Being in fundraising for almost 20 years, I learned of Giving Tuesday with its inception in 2012. From my fundraiser’s perspective, it’s always been a big important thing. I would imagine that we all feel the same. So, when I read in Data Axle’s Surprising facts about Giving Tuesday: Uncovering the donor perspective that 54% of donors surveyed by Data Axle said they were NOT aware of Giving Tuesday, I was blown away. How can this be? As the kickoff to giving season when organizations generally dedicate around 30% of their annual revenue, more people must know about this important day!

Let’s take a quick step back and talk about who was included in this survey because I know you’ve already had that thought. Of the individuals surveyed, 82% made a charitable donation in the past five years. While about 60% of the U.S. population donates to charitable causes, our survey pool was more philanthropic to meet our survey objectives.

Let me give you another mind-blowing stat – 71% of respondents don’t know when Giving Tuesday is. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no-brainers for the public. Giving Tuesday is the next business day in succession, yet it’s not nearly as well known. Given this knowledge just imagine what the potential could be if we closed that 54% gap. As it is, in just 11 years, we’ve taken a self-created event, banded together as an industry, and created the Global Day of Giving that raised $3.1 billion last year. After reading this survey I truly believe this is only the tip of the iceberg.

What can we as fundraisers do to maximize our potential income on Giving Tuesday? Educate. Giving Tuesday needs to be as commonplace as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now, don’t go rushing to change your launch dates, I said educate. Include mentions in existing pieces of content, like e-newsletters, engagement emails, organic social posts, and more. We’re seeing some organizations lean into the omnichannel marketing approach by including Giving Tuesday promotions within their direct mail packages. The white paper includes some great examples.

Data Axle’s Giving Tuesday Donor Survey forced me out of my own industry-focused mind and to start thinking like a donor – there’s a wealth of information included that I only touched on. I highly suggest taking some time to read and really digest what our donors are saying. Get your copy.