GivingPulse Field Guide | Q2 2024

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Welcome to the second edition of the GivingPulse Field Guide!

RKD Group is teaming up with GivingTuesday to provide this companion to the Q2 2024 GivingPulse Report.  

The goal of the Field Guide is to offer nonprofit organizations actionable insights based on the data found in the report. Stephanie Russell and Jenn Thompson—our two strategy experts at RKD Group—are back to examine the findings and zoom in on a few areas that stand out. 

As we near the final quarter of 2024, our entire industry shifts its focus to giving season. With that in mind, this issue of the Field Guide is geared toward strategies for GivingTuesday, happening this year on Dec. 3, and year-end campaigns.  

It’s critical that we capture the moment at this time of year, and there are two important aspects to doing this: 

  1. Harness seasonal behavior 
  2. Make the ask 

Let’s take a closer look at each area, some data that correspond to it and the strategic recommendations that nonprofits can take from it. 

1. Harness seasonal behavior

In-Person Giving

We know from the GivingPulse Q4 2023 Report that Q4 saw an uptick in generosity behaviors last year—that’s no surprise to anyone in the nonprofit sector. What’s interesting to note is the intersection between Q4 and in-person generosity. 

As we are all out and about during the holiday season, we’re more likely to give in person. Notice in Fig. 3.9 from the Q2 2024 GivingPulse Report (below) that we see a sharp uptick in November for in-person giving. 

Election Season

A unique variable for the upcoming months is the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, which is projected to be highly contentious. It’s possible that the final result may not be decided on election night and could continue into giving season. No matter what is happening, there will be many people looking to engage and connect with the organizations and causes that matter most to them. 

Harness the energy and attention around the election to get people involved with your cause or campaign as a way for them to channel their energy for good. Passion and urgency surrounding the election is an opportunity for fundraisers. Fig 5.2 from the Q4 2023 report shows us that 31% of people respond when they identify a “crisis” and another 42% take notice and intend to give, especially when prompted.   

Media Asset 2

Field Guide Recommendations:

  • If you’re not already doing so, add an in-person element to your fundraising plan. Generosity takes many forms in November and December, so activate your willing volunteers to ask for gifts in front of a store, canvass door-to-door in your community, etc. The Salvation Army’s Register to Ring program is a great example. Don’t miss this opportunity to build connections and relationships.  

  • Convey a sense of urgency. Data shows that people want to act whenever they see disasters, emergencies and other crises. Explain why your cause matters right now and how their gift can help. Some strategies where urgency can be used include matching gifts, lightboxes on your home page and subject lines in emails.

  • Passions are high right now, and the election is top of mind for many.  Awareness of causes and needs is also high, which can help nonprofit organizations more quickly make the case for support. How can you harness this passion and turn it into an act of good? 

Additional Resources Asset 

Additional Resources

2. Make the ask

Motivation To Give

GivingTuesday Data Commons research definitively shows that people are very motivated to give to many different causes. The key right now, as at any time, is to ensure your relationship with supporters is experiential rather than transactional. 

The Q2 2024 GivingPulse Report offers another great reminder that people give … when we ask. Check out Fig. 3.4 below, which compares the generosity of those who saw lots of reminders vs. those who did not. 

People want lots of ways to show support for the causes they care about. On GivingTuesday, the vast majority of people also take some other action besides giving dollars. Providing multiple touchpoints, messages and opportunities to show support helps make you relevant and inspiring. 

It’s also important to note that asking for a gift on GivingTuesday does not eliminate the possibility of another gift on Dec. 31 or throughout the giving season. As you plan your campaigns, data shows you can and should ask recent donors to continue their support. 

Recurring Gifts

Another important aspect to consider is the rise of monthly/recurring donors. The data in the Q2 report shows us that recurring giving is a stable and steady source of revenue—and who doesn’t like that?  

In the last year, we’ve seen the share of recurring donors hover between 25 and 35 percent in the GivingPulse Report. We’ve previously seen that recurring donors are likely to make a plan for their giving and are more likely to show generosity in other forms as well. 

Media Asset 2

Field Guide Recommendations:

  • The biggest tip we can share is simply this: Ask. And ask again. And again. GivingTuesday data shows that “donor fatigue” is a function of the quality of the message and engagement rather than a question of frequency. People want to donate on GivingTuesday and at year’s end, but data shows they are often not solicited enough. Think about how your organization is providing supporters with an opportunity to exercise their generosity and agency to make positive change. 
  • This also ties back to the Q1 Field Guide, where we noted the power of connection. We highlighted the connections to community, cause and people. Notably absent is the connection to the organization. While your organization does incredible work, make sure you take a step back in your fundraising asks and connect the donor directly to the cause, the people being helped and the community that receives the help.   
  • Make intentional efforts to increase your recurring giving revenue. Add a monthly giving button to your home page and your donation form. Identify donors who have given more than once and invite them to convert to a monthly gift. Offer a year-end or GivingTuesday gift “renewal” to those who gave last year. Then, test the complete flow of how a person can donate monthly. Is it easy? Is it practically the default donation path? Driver’s license organ donor data shows that defaults have a huge effect on what happens. 

