GivingTuesday 2022: Celebrating Bonterra customer success

As one of the biggest giving days of the year and the unofficial kick-off to year-end giving, many Bonterra Donor Engagement Guided Fundraising (formerly Network for Good) customers participated in GivingTuesday, seeing great success for their organizations. 

Established in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y as a day for people to do good, GivingTuesday has evolved into “a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round.” Each year, an increasing number of donors show their support for causes they care about, leading to more funds raised for nonprofit organizations everywhere. In total, GivingTuesday 2022 resulted in an incredible $3.1 billion raised by 37 million donors for organizations and causes across the United States. 

Bonterra is proud to support some of these amazing organizations, helping them achieve greater success on GivingTuesday and beyond. We’re excited to share what our customers were able to do through the platform this year:  

• Bonterra Guided Fundraising customers raised more than $9 million online on GivingTuesday 2022, supporting 6,132 organizations.
• Of those donations, the most dollars were raised in the early morning hours.  
• The average gift size was $169.50. 
• 53,209 donors made 56,824 gifts through Bonterra Guided Fundraising with most donations made around 11 a.m EST. 
• Over 4 million emails were sent through Bonterra Guided Fundraising with the most emails sent around 2 p.m. EST.  
• Over 200,000 text messages were sent through Bonterra Guided Fundraising with the most text messages sent around 6 p.m. EST. 

Bonterra Customers Exceed GivingTuesday Fundraising Goals

One of Bonterra's customers, Water is Basic, experienced especially exciting results. The nonprofit, whose purpose is to innovate sustainable, women-led, local solutions to basic water problems, exceeded its GivingTuesday fundraising goal of $24,000 by 59% for a grand total of $38,220 raised. According to their GivingTuesday campaign page, $24,000 funds a six-month supply of parts for their 15 women-led well repair teams.  

Water is Basic utilized Bonterra Guided Fundraising to segment their supporters, which allowed them to send nine emails leading up to, throughout, and following GivingTuesday that targeted past GivingTuesday donors, existing donors, and recurring donors while also thanking those who donated on the day. These emails included details about their work, what various donation amounts would support, and encouraged donors to share the campaign with their networks. 

Additionally, Water is Basic secured a matching gift, meaning all GivingTuesday donations of any amount were doubled. They reinforced the messaging shared via email and text through a Facebook Ad Campaign featuring the video below, sharing their purpose with more donors.  

With the overload of asks people receive on Giving Tuesday from so many worthy organizations, it can feel like we are just adding to the cluttering of inboxes,” said Carrie Ward, executive director at Water is Basic. “But most people want to be given opportunities to do good and be part of something bigger. I’m celebrating those who connect with our work every month, or once a year, or even just one time on Giving Tuesday. It all makes a difference! 

Another Bonterra Guided Fundraising customer, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Research Foundation (EDSRF), also experienced a very successful GivingTuesday—their first using the Guided Fundraising solution. EDSRF works to advance innovative research on treatment modalities, efficacy, and delivery, and educate healthcare providers across disciplines on diagnosis and management of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. They utilized Bonterra Guided Fundraising to launch a year-end donation page which they promoted during GivingTuesday. 

Though the page will be live throughout the year-end giving season, the organization raised over $33,000 on GivingTuesday alone. Last year, without the Bonterra Guided Fundraising platform, EDSRF brought in about $10,000 during the two weeks after GivingTuesday 2021. That means the organization more than tripled its funds in just one day using our platform! EDSRF sent their first email blasts with our platform! 

Expand your fundraising efforts beyond GivingTuesday 

Ensure you continue to share your organization’s purpose, attract new donors, and engage existing donors, no matter the time of year. Thank those who donated during your GivingTuesday campaign and foster connections with those new supporters.