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 Ambassador 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 giving day ends?
- What is your plan to follow up with donors 1, 3, and 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 do 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 August 16, 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 Giving Day (November 27)
- 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