Build the Perfect Giving Tuesday Donor Journey: Part Two — the Ask

Do you want to raise money this Giving Tuesday? If you answered “yes” (and, honestly, would any fundraiser really say “no?”), you need a really great Giving Tuesday ask.

“Abby,” you may be thinking. “We know this.”

And I hear you. I do. We all know making the ask is important. But, on days like Giving Tuesday where everything is a frenzy of social media posts and emails, it’s easy for our actual asks to be neglected.

Understanding the Giving Tuesday “Ask” Phase

The way you ask makes an impression on your donors that goes far beyond their actual decision to make a gift or not. It influences the way they view your whole organization. A good ask does more than request assistance. A good ask makes donors feel connected to your mission and makes them feel like they’re doing something important.

Here are some tips for making a great Giving Tuesday ask.

Be specific

When you craft your appeal, the first think you need to ask yourself is if you have actually asked your readers to donate. Did you actually ask? Or did you just kind of imply that you want the readers to donate to you? It’s an important detail to double-check! I’ve received appeals that were beautifully written, accompanied with photos and lift pieces, and left me totally spellbound by the story. But they didn’t include an ask. So, as simple as it sounds, ask yourself if you have actually asked your readers to make a gift.

Then, ask yourself a couple more questions. How much do you want donors to give? And when do you want them to give that amount?

This is where you can include relevant details. Do you want people to donate $30? Tell them you want them to donate $30 and explain what $30 will accomplish.

Do you have a gift-matching opportunity? Tell donors about it and ask them to give now to make the most of their gift.

However you decide to frame your appeal, be very careful to communicate clearly what you need donors to do. Your appeal will be more convincing!

Explain donors’ impact

One particularly powerful way to make a specific ask is to describe what donors’ gifts can do. Will a gift of $30 buy Christmas dinner for a family of 4? Tell them! Can their gift be matched if they donate before 2 p.m. on Giving Tuesday? Let them know!

Giving Tuesday ask examples

Here are some good examples of weak asks that we tweaked to be stronger and more compelling:

• Weaker: Please support our mission by donating at www.ourdonationpage.com.
• Stronger: A gift of $50 will stock a local family’s kitchen for nearly a month. Would you please consider donating $50 to feed a family this December?
• Weaker: A donation of any amount can make a difference!
• Stronger: Please make the holidays brighter for families in our community by donating to this year’s Food for the Holidays program!”
• Weaker: Help us feed the hungry this year.
• Stronger: A $20 gift provides a full Christmas dinner to families just like Jessica’s. Giving Tuesday is a great day to join the movement to end hunger in our community!

Check out those “stronger” asks. Two of them ask for specific amounts. All of them focus on connecting the donor to the mission by explaining what impact a gift can make. And none of them ask the organization to give directly to the nonprofit! Instead, they’re asked to give to a mission or family.

The bottom line

Many nonprofits put tons of time, work, and energy into creating appeals, writing social media posts, and planning media pushes for Giving Tuesday. But, in all that hubbub, it’s easy to overlook the most important driver of raising money for your cause: actually asking for money. Your ask is arguably one of the most important moments of your donor’s journey! A well-written ask will connect donors to your cause and inspire them to give. It also lays the foundation for a future relationship.

Put some time into crafting a brilliant ask. After all, you could have the best marketing assets and social media campaign of all time in your back pocket… but people won’t give unless you ask!

Are you ready for Giving Tuesday?

If you’re looking for online fundraising tools that will help you run the best Giving Tuesday campaign, we’d love to help you out! Contact us to learn more about our unlimited donation forms, campaign thermometers, and other tools you can build into your Giving Tuesday campaign. Schedule a demo today!

Looking for more Giving Tuesday goodness? We’ve got you covered with the #GivingTuesday Ultimate Guide.