What are the best practices for Giving Tuesday?

Transparency: Communicate clearly how funds will be used for the cause. 

Engage your community: Mobilize your customers, subscribers and team to ensure real excitement and visibility for the cause you’re supporting. 

Be creative: create attractive, straightforward content that highlights your cause and inspires customers to take action. Find out how to orchestrate your communications for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday.

What are the mistakes to avoid on Giving Tuesday?

Not making a sincere commitment: Don’t get involved in a cause purely for commercial and marketing reasons. Sincerity is essential. Make the difference between responsible marketing and greenwashing.

Neglect follow-up: After Giving Tuesday, continue to inform your customers about the use of funds and the progress of your project.

Forgetting to raise awareness: Don’t just raise funds. Use this opportunity to raise awareness of the cause you’re supporting. Share information about the issues, the solutions and how everyone can contribute beyond the day.

Not involving your team: Your employees are an invaluable asset to the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign. Neglecting their commitment and participation can be a mistake.

Ignoring post-Giving Tuesday: Generosity shouldn’t be limited to a single day. Continue your commitment to the cause beyond Giving Tuesday. Show how the funds raised are being used, and keep in touch with your donors to build long-term loyalty.

Here are some examples and ideas of campaigns that could be implemented on your eCommerce site on Giving Tuesday

Create campaigns that are consistent with your industry and customer base

For example:

• A ready-to-eat boutique could offer to make a donation to a local food bank by putting forward a campaign that shows a concrete impact: “Every purchase = A meal for people in need”;
• A retailer in the children’s toys and games industry could offer its customers the chance to make a donation of school supplies to children in need;
• A company with eco-responsible products could encourage its customers to make more sustainable choices, e.g. “For each order containing ecological products or products with a lower environmental impact, make a donation to help preserve the environment or plant a tree”; 
• A clothing company could offer a pair of socks to homeless people with every purchase.

Launch an exclusive product or collection

Introduce an exclusive product or collection associated with a cause. A portion of the profits would then be donated to the cause, in addition to giving visibility to the organization. This campaign could be launched on Giving Tuesday, but continue over a longer period.

Support local artists

Highlight local artists by offering them a platform to sell their work or products that have been co-created with your brand on Giving Tuesday.

Offer a variety of ways to donate

• Round up at checkout: Offer your customers the opportunity to donate by rounding up their purchase at checkout.
• Percentage of sales: Define a specific percentage of your sales on Giving Tuesday to be donated to the cause. 
• Donation per item sold: For selected items, pledge to make a donation to charity for each unit sold. 
• Matching donation campaign: Encourage your customers to make a donation by offering to double their contribution. 
• Donation contest: Organize a contest where every customer who makes a donation on Giving Tuesday is automatically entered to win a prize or product from your company.
• Contributions based on customer actions: Encourage customers to take specific actions, such as subscribing to your newsletter, writing a review, or sharing content, in exchange for your company making a donation to the cause.

Do a team activity

A simple team activity is a great way to get involved with the cause you care about. Be creative and get your team involved in your community:

• Volunteer at a local organization with your colleagues;
• Raise funds at a sporting event;
• Pick up litter in your office neighborhood;
• Organize a blood drive at your head office;
• Etc.

These campaign examples illustrate the variety of ways in which eCommerce companies can contribute to Giving Tuesday while reinforcing their commitment to the causes they care about. “63% of Americans, or about three out of five, make a charitable donation in the last two weeks of the year. […] Organizations receive a third of their donations for the year during the month of December” (2). The key is to choose a campaign that resonates with your business and your customer base, and to clearly demonstrate how their actions will have a positive impact on your community. 

Giving Tuesday is a fantastic opportunity for eCommerce companies to show their commitment to society and make a positive difference. By choosing a meaningful cause, planning an appropriate campaign and avoiding common pitfalls, your company can help change the world while strengthening its relationship with customers. So get ready to participate in the next Giving Tuesday and make it a day of generosity and impact!

Want to discuss it or need more help? Contact one of our eCommerce specialists today!

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Sources : 

(1) https://www.shopify.com/ca/enterprise/blog/give-back-this-giving-tuesday

(2) Research by World Vision, https://www.shopify.com/ca/enterprise/blog/give-back-this-giving-tuesday