GivingTuesday 2023 on Bonterra

GivingTuesday is like the Super Bowl of philanthropy. Born in 2012 at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City, GivingTuesday was started to inspire generosity on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

And 12 years later, over 85 countries now take part in what has become one of the biggest days of generosity.  

Here at Bonterra, it’s our duty and privilege to help social good organizations as much as possible leading up to, on, and following the day. 

This fuels our focus of making Bonterra’s comprehensive suite of products the best in the social good space, and it’s why we partner with GivingTuesday to share how our customers performed and how they innovate on the biggest day of generosity. 

"On GivingTuesday, 34 million Americans engaged in generosity by giving their voices, time, and resources to support causes that are making the world a better place,” said Woodrow Rosenbaum, chief data officer at GivingTuesday. “As a Platform Partner of GivingTuesday, Bonterra helps us tell the story of that impact, enabling organizations to make data-informed decisions to grow their missions." 

My team of data scientists rolled up their sleeves, analyzing the incredible results of our customers’ work on GivingTuesday and the week surrounding it to give you a comprehensive look at the trends across the social good space. 

Here are my five takeaways from our data on GivingTuesday 2023: 

1. Organizations that raised $200 or less last GivingTuesday saw a 483% boost in donations, the biggest increase across all organizations this year. 

2. Total dollars raised increased by 5% compared to last year, offsetting current dips in giving across the sector. 

3. Our corporate and giving day customers saw overall giving jump 5% to $76.1 million and an increase in the donor count by an astounding 9% to 317,600 people. 

4. While some of Bonterra’s growth was brought in by new Bonterra customers, 20% of the growth came from our longstanding customers who knocked their GivingTuesday campaigns out of the park. 

5. Bonterra customers who brought in less than $2,090 last year raised their donations by 194%, while those who raised more than $2,090 boosted their donations by 5%. 

We put together an infographic to give you a look at how the entire social good ecosystem performed on GivingTuesday this year. Get your copy today by clicking on the button above. 

Is GivingTuesday worth it?  

I get this question a lot, and every time I do, my answer is a resounding “Yes.” The data shows that GivingTuesday donors stick around longer and at a higher rate, and some even give again before year-end. 

So what works for those organizations and CSR companies who stand out on GivingTuesday? 

Do not spam anyone. Only text, email, post, etc. with meaningful content to connect donors and employees with your mission and programs.  

The idea is to reach them at the right time with the right message. How will you know what the right time and message is? Test, test, test. Test how many times it is best to reach out and test the words you use.  

Use messaging that you’ve noticed has worked for you outside of GivingTuesday, and don’t ask people to give simply because it’s GivingTuesday.  

Nonprofits, sing loudly about the incredible work you do so that the donors who are interested in your mission will hear you through the onslaught of messages other organizations send that day.  

And companies with giving programs should highlight the tremendous impact that a matched gift can make for the causes closest to your employees’ hearts!  

Once you’ve been in the GivingTuesday game for a while and have the basics down, you might see your giving numbers plateau or decline. Don’t let this dissuade you. Keep honing your tactics and focus on getting your sharpened messaging in front of new eyeballs. 

Strengthen trust after GivingTuesday 

Nonprofits, after GivingTuesday, you probably now have a batch of new donors that came in through peer-to-peer fundraising or because your social post caught their attention. To keep those donors in the new year, it’s important you build their trust.  

Take the time to give personal attention to this key group of new supporters by showing them proof-points of how their gifts make real impact on how your nonprofit serves the community. Ask how they would like to be involved with your nonprofit. And keep those two-way conversations going all year. 

Companies, GivingTuesday might be the first time that your employees took advantage of your matching program, but there is still work to do to make sure that your employees give more than once per year.  

Keep the giving going year-round by asking employees to share about the causes and organizations that are important to them. This way, their coworkers will be inspired to give and feel like they have a growing list of nonprofits they trust. 

Happy year-end! 

While GivingTuesday is important, I do want to stress that you can’t take your foot off the pedal after the biggest day of generosity. Right now, we’re facing the biggest part of the giving season: year-end. My advice for GivingTuesday works well through the end of the year.  

I wish you all good luck and hope you can find time to recharge this holiday season! 

    - Ben Miller, SVP of Data and Analytics