This is a guest post from GivingTuesday.
The 10th annual GivingTuesday celebration takes place on November 30 this year. People all over the world will come together to give their time, voice, kindness, power, skills, expertise, and resources. GivingTuesday is the perfect opportunity to complement your organization’s year-end efforts by using the day to engage your volunteers.
People continue to be highly motivated to give and are looking for opportunities to do so on GivingTuesday — one of the only times during the year when givers are searching for organizations to support, instead of the other way around. Our research shows that people want to give and get involved with organizations in many ways during GivingTuesday.
Supporters want multiple ways to give, and this correlates with increased donation levels. This is especially important when money is tight. If supporters feel they have reduced capacity to give a financial contribution, engaging them in other activities— such as virtual volunteering, advocacy efforts, or kindness campaigns — will help maintain and strengthen their feeling of connection to your work.
So, how can you celebrate and engage your community of volunteers this GivingTuesday to tap into that collective spirit of giving? Here are three ways communities and organizations are inspiring more giving:
1. Shine a spotlight on your volunteers.
Spend the day thanking instead of asking. Set a goal to call, text, or email all your volunteers to thank them for their support — whether or not they’ve been able to participate in a volunteer activity this year. A little gratitude goes a long way. Go one step further and create a volunteer spotlight to showcase and thank your donors on your website, social media, and in your email outreach. Celebrating your volunteers and sharing how much they mean to your work will also inspire others to get involved. Want to add some flair to your posts? Check out GivingTuesday’s templates for an easy way to create graphics to share.
2. Host a day-of volunteer event.
Create volunteer opportunities that take place on November 30 to capture the interest of the day from local businesses, schools, and other organizations. In addition to connecting with current and new volunteers, you can use this as a chance to share a behind-the-scenes look into your mission. GivingTuesday is a great time to build or test a virtual volunteering program. VolunteerMatch created helpful toolkits to help your organization or nonprofit get started.
3. Collaborate on a community project.
Connect with other organizations in your community to coordinate a joint event that celebrates coming together and pools your event and marketing resources. Need ideas? GivingTuesday’s country and community movements offer a way to connect and collaborate with other organizations, businesses, schools, and more. Led by a network of local leaders, these coalitions create events and campaigns that unite cities, states, and countries, as well as those who have a shared interest in a cause, culture, or identity.
Remember the GivingTuesday mantra: Everyone has something to give, and every act of generosity counts. Rally your communities to give time this year, and share the fun and your volunteers’ impact using the hashtag #GivingTuesday to join the global generosity movement.
