It's common knowledge that the end of the year is a productive time for non-profit organizations and the causes for which they advocate. After all, the holiday season is a time for giving and people have begun consciously searching for meaningful ways to get in the spirit while spreading joy as well. (And if that spirit happens to include a tax deduction, then that's a bonus.)
With all of the hoopla surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday – we begin seeing and hearing signs of the approaching holidays well before the leaves have fallen from the trees. But even among that early chaos, it's becoming difficult to ignore the noise generated by Giving Tuesday, possibly the most important day in the year of a non-profit.
Upon seeing the impact created by others, non-profits have flocked to Giving Tuesday in growing numbers, making it increasingly more difficult each year to stand out in the crowd of charitable opportunities. No Kid Hungry, the organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America, is no stranger to the Giving Tuesday initiative. And their cause, like so many, is one that deserves to be heard more often than the endless swipes of credit cards on Black Friday.
1 in 5 kids in the United States don't get the food they need. Rallying No Kid Hungry advocates and their communities around Giving Tuesday would go a long way in changing that 1 to a zero.
No Kid Hungry set its goals for Giving Tuesday 2015 to be even more ambitious than the previous year. Planning began months in advance. A big part of that plan included securing the sponsorships of nationally known consumer brands. Hickory Farms and Kettle Brand committed to sponsoring Giving Tuesday, generously offering to match donations up to $100,000 – double the sponsor match from 2014! Making the most of this meant increasing fundraising efforts and creatively adding new elements to the mix in order to create meaning for advocates, both new and old, and for the generous sponsors.
No Kid Hungry relies heavily on its advocates to help advance its message and build awareness. One special group of supporters includes the No Kid Hungry Social Council, an assemblage of online influencers from all walks of life who are dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. Throughout the year, the No Kid Hungry Social Council convened to brainstorm ways of reaching the 2015 goals and discussed how to bring this vision to life.
An area of opportunity identified in years past was that of personal fundraising. Supporters had always had the ability to create personal fundraising pages and encourage friends and family to donate to NKH for Giving Tuesday. While those efforts were certainly inspiring, they generated only a small portion of overall Giving Tuesday contributions. With greater focus placed on personal fundraising through creating excitement and providing interactive best practices and support, this tactic could be one of the most effective ways to reach the goals.
No Kid Hungry hosted webinars for people with personal fundraising pages, showing them how to rally their online (and offline) communities. And on Giving Tuesday, the No Kid Hungry Social Council and other prominent advocates became real-time coaches and cheerleaders as the personal fundraisers hustled to reach their individual goals.
No Kid Hungry's celebrity advocates also made their presence felt on Giving Tuesday, strategically posting tweets, images and videos prior to and throughout the day. New platforms such as Blab and Periscope were used to spread the word. And above all, #TeamNKH was dedicated to seeing the goal reached, even if that meant no sleep until it happened.
At the end of Giving Tuesday, No Kid Hungry had set new records.
- 177MM Impressions
- Most mentioned Twitter account among Giving Tuesday participants
- More than $249,000 raised, connecting hungry kids with up to 249 Million meals
In addition to No Kid Hungry being the most-mentioned non-profit on Giving Tuesday, the #NoKidHungry hashtag was the second most-mentioned behind the leading hashtag, #GivingTuesday. The generous sponsors, Hickory Farms and Kettle Brand, were two of the Top Three Most Tweeted Brands of the day, demonstrating the power of donation matches in building brand awareness and generating positive sentiment among consumers.
The focus on personal fundraiser participation paid off as it more than doubled from 2014 and exceeded the 2015 goal by over 16% with total donations reaching $29,093.
Overall, 5,701 contributors generated 10,740 tweets with a reach of 57,618,584 and impressions of 177,264,101.
However, the work of No Kid Hungry is far from finished. Until the 1 in 5 becomes ZERO, you'll see us again on Giving Tuesday 2016.
