Giving Day Guide

Section I - Best Practices

Ambassador Engagement

#iGiveCatholic provides many wonderful ways for your ambassadors (friends and volunteers who will promote your giving day) to get to know one another, grow in faith, and use their talents and gifts in service to Christ. How can you ask them to help you ensure your #iGiveCatholic Giving Day is a success? Check out the Board Engagement resource here.

Questions to consider

  • How can your ambassadors evangelize your mission through the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day?
  • How can your ambassadors reach out to your organization's donors?
  • How will your ambassadors utilize social media and other communications such as email to promote your giving day?

Know Your Audience

To craft the most effective message, you need to know your audience. Who are they, how can you reach them, and how can they spread the word about #iGiveCatholic?

Questions to consider

  • Who is your current audience?
  • Who is your prospective audience? 

  • How will you reach them?
  • What stories can you share that will speak to their hearts?

Donor Engagement

Stewarding your donors – before, during and after #iGiveCatholic – keeps them aligned with your organization for continued engagement and support.

Questions to consider

  • How will you engage your current donor base?
  • How will you thank your donors when the campaign ends?
  • What is your plan to follow up with donors 1, 3, 6 months after #iGiveCatholic?
  • How will you engage new donors?

Goal Setting

Goals for #iGiveCatholic can be more than financial. Manage your expectations when setting your overall philanthropic goals: New donors, visibility, marketing, and social media.

Questions to consider

  • Will you have a financial goal for #iGiveCatholic? And, if so, how much?
  • How many donors would you like during #iGiveCatholic?
  • What other goals do you have?
  • How do you plan to share your success with your donors and ambassadors?
  • What tools do you need to make this happen?

Communication Tools

Once you’ve defined your audience, crafted your message, and set goals, be sure to utilize the communication tools available to you. Email marketing, social media, and videos are a great way to tell your story. Don’t forget to engage your parishioners, council members, parents, grandparents, and other volunteers as effective community ambassadors. Always use the communication methods that work best for you!

Questions to consider

  • What communication tools does your organization already use?
  • What tools are you not using that you may want to incorporate for #iGiveCatholic?
  • What current marketing materials can you add your #iGiveCatholic message to?
  • What other tools and resources do you need?

Social Media

For an online event, social media plays a huge role. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms will help you communicate with your current and future donors at every stage of the campaign.

Questions to consider

  • What social media platforms will 
you use for #iGiveCatholic?
  • What are the key messages you will 
convey through these platforms?
  • Who will run your social media campaign?

Section II. Develop and Execute Your Plan

#iGiveCatholic participants have told us that three months is the ideal timeframe for implementing and executing the giving day. Start by planning and preparing for the giving day, and then implement your campaign beginning in mid-October.

Use the template below to create work plan action items. And don’t forget to consider the goals you set while you do so!

#iGiveCatholic Goals:

  • What is your financial goal for #iGiveCatholic?
  • How many donors would you like during #iGiveCatholic?
  • What other goals do you have?
  • Are there internal vs. external goals?
  • How do you plan to share your success with your donors and volunteers?
  • What tools do you need to make this happen?

August - Prepare Profiles and Register for Training

  • Beginning on the assigned day in August (check your #iGiveCatholic timeline), activate and create your organization's profile on www.iGiveCatholic.org
  • Register for #iGiveCatholic live webinars and utilize archived webinars

September - Meet, Plan, Discuss

  • Identify staff/ambassadors who will assist with your campaign, create an ambassador task list, and assign to members
  • Set weekly meetings to begin in mid-October
  • Decide on the communication tools you’ll use
  • Begin designing print or digital materials utilizing items from the Resources page
  • Finalize donor email/contact lists and make sure all information is ready to use
  • Begin providing #iGiveCatholic updates at your monthly or quarterly council, PTA, or board meetings

Six Weeks Out (Mid-October) - Soft Marketing Launch

  • Build your social media plan by using the communications timeline
  • Add an #iGiveCatholic logo to your email signature
  • Add a save the date block to your website and outgoing communications
  • Send an e-blast to your donors announcing your participation

Five Weeks Out (Mid- to Late October) - Soft Marketing Launch Continues

  • If you are using printed materials, have them ready no later than next week
  • Work on your “thank you” plan for donors for day-of and post-#iGiveCatholic
  • Use your #iGiveCatholic profile page link to help promote your participation
  • Double check the communications timeline for social media milestones
  • Ask volunteers to start a personal email campaign to raise awareness of #iGiveCatholic—email 10 people the URL link to the organization’s dedicated donation page and ask them to forward to 10 more people etc.

Four Weeks Out (Late October to Early November) - Continue Soft Marketing

  • Talk about your involvement in #iGiveCatholic at meetings and events
  • If you’re a parish, start making announcements from the pulpit
  • Continue to implement your social media communications plan
  • Send another e-blast about your chosen project to your donors
  • Ask volunteers to send a follow up personal email campaign

Three Weeks Out (Early November) - Prepare for Two-Week Marketing Blitz

  • Customize email templates from toolkit and schedule e-blasts to go out
  • If you’re a parish, make an announcement from the pulpit and insert information about the giving day in your bulletin
  • Finalize social media schedule and content

Two Weeks Out (Mid-November) - Two-Week Heavy Marketing Begins

  • Amp up social media posts
  • Send an e-blast reminder to donors about the giving day
  • Ask volunteers to send another reminder via personal email campaign
  • If you’re a parish, make an announcement from the pulpit and insert information about the giving day in your bulletin
  • If you’re a school, consider utilizing robo-calls or text messages leading up to the giving day

One Week Out (Late November) - Heavy Marketing Continues

  • Continue heavy social media presence and schedule day-of posts
  • Remind ambassadors of roles (outreach, sending emails, etc.) and finalize day-of event plans for staffing
  • If you’re a parish, make a final announcement from the pulpit

#iGiveCatholic - Day Of

  • Announce any early morning donations and keep the giving updates coming
  • Check in with ambassadors to make sure they implement your plan
  • Be active all day on social media
  • Check your GiveGab Admin Dashboard every hour and make sure you are thanking donors in real time either on social media or via email

Day After and Beyond!

  • Continue your plan of thanking all donors
  • Implement donor thank you plans such as who will make personal calls, send thank you cards, etc. (check your staff role list)
  • Send an update to your board, staff, volunteers, networks, and donors on your results
  • Decide if you will have a post-event thank you reception/event