Communicate your message the best way you can with the #GivingTuesday 2015 Communications Toolkit

1. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
2015 Communications
Toolkit
THANKS FOR JOINING #GIVINGTUESDAY!
WE ARE SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU INVOLVED.
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the
world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.
Anyone, anywhere can get involved in #GivingTuesday and give back in a way that is meaningful to them.
From fundraising to volunteering to pro bono service, #GivingTuesday is a great way to engage your
community and to become a part of a larger worldwide movement that promotes generosity.
You are the most important part of making this movement a reality. We have put together this toolkit to provide
you with all of the resources you need to get started, including:
• #Giving Tuesday Mega Messages
• Ideas to Get Involved
• Social Media Tips
• Sample Outreach Email
• Communications Timeline
• Press Release Template
• #GivingTuesday Team Contact Information
MEGA MESSAGES
Use these mega messages when talking to press, your staff, community leaders, donors, or volunteers, and
become a spokesperson for the wider #GivingTuesday movement:
• #GivingTuesday is a special call to action to create a global day of giving that brings diverse
organisations and communities around the world together to give back.
• #GivingTuesday celebrates generosity by providing people everywhere with an opportunity to give more,
give smarter, and give great.
• #GivingTuesday unifies charities, corporations, small business, and individuals from across the globe to
show that the world gives as good as it gets.
• You don’t have to be a world leader or a billionaire to give back. #GivingTuesday is about ordinary
people coming together doing extraordinary things.
IDEAS TO GET INVOLVED
Below are some examples of ways your organisation can activate on #GivingTuesday. Remember to check
our website for the latest ideas, trends and tips to launch your #GivingTuesday initiative!

2. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
Raise Funds
• Donate or organize a fundraiser for a nonprofit and leverage #GivingTuesday to expand your donor
base and to raise more for charities around the world.
• Launch a campaign on #GivingTuesday to increase donations through the end of the year.
• Partner with a donor or sponsor to host a matching grant challenge for #GivingTuesday. This could be
a 24-hour challenge, it could lead up to #GivingTuesday, or could launch on #GivingTuesday and run
through December 31.

3. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
Volunteer
• Volunteer at a charity or organize a larger team volunteer event with your friends, staff, and neighbors.
• Donate pro bono hours to help charities in need of your skills.
• Organize a donation drive for people to donate goods, clothing, and other items for people in need.
Collaborate
• Partner with local organisations to give a donation (money, goods, or services) to nonprofits.
• Ask organisations to work together to build a local #GivingTuesday movement. In 2014, over 40 cities
and states led their own #GivingTuesday movement to benefit local nonprofits.
• Create a #GivingTuesday product to sell during Black Friday and Cyber Monday and donate proceeds to
a partnering charity on #GivingTuesday.
• Get your local government officials to proclaim December 1, 2015 #GivingTuesday in your city or town.
Make this a big press moment and bring the community together to celebrate generosity.
Get Social
• Activate your social media constituency (or open a new social media account) to talk about giving.
• Celebrate community heroes and service leaders on social media and with your local press.
• Email your community to educate them about #GivingTuesday and invite them to give.
• Share photos from past campaigns or volunteer events to teach your followers about how you serve the
community. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday!
• Create a #GivingTuesday video with your family, community, or staff. Share on YouTube and social
media using the hashtag #GivingTuesdayAus.
• Brand your personal and organisational social media accounts with #GivingTuesday graphics and be an
ambassador for the movement.
• Partner with organisations or sponsors to do a social media fundraising campaign, where a certain
amount is donated per re-tweet, like, or post.
Give More
#GivingTuesday is so much more than one day in December. Pledge to do more the following year. For
instance, you can give a certain amount every month to a charity, pledge to volunteer every month, or launch
a payroll giving program to continue to give back after December.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Social media is key to making sure that the #GivingTuesday message grows and reaches new audiences. It’s
also one of the best ways to celebrate giving and to share your organisation’s story, mission, and values.
Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesdayAus on social media when talking about your
campaign.
We want to hear your story and for your followers and network to join the conversation. You can also tag us
@GivingTuesAus or #GivingTuesday Australia on Facebook and we will retweet or promote your messages.
Pleaserefer to our Social Media Toolkitformore tips and ideas for social media. Some samplemessages include:
• Twitter: “Help kick-offthegiving season& makea difference this 12/1by joining#GivingTuesday
@GivingTuesAus”
• Facebook: “Join the worldwide #GivingTuesday movement and help redefine the giving spirit this
holiday season! Visit www.givingtuesday.org to learn how you can make a difference.”
• Instagram: Post your #UNselfie, or a photo of yourself giving back, or create a short video about why you
give. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and visit www.givingtuesday.org to learnmore.

4. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
• LinkedIn: Post a blog sharing how you serve the community.

5. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
SAMPLE OUTREACH EMAIL
The following email offers ideas and language you can use as part of your outreach for #GivingTuesday.
This can be sent to Board members, staff, donors, and other community partners to get them involved in
your campaign.
Feel free to copy, paste, or adjust as you see fit for your organisation.
Dear ,
This year, on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, [ORGANISATION NAME] are participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated
to giving.
Last year, more than 30,000 organisations in 68 countries came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday. Since its founding in
2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the w orld, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that
bring about real change in communities. We invite you to join the movement and to help get out the give this December 1.
Some ideas include:
1. Get your w orkplace and localgovernment officials, nonprofits, and small businesses involved in #GivingTuesday. Encourage
them to officially sign up as partners on the w ebsite (www.givingtuesday.org.au) and to organize a campaign that promotes
a cause or charity that is meaningful to them.
2. Help spread the w ord about #GivingTuesday. Join the email list by visiting w ww.givingtuesday.org/join to receive updates,
event invitations, and the latest graphics and tools to share on your social channels.
3. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday to talk about charity and the causes and organisations you support.
4. Localize #GivingTuesday for your town, city, or state. Many organisations have come together to build local #GivingTuesday
campaigns in their neighborhoods. Reach out to other organisations to see how together, you can have a greater impact
this December 1.
There are many w ays to get involved in #GivingTuesday. We encourage you to join the movement and visit
www.givingtuesday.org.au to learn more about how you can make a difference.
Thanks,
[NAME]
[ORGANISATION NAME]

6. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
2015 COMMUNICATIONS TIMELINE
Use this timeline to build your marketing plan and to send us your stories so we can feature them in our
press releases.
July-August
• June 1 – Six months to go! Press release with initial plans, partner highlights and past years’
successes, if applicable.
September
• September 8 – Spring launch press release with new partner updates, planned events and goals.
October
• Focus on helping organisations pitch local press.
• Encourage partners and organisations to submit op-ed pieces to local press and blogs on the power
of giving.
• Secure larger media partnerships.
November
• Build the drumbeat for #GivingTuesday with stories and highlights all month long.
• November 3 – One month to go! Big partner announcement and telling the #GivingTuesday story.
• November 17 – Two weeks to go! Celebrity campaigns and the global movement.
• November 24 – One week left – events and stories that celebrate generosity.
December
• December 1, #GivingTuesday
• December 2, 2015 – Report in results and impactful giving stories. Wrap up press release.

7. 2015 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
[CONTACT NAME]
[CONTACT ORGANISATION]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]
[INSERT ORGANISATION NAME] Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
Pledges to [INSERT CAMPAIGN DETAILS]
[INSERT LOCATION] [INSERT DATELINE] – [INSERT ORGANISATION NAME] has joined #GivingTuesday,
a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organisations to
encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. INSERT ACTUAL PROJECT/DONATION
PLATFORM HERE. Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday
after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognised shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday
to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and
to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
[MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON WHY YOUR ORGANISATION JOINED #GIVINGTUESDAY
AND DETAILS OF YOUR #GIVINGTUESDAY INITIATIVE INCLUDING GOALS, PARTNERS AND PAST
#GIVINGTUESDAY SUCCESS, IF APPLICABLE]
[INSERT QUOTE FROM PARTNER ORG. SPOKESPERSON]
92Y − a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around its core
values of community service and giving back − conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking
individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. Connecting Up, the premier
technology and resource provider to not-for-profit organisation, has been driving the movement in Australia
and New Zealand since 2013. In 2014, the third year of the movement, #GivingTuesday brought together
30,000 partners in 68 countries and registered 32.7 million impressions on Twitter, with its eponymous
hashtag mentioned 698,600 times. Since 2012, online giving on the Tuesday has increased more than four-
fold, based on findings by Blackbaud and the Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy,
produced in partnership with the Case Foundation.
Those who are interested in joining [INSERT ORGANISATION NAME]’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit
[INSERT SPECIFIC #GIVINGTUESDAY LANDING PAGE ADDRESS IF AVAILABLE]. For more details about
the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org.au), Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesdayAus) or follow @GivingTuesAus and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on
Twitter.
About [INSERT ORGANISATION NAME]
[INSERT ORGANISATION BOILER PLATE]

8. About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2015 iteration
will be held on December 1, 2015. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend
of partners—nonprofits, businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to
transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.
#GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local
communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and
help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a
global moment dedicated to giving around the world.
To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration
of giving, please visit:
Website: www.givingtuesday.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesdayAus
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTuesAus
QUESTIONS OR IDEAS?
Feel free to get in touch with the #GivingTuesday team:
General Inquiries:
#GivingTuesday
Team
contact@givingt
uesday.org.au
Partnership and Press Inquiries:
Tori Jaffer
Marketing & Events Officer
Connecting Up Inc
tj@connectingup.org
Via Twitter:
@GivingTuesAus