It’s officially autumn, and before we know it, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving and diving into the holiday season.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday driving consumerism and gift-giving, another major event that is associated with that time of year is GivingTuesday. It is a great time to inspire gratitude, generosity, and love.
With preparations beginning for the upcoming holidays, we wanted to give you a head start on your GivingTuesday campaign at your parish or diocese. Many miss an incredible opportunity to impact their communities with generosity when they let another GivingTuesday pass without getting involved. But it’s an amazing occasion to inspire a generous heart—whether that’s through time, talent, or treasure.
That’s why we want to equip your clergy and parish staff with five tips to inspire generosity on GivingTuesday.
About GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement to encourage finances, time, goods, donations, and voices to rise up for the sake of those in need. It is an opportunity for people around the world—regardless of religious affiliation, political standing, or moral conviction—to come together to thank, help, give, show kindness, and share what they have.
GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Why Parishes Should Get Involved in GivingTuesday
Though GivingTuesday was created for all types of non-profits and organizations, it can be especially beneficial for faith-based associations and parishes. This event unites people around the world in doing good, which makes GivingTuesday the perfect time to raise donations for a special fund or mission that your ministry is organizing. It’s always a great opportunity to partner with other organizations in your community to make a difference.
Be the hands and feet of the Church and the light among the darkness. GivingTuesday is a simple way to integrate the occasion to give without feeling like you’re pressuring people. It’s a chance to partner with community organizations and truly make a difference in your city or around the world.
Here are some practical ways your parish or diocese can get started and participate in this year’s GivingTuesday.
Tips to Inspire Generosity on GivingTuesday
1. Create a Timeline
Before you mention your parish’s participation in GivingTuesday, create a timeline to plan a successful campaign. Gather your team and grab your calendars to hone in on what you want to accomplish, for example, three weeks out, two weeks away, week-of, and day-of.
Identify which charity or project you want your parishioners to donate to or volunteer with, update your website, plan out a communication schedule, and be ready to follow up after the event. All of this should be laid out in your calendar so your team knows the appropriate timeline to achieve the campaign goals.
2. Identify a Charity or Community Project
GivingTuesday is the perfect opportunity to partner with a community organization or event. Sometimes, it’s easy for parishes to focus heavily on their own projects, but now is an excellent time to link arms with others who are doing good and making an impact.
Consider teaming up with the local food bank or collaborating with a city-wide toy drive. Maybe allocate your GivingTuesday donations to a school, homeless shelter, or community center. Or if your parish is planning its own special outreach opportunity, allow GivingTuesday to be a springboard to generate generosity for your ministry.
3. Design a Parish Website GivingTuesday Page
Another aspect of your timeline should be designing a giving page on your parish website that’s dedicated to everything related to your GivingTuesday participation. This can be a landing page that your email and social media posts link to with information about GivingTuesday and your parish’s cause.
The giving page should also include a button with a clear call to action, like “Give Now,” that links to your online giving platform. Since GivingTuesday occurs midweek and not on the weekend when Mass most often occurs, it’s imperative that your parishioners have easy access to make the donations they are feeling led to make.
4. Promote Your GivingTuesday Campaign
Create promotions that teach people the value of generosity and partner with the organization you have chosen for GivingTuesday. People won’t know they have the opportunity to participate with your parish if they don’t ever hear about it.
Be sure to include the important GivingTuesday information on your parish website giving page, in your email promotions, and in your social media posts so you can strategically attract those in your congregation to your cause. Let them know when, where, and how to give.
5. Make Giving Easy
An online giving solution allows your parish the capability to collect charitable gifts online. And since GivingTuesday is a 24-hour, online giving event, you’ll need digital giving tools to make the most out of it. ParishSOFT Giving has online, mobile, and text options!
An analysis from the GivingTuesday team showed substantial growth in online giving in mid-2020. Online fundraising tools can encourage generosity not only for this annual event, but can also spark generosity within your parish in months to come.
Next Steps
GivingTuesday doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a simple and strategic way to weave generosity into the bigger conversation and inspire new givers. The ParishSOFT team consists of ministry-minded people who want to see your parish or diocese succeed. Contact us today to get set up with our online giving platform. For more GivingTuesday tips, check out our latest on-demand Giving webinar on how to inspire generosity this GivingTuesday. Watch now!
