#GivingTuesday a new way to link to causes

MEETING A NEED: Family Service of Rhode Island staffers discuss fundraising plans. From left, Sarah Anzevino, advancement assistant; Johnnie Chace, director of philanthropy and Maggie Slane, director of advancement and business development. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
MEETING A NEED: Family Service of Rhode Island staffers discuss fundraising plans. From left, Sarah Anzevino, advancement assistant; Johnnie Chace, director of philanthropy and Maggie Slane, director of advancement and business development. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

There’s no question that the holiday season is one of opulence and over-spending. Retailers rake in billions of dollars, with just a month-and-a-half representing nearly 20 percent of their annual sales, according to economists.

But in the name of philanthropy, nonprofits and other organizations have begun to generate their own kind of holiday cheer.

Since 2012, the hashtag campaign #GivingTuesday has been successfully used to drum up donations in an otherwise highly commercialized season defined by excess. This year, #GivingTuesday is set to be held Nov. 29 – the Tuesday following Thanksgiving weekend, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“After that tide of commerce, we see people turning toward charitable giving and thinking of others,” said Dena Pruett, a project manager at United Way of Rhode Island, which took part in the campaign in 2014. “Giving Tuesday is great in that it lifts up the conversation about philanthropy and giving back.”

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The New York City cultural center 92Y started #GivingTuesday in 2012. Last year, it raised more than $117 million in the United States and brought together 45,000 partners in 71 countries, according to 92Y Executive Director Henry Timms.

Several local organizations, including the United Way and Farm Fresh Rhode Island, Family Service of Rhode Island and Crossroads Rhode Island have participated in the campaign, or plan to this year. 

Family Service will specifically be raising money and attracting volunteers for its Walking School Bus, according to Director of Philanthropy Johnnie Chace. That program fosters daily exercise, parental engagement and values such as attending school every day (and arriving on time).

But it’s not just as simple as sending out social media blasts, Chace emphasized.

“Our challenge is to craft a compelling message with visuals so people will take action,” she said. “We also need to work out the scheduling of these messages so that they reach the right people at the right time.”

In addition to being a free way to publicize its efforts, the campaign will augment the organization’s Brighter Futures luncheon (now in its 12th year), grant-writing, direct mail and one-on-one solicitations.

“We are trying to be where our supporters and potential supporters are,” said Chace, “and that means social media and email.”

Crossroads, the homeless-services organization, is asking donors to give $15 – the average price of a Thanksgiving meal – or an equivalent in-kind donation. Its goal is to raise $189,400 – a number commemorating its 1894 founding.

“Since 1894, Crossroads Rhode Island has been serving some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” said President and CEO Karen A. Santilli in a statement. “We are enlisting all Rhode Island residents to help our homeless neighbors lift themselves up.”

“[#GivingTuesday] was an easy connection to make for us,” said Pruett of UWRI. “There was a lot of chatter on social media surrounding the day and a real push for charitable giving and philanthropy. Giving Tuesday is all about giving back to others and helping neighbors in need.”

The first campaign was held on Dec. 3, 2014. UWRI’s efforts began in mid-November, Pruett said, and the organization reached a high of 1,800 impressions a day, and increased its followers by 400.

“We weren’t really interested in an amount raised so much as engaging more followers,” she said.

However, the nonprofit is not participating this year – largely for the reasons that attracted it to the campaign in the first place. The increased media attention that occurs leading up to, and on, the day of the campaign makes an organization’s voice just one of thousands in a flood of “Donate Now” messages.

None of that is a bad thing, Pruett stressed – in fact, the enthusiasm is inspiring – but it can be challenging to be heard above that cacophony.

Similarly, UWRI emphasizes a mission of not only donating, but volunteering or speaking up for causes through advocacy, and in a way that is meaningful to the agency – and that’s difficult to express in just 140 characters, she said.

Chace agreed on that challenge.

“Social media is not simple. It requires creativity, time and more,” she said. “We hope to take the lessons learned this year to build an even more compelling campaign next year.”

Ultimately, Pruett emphasized a strong benefit in #GivingTuesday in helping organizations reach short-term goals.

“If it’s used outside [an organization’s] regular annual fundraising goals, I think Giving Tuesday absolutely can work well,” said Pruett. “It’s a short, easy-to-share goal and a personal hook that makes the need feel real and immediate for the donor.” •

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