Giving Tuesday (Nov. 28, 2023) is a day dedicated to charitable giving and acts of kindness ahead of the holiday season. This is the perfect opportunity to align your company’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement with employee interest in giving by promoting your employee giving program.
Giving Tuesday has gained significant momentum over the years, with a wide range of individuals and organizations participating in charitable activities. Last year, 35 million Americans gave to their favorite causes on Giving Tuesday, amounting to $3.1 billion in donations. Leveraging this momentum can help your company gain visibility and engage with a broader audience, including customers, employees and potential partners. Many employees are more inclined to give or volunteer during this time, and promoting your program can encourage their participation.
As an added bonus, demonstrating your company’s commitment to social responsibility and philanthropy can enhance your brand’s image. This positive perception can attract customers who prefer to support businesses that foster goodwill in the community.
While Giving Tuesday is only one day, promoting your workplace giving program on this day can lead to ongoing engagement. Encourage individuals to continue giving and volunteering throughout the year, fostering a culture of philanthropy within your company.
Here’s how you can take your employee giving program to the next level this Giving Tuesday:
Communicate the impact: Market your employee giving program to employees leading up to November 28. Demonstrate the impact of giving at work by sharing stories, videos, dollar statements and past giving amounts. Remember that most donors need to be asked seven times before they decide to give.
Idea: Set a giving goal specifically for Giving Tuesday, and post regularly in the lead up to this day of giving on your company’s Slack or Teams channel with fundraising updates. Don’t be afraid to get creative – ask staff to write and share spotlights on charities they love, post videos or even use memes and emojis to help your messages stand out!
Plan an event: Give employees a chance to come together to celebrate this day of giving. Events can be fun and engaging community-building opportunities that pay off. We have event planning resources on the Employee Giving Hub if you need support and ideas.
A success story: We recently planned an event with a corporate partner that highlighted a cause that was important to them – featuring an in-person volunteer activity with one of our Charity Alliance members and presentation from one of the company’s employee resource groups. Over 100 employees attended and left ready to give at work. Let us help you set up something similar around Giving Tuesday!
Involve leadership: Show your company’s commitment to your philanthropic work by asking leadership to get involved in the campaign. Have them send out a special email or deliver remarks at a staff meeting, encouraging employees to give at work this Giving Tuesday.
Suggestion: Ask your CEO to forward information on the campaign to staff with a personal story about the causes they give to. It doesn’t have to be long to be impactful.
Gamify the day: We’re all about using gamification to boost charitable giving, and Giving Tuesday is a great time to incorporate something fun into your campaign. Add a contest, trivia games or offer rewards for giving.
Need something ready to use? Global Impact just launched our Inner Global Champion quiz. Quiz takers learn more about what kind of giver they are and learn about causes and charities they might be interested in!
Encourage volunteering: Expand the ways employees might take action for Giving Tuesday. If your company doesn’t do so already, offer paid volunteer time for staff to connect with charitable causes in their communities. If you want volunteering ideas to suggest, we have some on the Employee Giving Hub.
Idea: As the weather gets cold, it gets harder for people to build movement into their routine. Why not try out one of our charities’ virtual run/walk activities on or around Giving Tuesday this year?
Run a special fundraising promotion: You can run a special match on Giving Tuesday to encourage employees to give, doubling the impact of their donations. Promotions and incentives can make it more appealing for employees to participate.
Much like when companies offer a corporate match to nonprofits for Giving Tuesday, you can do this with employees too. Use catchy language like ‘Today Only! Double Your Gift for FREE!’ to encourage participation.
Giving Tuesday isn’t the only option if you’re interested in leveraging observance days for your employee giving program. There are other days that generate employee interest that span all twelve months, so you can pick something that works for your company and culture. Here are some of the top observance opportunities we see companies engaging with:
- Earth Day
- International Women’s Day
- Black History Month
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Pride Month
- International Volunteer Day
Promoting a workplace giving program on Giving Tuesday can help your company showcase its commitment to social responsibility, engage employees and the community, and create a positive brand image while making a meaningful impact on charitable causes. It’s an opportunity to leverage a global day of giving to amplify your company’s philanthropic efforts.
Want help brainstorming more ideas for your company’s employee giving program? We can help. Reach out for custom solutions tailored to your company, culture and goals.
