16 Tips to Go Big on GiveBIG

Are you ready to make a big impact during GiveBIG, Washington's annual 48-hour giving event? This is your chance to rally support, engage your community, and take your fundraising to the next level. But with so much to do and so little time, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. That's why we've put together this blog post packed with practical tips and strategies to help you make the most of GiveBIG. 

For nonprofits, GiveBIG presents a unique opportunity to engage supporters, attract new donors, and boost fundraising efforts. However, with so many organizations participating and competing for attention, it's essential to stand out from the crowd. The key to maximizing your impact during GiveBIG lies in thorough preparation and strategic planning.

By taking steps to get ready for GiveBIG well in advance, you can ensure that your organization is positioned for success. From crafting compelling stories and setting up your fundraising platform to rallying your team and engaging your community, there are many ways to lay the groundwork for a successful GiveBIG campaign.

Let’s dive in! 

Gearing up for GiveBIG

Before the excitement of GiveBIG kicks into high gear, it's crucial to lay a solid foundation for your campaign. Think of it like training for a marathon - the more you prepare, the better your performance will be when the big day arrives. By tackling key tasks and making strategic decisions in advance, you'll set your organization up for a successful and less stressful GiveBIG experience. 

Get to know the WAGives platform 

Once you’ve registered for GiveBIG, invest time in getting to know all the features on the WAGives platform. For example, make sure you know how to include a matching gift, customize your page URL, and prepare templates to support your donors with P2P giving. Don’t leave learning about the tech to the last minute. 

Assemble your team and assign roles 

Everyone in your organization, including your board, can play a role in GiveBIG. Define roles and responsibilities now to set everyone - ultimately your campaign - up for success by getting people amped up for this day of giving. Empower your team with clear guidelines, expectations, and timelines well before launch. 

Backward map your campaign timeline 

A detailed timeline will help your organization manage a robust campaign. Map out all the touch points for your asks and appeals. Block time for key team members to make phone calls and meet with donors. Make a note of any foreseeable roadblocks that could hold things up. 

Decide which stories you want to tell 

Stories are the heart of your campaign and will require time to collect, prepare, and finesse. Picking these stories now gives your team ample time to conduct interviews, gather photos, produce videos, and write narratives that will change hearts and minds. Plan for more stories than you think you’ll need - you’ll want something in your back pocket for unexpected opportunities. 

Choose your focus: Retention or Acquisition 

GiveBIG has traditionally been a great opportunity for donor acquisition. It's also a chance to rally past GiveBIG donors to reengage and give again. Choose your focus or make a plan to pursue both. For example, craft your WAGives profile to appeal first-time donors while behind the scenes do some 1:1 outreach to GiveBIG past donors. 

Leveraging Peer-to-Peer Fundraising 

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising is a powerful tool for engaging your community and expanding your reach during GiveBIG.  By empowering your most passionate supporters to fundraise on your behalf, you can extend your reach, tap into new networks, and create a sense of community around your campaign. But successful P2P fundraising doesn't happen by chance - it requires thoughtful planning, clear communication, and a commitment to supporting your fundraisers every step of the way. 

Recruit Strategically 

Building a P2P team for a campaign like GiveBIG is about quality and quantity. Recruit from your post-engaged board members, donors, and volunteers. Make sure these folks are in it to win it and understand the commitment. Look for the people who can and will put in the work to rally their networks. And, being realistic, know that some people will commit but are unable to follow through (hence, quantity). 

Guide your team on goal-setting 

Coach your P2P team on setting “SMARTIE” goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Inclusive, and Equitable. While you can suggest goals and guide people to set their own, asking every P2P fundraiser to set a goal of $1,000 isn't inclusive or equitable. Offer a default goal and advice on why that P2P fundraiser might want to lower or increase their goal. 

Gamify your campaign

Incentives are a powerful motivator. A little competition with a sweet prize can energize your fundraisers. For example, if you meet the GiveBIG goal your nonprofit hosts a pizza party or the team. Meet the goal, and the top fundraiser gets lunch with your E.D. Or pick an incentive that benefits the nonprofit - if all P2P fundraisers reach their personal goals, a challenge gift is unlocked. Have fun! 

Make it easy 

One, assume people are new to P2P fundraising and unfamiliar with online giving platforms. Equip them with “how to” guides and offer hands-on training. Circulate links to YouTube tutorials. Two, when it comes to making the asks, give your P2P sample emails and social media posts to share that they can copy, paste, and revise to match their personality and voice. 

