Why Should I Care?
It’s taken twenty-one days into the new year for it to leak out — I’ve been restraining myself — but here’s my first curmudgeon post of the year.
Last week, in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, it was reported by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Giving USA Foundation that Giving Tuesday’s tally for 2014 was an estimated $45.7 million. That figure reflects online giving via five platforms — Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, GlobalGiving, Network for Good, and Razoo — plus $10.8 million in reported offline donations.
The full report is available for purchase here.
But before you rush for your wallet, would you please answer my question:
Why should you or I care?
In the US, when all is counted for the year, total charitable giving is expected to be in the neighborhood of $350 billion for 2014 (according to Giving USA, it was $335 billion in 2013). 72% or $241 billion of the total came from individuals. That would be about $660 million a day from individuals … on a ‘normal’ day.
So what exactly is the significance of raising $45.7 million on one day in November?
How does this metric matter? What does it say about the condition of fundraising in the US or anywhere else? What does it tell me to do next?
As best I can tell, it’s as significant as saying that once a year fundraisers can throw a good party.
Clearly, Giving Tuesday is not on my 2015 ‘To do’ list.
Would someone tell me why it should be?
Tom
P.S. If I haven’t discouraged you from looking, here’s some free reporting on the 2014 results.
11 responses to “Why Should I Care?”
Behavioral Science Q & A
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Ah, Tom, Monsieur Curmudgeon…May I join you in the curmudgeoning?
I feel like Giving Tuesday (or Monday or Wednesday or Thursday, Friday, Saturday…) is kinda like the Ice Bucket Challenge. A gimmick. A gimmick that I worry makes us forget good fundraising. How many of those donors give again to your organization (or to any organization)? I don’t give on those giving days… Because I’ve already made my gifts or planned my gifts or or … And I’m giving more than 10% of my income to charity annually.
Is a Giving X day an acquisition opportunity? Maybe? Because of all the PR, maybe people are more “aware” and then they send money somewhere. Or maybe they give the gift on that day that they would have given anyway to their favorite charity/charities.
I know some community foundations that promote Giving Days — And promote best practice, e.g., retention, and and …
Since Black Friday and (Black?) Monday are so big…. Someone wanted a big famous day like that for giving. Okay. That’s cool. But??
I totally agree with Simone. Giving is becoming commercialized. I ran a small shop and we are listed on Global Giving. In 2013 we did everything giving Tuesdays can offer and never met our operations goal. In 2014 we switched and focused on our individuals by encouraging them to stay connected to their children and grannies they love. We used Tom Ahern tips and guidance. Giving was done for all 365 days. Guess what? we met and surpassed our goal. So, it’s good to know but no one is adding your org in their will on giving tueday.
I guess I should care if I thought the 2014 Giving Tuesday total would be an answer on Jeopardy and there was a snowball’s chance in hell I would be a contestant. Otherwise, I’m with you, Agitator guys.
What does the total matter to a single organization or an individual development officer, and all the more so if the organization didn’t promote Giving Tuesday to its donor base? Not much.
On the other hand, if like Jackson, every nonprofit made everyday a good day for someone to give, the numbers would go through the roof.
While I agree with the general consensus about Giving Tuesday not being such a big deal for many donors and organizations, the small shop I worked with last year used this past Giving Tuesday as their first attempt to create an “online strategy” to interest/acquire donors and donations.
From this perspective, it was a very useful exercise – and one that they built upon for their last week of the year email campaign (first ever!!!), which resulted in MANY new online donors and their best EOY ever – far exceeding expectations.
As a coach to many small and mid-sized nonprofits in the NYC area, Cause Effective has found #GivingTuesday a useful hook to engage “newbies” – new-comers to asking (board members, volunteers) and new givers. Kind of like a special event does – creates a deadline and excitement and the sense that one’s peers are engaged alongside one in this otherwise-daunting activity. Of course then the task is retention – of donors, and of the excitement and satisfaction of givers.
My question about the numbers is: did it shift giving from one set of days (late December) to another (early December)? In other words, did it lift the entire boat or just shift it over to one side?
Okay, enough metaphors, back to working on retention. We were inspired enough by Roger’s book to shift the focus of the NYC Nonprofit Excellence Awards Best Practices Panel, which I moderate, from general fundraising principles to a focus on retention – so this Friday two awesome CEO/fundraisers will be spending two hours dissecting their practices in that arena. Hopefully we’ll get a tip sheet out of it, which I will share!
I am on your team, too. The point of genuine, reliable giving is that it’s NOT a gimmick – it’s a deep belief in the power of a gift based on a personal relationship with the organization, built over time.
When Giving Tuesday was invented I felt that our profession was cheapened. Giving is a rewarding way of life, not a quick thrill. Donor retention is a challenge anyway, and Giving Tuesday upped the ante on that.
I’m with you. Tried it once, but it always felt wrong. Here’s the problem I have: the messaging becomes about the day, instead of about what great change the donor will create. It’s phony. It’s gimmicky. And I think it can easily take organization’s off-track.
Focus on your own message. Keep telling donors why a gift will help someone, change something – why they’ll be heroes. I don’t care if they give on Giving Tuesday or Snorefest Thursday. It’s the giving that matters, and why they give.
I feel compelled to say congrats to “Jackson” for plugging away for 365 days and busting the goal by building “long term relationships”! Three cheers for you and your team Jackson and let’s toss in another cheer for Tom Ahern for leading the team in assists…
For me, Giving Tuesday, is just another “event”, and those donors are not inclined to give again until next year’s Giving Tuesday. By that time, their affinity has shifted to another organization or they “don’t care”.
Thank goodness. So glad to hear I’m not the only one who thinks this “Giving Tuesday” thing is as Simone says a “gimmick”. Our donors deserve better than that. Our organizations deserve better than that.
As a very satisfied donor to Jackson’s Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, I can attest to the quality of his team’s donor communications. (Make a gift. See for yourself.) It is a persistent, year-round pleasure being part of the Nyaka family … thanks to their extreme donor-centricity. I rush to open Nyaka emails and bask in the warmth and the charm and the glow. I travel comfortably to a distant world I will probably never visit otherwise. Emotionally gratifying all the way, every time. ¶ As for Giving Tuesday, it’s good PR for philanthropy, so I like that aspect. It’s put philanthropy at the adult’s table, alongside National Rubber Band Day and Scrabble Thursday. Giving Tuesday is right-sized for mobile devices, which occupy 70% of American hands, so maybe it attracts some new donors that way. The Giving Tuesday concept can also grab some positive media coverage in the midst of the post-Thanksgiving consumer scramble: Black Friday, Black and Blue Saturday, Indescribably Awful Behavior Sunday. ¶ But I agree with Judy and Mike: it’s just another event. Garbage in, garbage out. I know an org. that raises $50K on Giving Tuesday, but they work it hard.