The 2018 Giving Tuesday Toolkit

There’s a lot of noise around Giving Tuesday. We went out and found the most important how-to articles, best practices, and resources out there. Then we put them all together in one big Giving Tuesday Toolkit!

From the lead-up to the event to day-of activities and beyond, here’s what you need.

Giving Tuesday Toolkit: Event lead-up and preparation

This will be the longest section! Being well-prepared is the #1 way you’ll succeed on Giving Tuesday, and there’s a ton of valuable information available that will help you get ready. Here are some of our favorite guides, resources, and ideas.

• Giving Tuesday Tips for Nonprofits — The Qgiv Blog: not sure what online fundraising pieces to have in place before the big day? This is the article for you! From online donation forms to text fundraising keywords, our article covers exactly what assets you need to create. Bonus: there are directions especially for Qgiv users included in each section!
• Get Ready for Giving Tuesday with These Six Steps — Nonprofit Hub: Nonprofit Hub’s article is full of practical tips that will have you ready to launch your Giving Tuesday campaign with confidence.
• Giving Tuesday Dos and Don’ts —The Qgiv Blog: Double-check your strategies before you launch your campaign! These dos and don’ts will help you launch your campaign smoothly and keep it running strong.
• 10 Ways Nonprofits Can Prepare for Giving Tuesday — Julia C. Campbell: Julia Campbell’s Giving Tuesday prep checklist is one of the most thorough we’ve ever seen. You owe it to yourself to go check it out!
• 5 Things to Take Away from the Giving Tuesday Hang-A-Thon — The Qgiv Blog: A couple years ago, we tuned in to a digital hangout full of fundraisers, consultants, and nonprofit staff. We learned a lot! And it’s all applicable to this year’s campaign. These lessons from real-life nonprofits are priceless!
• 4 Things to Do Before Giving Tuesday — The Qgiv Blog: You know that thing where you throw a party and you realize last-minute that you’ve forgotten something important? I have. This article covers bases you might have forgotten.

Giving Tuesday Toolkit: Communication pieces

Communication is important every day, but it’s especially important on Giving Tuesday! Thousands of nonprofits will be raising money that day—here are some articles and tools that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Giving Tuesday Email Examples, Plans, and Templates — The Qgiv Blog: You know you need to use email in this campaign. But what should you say? When should you say it? Don’t worry—this blog article has you covered

• Downloadable Giving Tuesday Email Templates — The Qgiv Blog: Once you’ve gotten a feel for what emails you need to send (and when to send them), it’s time to take the next step: writing them! These downloadable templates will get you started.
• Giving Tuesday: The Complete Toolkit — GivingTuesday.org: GivingTuesday.org has a great collection of graphics, samples, and other tools that will help you plan your Giving Tuesday. It also includes FAQs, templates, and more!
• Giving Tuesday Social Post Guidelines and Examples — The Qgiv Blog: Being active on your social media accounts is key to a successful Giving Tuesday. These guidelines will help you plan your social strategy and give you ideas for how to share your message.
• 3 Fun Giving Tuesday Strategies to Try on Your Social Channels — The Qgiv Blog: Standing out from the crowd is hard when thousands of nonprofits are all raising money at the same time. Try these fun, unique strategies this Giving Tuesday to get more eyes and more engagement on your posts.
• Infographic: Giving Tuesday Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet — The Qgiv Blog: Catch donors’ attention by updating your social presence for Giving Tuesday! This infographic gives you all the image dimensions for social avatars and profile banners.

Giving Tuesday Toolkit: Building the best Giving Tuesday donation form

Whether you’re posting on social channels or sending emails, building a great donation form will set you up for success. Here are a few articles on how you can build the best-ever Giving Tuesday donation page.

• Quick-Start Checklist for Online Donation Forms — The Qgiv Blog: Don’t have a ton of time to brush up on donation form design? That’s okay! This quick checklist covers the most important form elements.
• Form Design Tips that Help You Build a Recurring Donor Base — The Qgiv Blog: Every form should invite donors to make a recurring gift! Here’s how to design an online donation form that’s user-friendly for one-time and recurring donors alike. Who knows? A Giving Tuesday donor could become one of your most loyal supporters!
• When (and How!) to Use a Fundraising Thermometer — The Qgiv Blog: Should you use a campaign thermometer to track the amount you raise on Giving Tuesday? The answer is probably yes… this article explains why.
• Why Using a Fundraising Thermometer Works — The Qgiv Blog: If you’re not sure if you should use a fundraising thermometer or not, this is a great article for you! You’ll learn how and why donors react to fundraising thermometers and decide whether or not one is right for you.
• 6 Ways to Customize Your Thank-You Page — The Qgiv Blog: A donor’s relationship with you doesn’t end when they make a donation. Their donation is just the beginning! This article covers how to make a great impression on your donors with a customized thank-you page.
• Does Your Thank-You Page Keep Donors Engaged? — The Qgiv Blog: What will you do with your Giving Tuesday donors once they’ve made a gift? Setting up a fantastic thank-you page will be the first step in what will (hopefully) be great donor stewardship plan. This article will get you started.

Giving Tuesday Toolkit: Turning your Giving Tuesday donors into long-term supporters

If you’re spending even a little money on your Giving Tuesday campaign—and, if you’re like most nonprofits, you are—you want to make sure it was wisely spent. Retaining the donors you attract on the big day is the most efficient way to ensure your money is a good investment. Here are some resources that will help you keep them engaged.

• How to Keep Your Giving Tuesday Donors — The Qgiv Blog: Your Giving Tuesday donors have connected with your mission and decided to support you. Here’s how to make the most of that connection and keep them involved with your organization.
• Anatomy of a Great Donation Receipt — The Qgiv Blog: Along with your thank-you page, your donation receipt is one of the most powerful donor retention tools you have at your disposal. This article breaks down how to build a donation receipt that inspires your donors.
• Infographic: Five Donor Retention Practices You Can Do in Five Minutes or Less — The Qgiv Blog: Donor retention sounds like an arduous task to some people. But it can be fun, and it doesn’t have to eat up all your time! These ideas take just a few minutes, and they’ll have a huge impact.
• 2018 Donor Retention Toolkit — The Qgiv Blog: If you like toolkits (and, since you’re here, we think you might), you’ll love this one. It’s full of resources, articles, and webinars that will make you a lean, mean, donor-retaining machine.

Is Your Giving Tuesday toolkit missing any pieces?

Have you got a great donation form? Are your thank-you pages and receipts ready? Do you have a Giving Tuesday fundraising goal you’re tracking with a thermometer? If not, we can help! Our clients have a ton of fun raising money on Giving Tuesday, and you can, too. Contact us to learn more about fundraising with Qgiv!