Activate P2P during early giving 

Don’t wait until the official day of GiveBIG. Get your P2P fundraisers fundraising as soon as early giving opens. Early investment pays off in increased middle momentum and this gives them more runway to fundraise.

Build community 

The people who sign up as P2P fundraisers have something in common - they are likely your biggest champions and will happily put in the extra effort to see you succeed. Leverage this shared passion and build spaces for these people to connect, celebrate, and share tips before, after, and during the campaign, Think about a Facebook group, Slack channel, or drop-in virtual office hours on Zoom. 

Last-Minute GiveBIG Tips

The final countdown to GiveBIG can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking, but there's still time to make a big impact on your campaign's success. Even small actions can yield significant results when it comes to engaging supporters, boosting visibility, and driving donations. In this section, we've gathered five last-minute tips to help you optimize your efforts and make the most of every moment leading up to and during the big event. These ideas are designed to be quick, easy to implement, and effective - perfect for busy nonprofits looking to add some extra fuel to their GiveBIG campaign.

Social media swarm

Ask your insider circle to help social media swarm. Ask your staff, your board, and your peer-to-peer fundraisers, to pay close attention to your social media posts and intentionally swarm them with engagement. Likes, comments, and shares. Organic social reach is not great these days and this practice will help you take advantage of the algorithms the best you can. The sooner the posts get swarmed, the more likely they are going to show up in your follower's feeds in a relevant time frame. And pretty much everyone has a minute to go click like and copy-paste a social script you fed to them. 

Nurture your GiveBIG All-Stars 

It's not too late to send a quick note to your GiveBIG All-Stars. And what's a GiveBIG All-Star you may ask? It’s your stalwarts. Frequent donors who habitually donate during GiveBIG. You don't have to define “All-Star” so rigidly. It could be anyone who’s done GiveBIG every year, it could be anyone who's done it for the last three years, it's up to you how to define it. Just make sure you reference that fact in your communication with these folks. The whole point is for your super fans to get something that feels personal and remind them that they’re the foundation of your success on GiveBIG. 

Reengage your P2P Fundraisers 

Square back up with your peer-to-peer fundraisers. They are all busy people. You might have made an awesome fundraiser support toolkit and slick video training, but chances are they’re five pages back in your P2P fundraiser’s email inbox already. And the last thing we want to do is make these supporters do extra work to accomplish what we’re asking of them. So lower those barriers and the day before GiveBIG send a digest or summary email to your peer-to-peer fundraisers. In this email, you should reattach your toolkit, relink to your training video, repaste your suggested copy for emails or social posts, provide links to all your social pages so they can just go straight to them and reshare your content, and lastly remind them about any incentives you’re offering top performers. It won't take long to do this, but it will go a long way with your busy volunteer fundraising squad. 

Up your data game 

Get your data game ready by building out the infrastructure for coding GiveBIG donations into your CRM. Set up this year's campaign and appeal codes for GiveBIG and craft your custom acknowledgment letter in advance. Pay special attention to this if you’re utilizing peer-to-peer fundraisers so that data related to their efforts is easy to extract, analyze, and share back to them. 

Matching gift challenge 

This is for those of you who have secured a matching challenge for GiveBIG. Take a minute to cultivate your matching donor further before the event. Even a short note to them with a few key pieces of information can help. First, make sure they know what your goal is. Just kinda give them the lowdown. Make sure they know when their challenge will go live so they can let their networks know and urge their friends to take advantage of it. And let them know that you’ve turned on the automatic match notification email inside the mighty cause system so they will get notified the instant their challenge succeeds. Keep it short, sweet, and purposeful. 

Bonus tip 

You don't need to do all of these things. Even one or two that align with the strategies you’ve chosen to put into place can add a lot of value. 

Conclusion

Phew! We've covered a lot of ground in this blog post, from early preparations to last-minute tips for rocking your GiveBIG campaign. Remember, the key to success is all about planning ahead, rallying your team, and staying focused on your goals.

GiveBIG is an incredible opportunity to connect with your community, share your story, and raise vital funds for your mission. By putting these strategies into action, you'll be well on your way to creating a campaign that inspires, engages, and makes a lasting impact.

So, take a deep breath, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to #GiveBIG. Your hard work and dedication will pay off in the form of increased support, stronger relationships, and more resources to fuel your important work. And don't forget - you've got this! Your passion, creativity, and commitment to your cause are what make GiveBIG such a powerful force for good in our communities.