3 Donor Insights from #GivingTuesday and Why They’re Important for Year-End Campaigns

With #GivingTuesday behind us, you probably can’t wait for the new year to offer some respite from fundraising mania. To get you through the final frenzy, we’ve pulled some data from #GivingTuesday and Giving Week to help you make the most of the final few days of the year. These insights and tips can help make your end-of-year fundraising push even more successful.

To see the full story of how EveryAction clients fundraised during Giving Week this year, check out our infographic at the end of this blog post!

1. The percentage of recurring donations was low on #GivingTuesday, but don’t let that discourage you! 

The lowest percentage of recurring donations during Giving Week came on #GivingTuesday—many donors feel obligated to give, but rarely do donors make their one time gift a recurring donation without being asked. The highest percentage of recurring gifts was actually made on Thanksgiving—five days before #GivingTuesday. People are particularly eager to give around the holidays, so these next few weeks are the perfect opportunity to capitalize on that generosity.

TIP: After a donor completes a gift, ask them to make it monthly! Union of Concerned Scientists saw a 28% increase in sustainer giving on their main donation page after implementing a lightbox feature. 

2. The largest number of #GivingTuesday donations were made at 11:00 p.m. 

While donor engagement tends to be higher in the morning, you should continue to post and promote your fundraising needs into the late evening hours, as we saw donations increase from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on #GivingTuesday. 

TIP: Build out marketing automation workflows ahead of time so you don’t have to be writing emails and clicking that send button at 11pm!

3. The average donation size on #GivingTuesday 2019 was down 4.2% from 2018. 

Despite the average gift size being lower on #GivingTuesday this year, the overall amount donated over the course of Giving Week was up by over a million dollars. What can we learn from this? Focus on building long-term relationships with your donors rather than the size of a donation on one single day. 

TIP: Enable FastAction on your online donation forms so supporters can easily complete their donation using saved payment methods, regardless of the size of your ask.

Take a look below for more insight into how donors gave on #GivingTuesday and Giving Week this year!

Using a CRM to power your high-performance year-end fundraising is key to getting through the ups and downs of giving habits. By using tech to your advantage, you can focus on expanding your recurring donor base and head into 2020 with a healthier revenue and development program.