December 1st 2015 marks the fourth annual #GivingTuesday.

In anticipation of the event this post is divided into: 1) stats on #Giving Tuesday, and 2) some quick and easy tips to prepare for #GivingTuesday.

Background and Stats

#GivingTuesday is that artificially inseminated day of philanthropy aimed at capturing some of the torrent of consumer spending that marks the holiday shopping season in the days following American Thanksgiving.

Here at The Agitator the event seems to stir up Tom’s and some of our readers’ more curmudgeonly or at least skeptical instincts. See this initial post marking #GivingTuesday’s inaugural year in 2012.

By the time the event reached its third season in 2014 at least some of our readers, but not Tom, had grown more moderate in their take on #GivingTuesday. Their reactions — pro and con — are reflected in Why Should I Care?, our last post on the subject.

To keep the discussion on #GivingTuesday going and growing Blackbaud this summer released – on Wednesday, not Tuesday – their report “#GivingTuesday Trends: A Closer Look at the Online Fundraising Impact in the United States.” You can download it free right here.

Here are the key takeaways from the Report:

• The most recent Giving Tuesday, which took place on December 2, 2014, generated $46 million in online contributions according to estimates compiled by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and five gift-processing platforms — Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, GlobalGiving, Network for Good, and Razoo.

• This is more than double the amount raised in 2012’s inaugural event. And in 2014 28% more organizations received online donations on #GivingTuesday than did so in 2012.

• Over the past three events, according to the Blackbaud study, 4,396 nonprofits took in collectively $55.6 million in Giving Tuesday donations. To be included, nonprofits had to have received at least one Giving Tuesday gift. The study does not include donations made on other online gift-processing platforms or offline giving.

• 17% of donations were made through a mobile device. And, as Blackbaud notes, this occurred despite the fact “we know that most donation forms aren’t mobile friendly”.

• The average online gift exceeds $100 for most organizations.

• Faith-based organizations now receive the largest percentage of #GivingTuesday online donations; they were followed by higher education with 17% and health care and medical research, which each took 13%.

9 Essential Quick Tips

With only 26 days left until Giving Tuesday ( December 1^st this year) here are some quick and easy tips you can put to work immediately courtesy of the good folks over at Network for Good.

Tip #1 – Download Network for Good’s free mini-Guide on the Top Essentials for a Winning #GivingTuesday The guide lays out 9 “key components for making your #GivingTuesday the best it can be.”

Tip #2.   Sign up for free e-mail tips provided by the #GivingTuesday experts at Network for Good.

Tip #3. In addition to following the tips in their mini-guide Network for Good advises: “One important part of your plan is to identify your team and assign roles for the big day. These resources can help:

• “Don’t go it alone…tapping into your community is crucial for a successful campaign.

• “Remember to include your board members and encourage them to be a part of your fundraising outreach.

“Need some inspiration for your campaign? Check out how one organization raised over $85K in just one day.”

Finally, if you want to see the Network for Good staff pick as last year’s best #GivingTuesday campaign, check this effort by the Bad Ass Brooklyn Animal Rescue.

Are you ready for #GivingTuesday? Or are you taking a pass?

Roger