The third annual “Give to the Max Day” on Nov. 16 (starting midnight Nov. 16 through midnight Nov. 17) is coming up fast! Since 2009, Minnesota’s nonprofit organizations have been asking Minnesota to come together and give to their favorite charities on this special day at GiveMN.org. Why? In hopes of raising as much money as possible for nonprofit organizations in 24 hours!
In just its first year, the day became the most successful place-based online fundraising drive in history, raising more than $14 million for more than 3,400 Minnesota nonprofits- with contributions made by more than 38,000 donors.
In 2010, more than $10 million was raised for Minnesota nonprofits, with more than 42,000 donors participating.
Just imagine what the turn-out could be this year…
So why should my nonprofit care about Give to the Max Day?
Are you a Minnesota Nonprofit? Get ready- For Minnesota nonprofits now is the time to plan for Give to the Max Day 2011. It’s true many nonprofits have been planning for months, but don’t despair. Most nonprofits that I have helped create plans for Give to the Max Day 2011 are just now staring to implement aspects of the plans. It’s not too late, but you do need a plan!
Not a Minnesota nonprofit? No problem! – If you are not a Minnesota nonprofit you should still check it out as this effort of Minnesota collaborative fundraising is a model of fundraising that may be adopted in the future- it’s already been utilized in other states!
The benefits of collaborative giving are tremendous and include:
- Saving money
- Increased visibility
- Encouraging online fundraising with present and future donors
The list goes on and on. Watch this amazing event and learn- these opportunities may be coming to your area in the future!
Why should my donors care care about Give to the Max Day?
Give to the Max Day is not only advantageous to you, but also your donors. The day allows them to:
- Learn about and contribute to local/national programs
- Fundraise for their favorite causes/organizations by easily creating fundraiser pages
- Track online contributions and store receipts
- Make online donations quickly and painlessly with credit or debit
So why should my nonprofit invest in Give to the Max Day 2011?
Give To the Max Day is packed with opportunities. Check out what taking advantage of this day could do for your nonprofit:
• Great way to get in front of your donors and ask.
• Gain brand recognition as well as possible donations in the future.
• Kick-off event for your end-of-year fundraising
Not to mention, the day is an easy way to simply ask. Let’s face it, fundraising is not always fun and actually asking can be challenging. Give to the Max Day allows you a day when it is OK to ask. In fact, it’s expected of you. Think of it this way: if you don’t reach out and ask, your donors may give to other nonprofits
But it doesn’t end there!
Give to the Max Day will be offering several incentives to encourage nonprofit and donor participation including leaderboards, prize grants, and “golden tickets” which allow a donor every hour to have an addition $1,000 given to the charity they originally donated to!
So what if my nonprofit doesn’t have a strong social media presence?
I am not going to lie and say that your efforts on social media do not matter, they do and GTMD is a great catalyst to get you investing in your online marketing efforts. You can’t build that community overnight – so it’s true you may not be a “rockstar” on social media this year. But guess what? It is not all about social media – it is about a comprehensive plan that includes multiple forms of outreach. So don’t sit around with the idea that this day only caters to nonprofits who have the funds to be excellent on social media – because that is so untrue.
How can my nonprofit participate in Give to the Max Day 2011?
Great news, it’s easy! Yes, it’s true I have already built plans for my current clients that we are about to start executing. But keep in mind that these are nonprofits that have been participating in Give to the Max Day for several years and decided this was the year to invest even moreso in the process. And even though Give to the Max Day is 6 weeks away, it is not too late for your nonprofit to get going. Just because you don’t have a big extensive plan does not mean you shouldn’t get a small plan in place and make the most of this event. Even better, I’m going to give you some tips to get you started! So tune in next week and I will point out some simple things to do so you can make the most of Give to the Max Day 2011.
And if you are not a Minnesota nonprofit, don’t miss out – you can tune in as well as some of the advice will help you plan for your own end-of-year fundraising/future campaigns!
Disclaimer: I am a big supporter of Give to the Max Day (obviously) and I served in a volunteer social media advisory role in 2010 as well as this year. I also was the guest Tweeter in 2010 and have been fortunate to be invited back in 2011.
Article by Nicole Harrison
Hi I'm Nicole Harrison, founder of SocialNicole a full service social media agency. This blog is all about using social technology to connect, engage and grow companies. If you liked the post, consider signing up for our monthly enews packed full of everything social. Thanks for visiting!
Nicole has written 61 awesome articles for us at Nonprofit Talk | Nonprofits Empowered and Connected
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