Giving Tuesday is around the corner...

As many of you well know, as a Society we've embraced Black Friday and Cyber Monday to purchase the best deals on electronics, clothing, home goods, automobiles etc.  It's ironic though that one almost negates the other... "Eh why go to the store with all those crazy crowds when I can sit back and log on to Amazon on Monday." - Right?  Well, as a parent of four, I know very well that Santa needs deals, we need to take advantage of this but how much money do we waste on plastic that we throw away a year later.  I'm still amazed by how much fun my kids have with the box something came in, more than what was inside.

Ok sorry, I rambled a bit there, but am guessing that a few of you related to our societal spending habits.  We all know from our childhood around the Holidays it's always important to drop some extra change into the red kettle outside the market, to give some toys for tots or to put some non-perishable goods into a box for the needy.  All of these are ways to help families in need around the Holidays. Along came #Giving Tuesday in 2012, created by the 92nd Street Y. This day is to represent a National Day of Giving as we head into the Holiday Season.  This is where we should be putting any of our extra dollars.  In my opinion, it's a great way to make this a philanthropic lesson in life for your children.  Empower them to give back to those that don't get as much as they do.

So what can you do as a Nonprofit Organization?  Well, aside from using Giving Tuesday as a way to kick-start your year-end giving program by just slapping a logo on your donation form that says "Giving Tuesday" and seeing if people show up, you can make this day count.  This Day is a way for you to organize your major donors, your BOD, your sponsors, etc to all align with your mission, while incentivizing others to give and help match funds.  There needs to be a strategy and you need to be getting across your value proposition above the rest of the crowd asking for donations on this day.

Kimbia has put together a free check-list here bit.ly/GivingTuesChklist as well as a three-part webinar series that you can view the replays along with additional content here bit.ly/GiveTues15 to help you make sure you are aligned for success.

Last year, with the help from Kimbia, The Houston Grand Opera saw 56% new donors on their first Crowdfunding Day on Giving Tuesday (see below). You can learn more about the case study here bit.ly/HGOwebinar

Crowdfunding Days are a way to bring together your communities - donors, participants, advocates, alumni, corporate partners in a single day of Giving that can be exciting for everyone. Crowdfunding events are one of the few campaign types that engage all age groups, providing a high campaign ROI.

The above image is from the Kimbia report - Identifying the Crowdfunding Donor: 2014 Donor Demographics which can be downloaded here - bit.ly/CrowdDonorDemographics

Feel free to give me a shout at mike@kimbia.com if you'd like to learn more about how your Organization can have a successful Giving Tuesday campaign or a Crowdfunding Day during another part of the year.  Last May, Give Local America raised $68.5 Million in the largest online Crowdfunding event ever with Kimbia.