Additional Resources Asset 

Additional Resources

Examples of success

Provide a Platform with Options for People to Give

Copper Shores Community Health Foundation's #GiveCopperCountry campaign is designed to promote, support and build capacity in nonprofit organizations in the Copper Country region of Michigan. The campaign focuses on encouraging individuals to "Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is" by making donations to local organizations. 

In 2023, the #GiveCopperCountry campaign raised $857,200 for 30 nonprofit organizations operating in Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties. These counties combined have a population of approximately 54,000 people. 

By providing a centralized platform for giving, #GiveCopperCountry simplifies the donation process. Community members can donate to the #GiveCopperCountry campaign in three ways: online, in person or by mail. 

In addition, the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation offers a matching gift program. The Foundation matches dollar-for-dollar up to $200,000. If the total donations exceed the match amount, participating nonprofits will receive a portion of the matching funds based on the proportion of total donations they have raised. 

Since its inception, the #GiveCopperCountry campaign has raised over $3.6 million for nonprofit organizations in the Copper Country region. 

Sustain Success with In-Person Canvassing

The Atlanta Humane Society is a great example of focusing on both in-person behavior and making the monthly giving ask.  

Atlanta Humane’s sustainer program is a cornerstone of its mission, providing consistent and reliable funding to support their lifesaving efforts. They also have a door-to-door program that started in 2018 and became their primary donor acquisition strategy in 2022. 

This personal engagement method has allowed Atlanta Humane to connect directly with potential donors face to face, resulting in meaningful and lasting donor relationships. They canvass neighborhoods, asking potential donors to make a monthly $25 gift. 

And it’s been a huge success.  

Atlanta Humane brought in 1,255 new monthly donors within a year of the switch to exclusively door-to-door acquisition. The average lifetime value of each donor is estimated at $1,436.  

Revenue from those new donors outpaces cost by Year 2. By Year 5, their value is more than double the program cost.

Get Inspired by a Creative GivingTuesday Activation

Give Local Together, the GivingTuesday Community Campaign of 200+ grassroots organizations, led by Spur Local in Washington, D.C., is developing a creative and innovative approach to engage the community—in-person giving circles centered around popular local activities like karaoke leagues, intramural sports and book clubs. 

Spur Local is partnering with The Regular and one of its team-based social leagues, District Karaoke, to create D.C.’s largest citywide pop-up giving circle experience. Karaoke teams are encouraged to choose a nonprofit partner and fundraise for their chosen cause.

Donors will be rewarded with "perks" like skipping the line at karaoke night. Funds raised throughout October to December will be pooled into a collective pot and distributed to nonprofits based on audience voting at a citywide final event.

Spur Local has also reached out to local businesses and civic groups to collaborate on "play for a cause" (e.g., intramural sports team fundraisers) and "gather for a cause" (e.g., themed book club nights) to expand the model.  

To get corporate partners involved, Spur Local is encouraging companies to sign up for employee activations around GivingTuesday, such as department fundraisers, pop-up giving circles at holiday parties, and spreading awareness about Give Local Together. 

By bringing generosity to places people naturally gather, Spur Local is able to lean into already established communities to increase awareness of local nonprofits and their causes. 

Long Heart Pulse

Conclusion

We hope that you can apply the recommendations provided in this Field Guide to deliver meaningful results to your nonprofit organization—especially during the year-end giving season. A big part of this collaboration is sharing with the GivingTuesday community how various nonprofits are using the GivingPulse data in their fundraising strategies.   

We would love to hear from you if you’re planning to implement these recommendations in the months ahead or if you’d like to share a success story based on these recommendations. Please contact us at fieldguide@rkdgroup.com to be included in the next Field Guide.  

About RKD Group 

RKD Group is North America's leading fundraising and marketing solutions provider, serving hundreds of growth-focused nonprofit organizations. Leveraging technology, advanced data science, and award-winning strategic and creative leadership, RKD Group accelerates net revenue growth, builds long-term donor relationships, and drives the best return on investment. For more information, visit rkdgroup.com.  

  

About GivingTuesday and the Data Commons

GivingTuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. It was created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y and incubated in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. What started as a simple idea of a day that encourages people to do good has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round. The movement is brought to life through a distributed network of entrepreneurial leaders who lead national movements in more than 100 countries across the globe. An integral part of the global generosity movement is the GivingTuesday organization, which offers support and resources to GivingTuesday leaders and fosters connection and collaboration across the network. For more information, visit givingtuesday.org. 

 

The GivingTuesday Data Commons is a global network that enables data collaboration across the social sector. The Data Commons convenes specialist working groups, conducts collaborative research into giving-related behaviors, reveals trends in generosity and donations, and shares findings among its global community. With more than 170 data partners and 1,800 collaborators, the Data Commons is the largest philanthropic data collaboration ever built.