Make the Most of this Giving Season

The festive season is fast approaching and people seem to be aching for a holiday “like it used to be”. I recently purchased ballet tickets and was number 1,873 in a virtual queue one minute after the sales went live! Last year the pandemic kept us all indoors and away from the community gatherings that had once been so integral to the sense of wonder this time of year brings. This year's campaigns can build on that renewed excitement for a successful year end giving strategy.

People Want to Give

Giving Tuesday is less than a month away and chances are that in the midst of re-opening, staff coming back from furlough, or welcoming new team members your planning may have been sidetracked. You may be tempted to forego a campaign this year but there are good reasons to get involved.

Giving Tuesday 2020 holds the record for the most money raised online for charity in a 24 hour period. People were primed for giving last year and we suspect they will be this year, too. In the UK, people increased their donations to charities by over 40% from 2019, giving £20.2 million in donations. That’s nearly £14,000 a minute! In the US, 34.8 million participated in Giving Tuesday last year, an increase of nearly 30%. And the Republic of Ireland was one of a dozen countries participating in Giving Tuesday for the first time.

In our Support Centre you'll find ideas and tools to help get you started and will see you through to the end of the year.

• Using the tags you created for last year’s Giving Tuesday donors, reach out to the same donors with a special opportunity this year. If this is your first time running a campaign using Spektrix, learn more about auto tags. 
• Run a gift matching campaign. Do you have a large donor who would offer up a matching gift? Create a Giving Tuesday campaign with the match opportunity as your target. Did you know the likelihood that an individual gives increases by 22% if they can double their impact by contributing to a matching campaign?
• Offer a discount to an upcoming performance as a way to say “thank you” to donors. Create a promotion code and include it in your dotdigital automation.

Make Giving Social

It’s inspiring how contagious generosity can be. Nearly a third of online donors made a contribution because a friend or coworker shared their own giving story on Facebook, Twitter, or other social site. Some simple ways to make your campaign more social could be:

• Provide sample social media posts to board members, staff, and artists. Ask them to share why they are committed to your organization. 
• Ask an ambassador to share a personal story about why they support your work to increase visibility, credibility, and overall return. (Bonus points if you have access to Lady Gaga or Emma Watson.)
• Prime your social audiences with messages about your mission and Giving Tuesday in the days leading up to November 30.

This doesn’t have to be a monster of a social campaign. In fact, the team at Giving Tuesday has created resources complete with graphics and logos in multiple formats and copy for you to use. Get the Giving Tuesday UK social toolkit.

Increase Year End Sales

While we know why live events make the best gifts, some people may need help understanding why. These conversation starters can help your holiday shopping sales:

• Supply chains are a mess and holiday shopping will be trickier than ever this year. Avoid the retail stores altogether and order tickets online! 
• What could be more thoughtful than wrapping up tickets to the Philharmonic for your parents? (Pro tip: make it doubly special by purchasing event tickets for a special day, like a birthday or anniversary.)
• Remember when you and your friends used to spend Friday evenings on the town? Cross off several people from your list with one purchase. Tickets to a comedy venue will ease the pressure of conversation if it’s been a long time since sitting around a table together and while building memories for years to come.

Some of us are ready to fill our calendars with events again, but others may be more hesitant. Maybe they have an ailing parent at home or a young child who is not able to be vaccinated yet. Whatever their reason, gift vouchers provide a flexible alternative for them while getting income on the books for your organization. Consider extending expiry dates to 2-3 years to give patrons confidence that they can use their gift whenever they feel ready.

Use email, social media, and even your purchase path to spotlight your merchandise store. Many Spektrix users have seen great success with their shops and the holiday season is the perfect time to clear out some of the merchandise you have. Take a look at your inventory and take a cue from major retailers. If you have a lot of stock on a less popular item, offer a steep discount or use it as a freebie to entice buyers to make another purchase.

If you really want to excite your most dedicated patrons, give them a chance to own a part of the magic. Auction off prop pieces from popular shows or add them to your online shop to make one-of-a-kind shopping a breeze (and make space for next season while you’re at it.)

With a little bit of planning you can build on the excitement of this 'most wonderful time of the year,' create joy for your fans, and build community while you do it. 

Do you have a Giving Tuesday success story to share with us? We'd love to hear it! 

Share your success story

Laurice Grae-Hauck is Marketing & Communications Manager at Spektrix