in your more traditional fundraising efforts. Don’t miss the opportunity to dig into the data on this group to find new ways to draw them closer to the university, even outside of their new “donor” label.
Use it as a pilot
Giving Tuesday comes and goes in the blink of an eye in an incredibly busy holiday season. Is there an idea for a campaign that you’ve been itching to try out but aren’t sure it will take off? Use Giving Tuesday to test out certain tactics that need more data and information on to move forward. This can create a foundation for a more robust campaign later in the year – or prepare you for a bigger push for Giving Tuesday itself in years to come.
Do you need help refining your university’s differentiators or developing a consistent brand message? Let’s talk about how 5° Branding can help.
