Claire Stanley, Director of Policy and Communications at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising shares some ideas on how to #GiveYourWay

In the blink of an eye, all of a sudden, we have less than four weeks until Giving Tuesday.

If you aren’t already aware, our theme this year is Give Your Way – we’re really keen to explore and showcase all the various ways people can get involved in charitable giving, and show that it doesn’t always have to be about handing over large sums of money. If a person feels that they’re currently not in a position to donate cash that shouldn’t stop them from being involved in another way. The beauty of Giving Tuesday is that it is a day to celebrate generosity and kindness – and there are so many ways you can do this.

As well as cash donations like regular giving, micro-donations, payroll giving, we’re also looking at generosity through volunteering, donating gifts or food parcels, shopping in charity shops or buying from charities online. There are also small acts of kindness you can carry out like, like helping a neighbour or donating blood. There are so many ways to give.

Speaking to our members, I’ve been made aware of some really lovely examples the various ways in which people are getting involved in charitable giving. Recently I heard about a little girl who undertook a skipping challenge last month (October) to raise money for a local cancer charity after her granny was diagnosed with lung cancer. And I’ve also heard about those who have committed to championing their chosen cause – so while they may not be in a financial position to always donate money, they are passionately advocating for a charity and use their voice to encourage others to consider donating.

In the build-up to Giving Tuesday we’ll be highlighting these stories to local and national media and through this we’re hoping to show that even the smallest ripple can create big waves.

And so this is where you come in – if we haven’t already spoken to you and you have an inspiring supporter story, or a quote from your chief executive about the importance of Giving Tuesday, you’d like to share with us please get in touch with us. The impact of storytelling for days like Giving Tuesday is extremely valuable – particularly if you’re involved in local and regional fundraising: local media love to hear inspiring stories of local people who are taking on a challenge or have dedicated years of their lives to helping out a charity, especially if it is one with a strong community link. So, look at where some of your biggest supporters are from and consider how you could work with them in the run up to Giving Tuesday – whether they’re planning to do something themselves or if they can support any events you’re planning to do – and reach out to their local and regional media to see if they would be interested in chatting to them.

Social media is also key for Giving Tuesday – it provides a platform for people to get involved through sharing their giving stories, and it allows charities to use their platform to spread the word about the work you do, and thank your supporters, volunteers and staff for helping to make all that work possible. You can share photos from past campaigns or volunteer events to teach your followers about how you serve their community – you can even get your staff involved by creating a short Giving Tuesday video including them. Making use of the stories function on apps like Instagram and Facebook to post daily updates in the week leading up to Giving Tuesday will keep the day fresh in people’s minds, and you can use this to highlight the importance and benefits of volunteering and giving for making a positive difference. You could also use Giving Tuesday to promote an upcoming event that you would like to highlight – or you could launch your Christmas giving appeal on the day.

Likewise, if you have a celebrity ambassador for your charity, this is a great opportunity to make use of their platform. Ask them to post about Giving Tuesday, and your own charity’s plans for the day, on their social media pages – there are ambassador toolkits available on the Giving Tuesday UK website with logos and images they’re free to use but the most important thing is to ensure that #GivingTuesday is utilised to get the day trending across social media platforms.

We have plenty of resources at our fingertips to help you including a full toolkit with logos and graphics, ready-made ideas for what you can do on the day and in the build-up, examples from last year that worked really well, a timeline for use in the lead up to Giving Tuesday and afterwards, and some email and press release templates you can use. As well as this we have a full global community of Giving Tuesday leaders who would be delighted to share their ideas and best practice from their own countries – and if anyone is keen to hear about what other countries are doing, please let me know and I’ll reach out to the relevant leader.

Good luck with your campaign in the coming weeks – and remember we are here to help.