#GivingTuesdayNOW: May 5th

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” 

That’s a quote thought to originate with Hippocrates, summarized from its original (but no less relevant) form, “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable.”

This month, desperate measures and extreme diseases have resulted in the need for an immediate iteration of #GivingTuesday, a day for nonprofits usually wedged into the holiday season following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Our new societal urgency is reflected in the new name: #GivingTuesdayNow. While we have mixed feelings on traditional Giving Tuesday in normal, non-pandemic times, we are recommending a jump on board with the current and more urgent iteration of this do-gooding holiday.

Participate May 5th in #GivingTuesdayNow. Everyone else will be. 

You can also sign up to apply for this GivingTuesday Matching-Fund Initiative, a collaboration between organizations GivingTuesday, Nonprofit Hub, Firespring and Do More Good.

Along with keeping an eye on Giving Tuesday Now, we’ve also been tracking with other trends and outcomes in the nonprofit world, and things are changing by the DAY. Here, we’ve collected some of our more relevant or unexpected takeaways regarding FUNDRAISING:

Ask with immediacy.

Yes, some of our donors (hospitality industry, airlines) have been severely impacted by the coronavirus and any outreach beyond “How ARE you?” would be tone deaf in the worst possible way. But if you’ve got donors who are weathering the storm decently, now is as good a time as any to reach out to them. In fact, it’s better. They probably already know you’re coming. The reality is that we don’t KNOW what challenges COVID-19 will bring us or when. We’re in this for the long haul, and we must sustain ourselves. Waiting until “things are better” might mean help never comes. If you can reach out to a foundation, that may be even better—many of them are recipients of some of the larger pandemic-era donations.

Ask with creativity.

Nonprofits aren’t having much luck recruiting new or small-sum donors, but we’ve seen some luck with text campaigns and—wouldn’t you know it—thinking outside the box of WHO can be a donor. If your usual donors are slammed with requests or unable donate, go further up the supply chain. Consider in-kind donations that could be useful. Look at manufacturers and distributors who may step up to help in new ways if their more public-facing companies aren’t accessible. Everyone is approaching this challenge differently, and creativity reigns in the world of the all new.

Ask with transparency.

Whoever you’re talking to, whether new prospects or established donors, they all want to make the best decisions they can make with their money. The more specifically you can show what you need and how it’s going to be used, the more likely donors will be to give. It’s competitive out there; you don’t need us to tell you that. Make sure donors know what you’re doing to maximizing your immediate impact during this time. If the focus of your nonprofit isn’t providing immediate needs like food, shelter or employment, consider backing off your ask for a bit or re-configuring it to cover your org’s absolute necessities, like keeping your staff employed. We’re seeing an unprecedented willingness by donors to support nonprofit overhead costs in the interest of sustaining the orgs they care about.

Ask with humanity.

Of COURSE your focus is fundraising. But anyone you’re reaching out to is probably also stressing about personal and professional matters—their families, their health, their jobs, their employees, their households, their friends, their futures. This may be a time for expediency, but it’s not a time to forget the little things: Take a moment for pleasantries. Ask about the people they love. Show you care about them, too. Their context is your context.

It’s a new and sudden era of giving that has us all a bit out of our depth. But we’re doing our (very imperfect) best, and that’s proving to be appreciated by donors, employees, friends, family and associates. Embrace the ask. Embrace the imperfectEmbrace #GivingTuesdayNow. 

Thank you to the Guidestar and Candid conversation with Mike Ryan, VP of Development at the American Red Cross and Brian Fogle, CEO of Community Foundation of the Ozarks for sharing their direct experience of what’s happening with nonprofits right now.