Matching gift

The volume of charities I give to in the US is minimal compared to the number of charities I give to in Australia. Australia is my primary country of residence, so I guess it makes sense I am giving to in a larger way in Australia. That said, I was a bit disappointed at how few Australian nonprofit organisations I support reached out to me on #GivingTuesday  compared to the large amount of US charities I supported in years past who reached out to me on #GivingTuesday.

Charities in the US used #GivingTuesday far more effectively to do the following:

• Set a financial target.
• Encourage active involvement in the campaign.
• Provide Email updates throughout the day.
• Post updates on organisation’s website throughout the day.
• Create a matching gift challenge to prospective donors and demonstrate a doubling of their gift.
• Tell Email recipients a story about how their gift will make a difference.
• Encourage donors to give on a day set aside to remind us all of the importance of giving and volunteering.
• Used #GivingTuesday as a marketing component of and wrapped into their end of year (Christmas) appeal.

PayPal announced a boost of everyone’s gift, using their platform, by 1%. #GivingTuesday sought to exceed the world record for giving in one day in the Guinness Book of World Records. I was pleased to see Blackbaud and GoFundraise amongst suppliers promoting #GivingTuesday locally.

I recognise #GivingTuesday is a new campaign in Australia compared to the US. But, I am hopeful more charities will see its value and will jump on the bandwagon in 2016. You have 12 months to prepare. Perhaps we can encourage the suppliers and fundraising peak bodies to get involved to create a cohesive effort in the New Year? Let’s see how well the campaign does worldwide and if we can get any statistics on Australia’s piece of the campaign. Those results may be a motivator for more to join the campaign.