No Budget? No Problem! How to Launch a GivingTuesday Campaign with Pro Bono

Is your team planning a GivingTuesday campaign this year?  That’s great!
Are you looking for some pro bono expertise to help make it happen? Even better!

This summer we hosted a webinar all about how to get started planning your own GivingTuesday campaign using the power of pro bono–you can watch the full recording here. Skilled volunteers can provide extra the expertise you’re looking for to pull off a successful fundraising campaign, and we’re here to help you start planning!

But first, what exactly is #GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that encourages people and organizations around the world to get involved and transform their communities. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 and over the past seven years it has inspired hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Last year the global giving day generated $1.97 billion in giving in the U.S. alone! This year the big day falls on December 1, so there’s still time to plan.

Pro bono service is a valuable part of the GivingTuesday tradition.

Professionals give back every day by donating their skills, and the pro bono expertise they offer could be just what you’re looking for to get your own GivingTuesday project off the ground. We know kicking off a new initiative can be challenging even if you’ve worked with skilled volunteers before. The key is planning your project in advance and laying out where you’d most like to make use of a volunteer’s expertise.

Follow this timeline as a guide to make sure your pro bono projects wrap up in time for your campaign kick off!

• JULY: Strategize internally on what your holiday giving goals are and how you want to go about achieving them. Looking for some outside guidance or inspiration? Recruit a marketing strategist to plan with you. Review your plan, identify where to bring on pro bono support, and begin drafting your project requests.
• AUGUST:  Start recruiting for your pro bono projects, especially if you have any email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), general messaging, or graphic design needs. All strategy planning should be wrapped up by the end of the month.
• SEPTEMBER: Begin laying the groundwork for your GivingTuesday campaign via email and/or social media. This is the time to connect with a social media volunteer and build on the strategy and messaging work you’ve already completed. Now is also the time to link up with an SEO specialist if increasing site traffic is one of your goals.
• OCTOBER and NOVEMBER: By this point your messaging and social media campaigns will be rolling out, and your pro bono projects should be wrapping up. Keep the task list light during these months in case some projects take longer than expected. You’ll want to post any requests for week-of or day-of campaign support during this time, but don’t wait till late November! Volunteers might have scheduling conflicts by then, so post those requests sooner rather than later.
• DECEMBER: We’ve reached the big day! Be sure to publicly thank your skilled volunteers–it’s a great way to honor their contributions. And keep Taproot and GivingTuesday in the loop too! We want to know how your campaigns went, so shoot us an email or tag us on social.

What’s the simplest way to find the right volunteers for your campaign?

Taproot Plus is the simplest, quickest way to find skilled volunteers for your organization (and it’s completely free to use!). Post a project and we’ll connect you with the right volunteer, supply you with great resources to get things done, and be there for you and your volunteer every step of the way.

How does Taproot Plus work? Watch this video for a quick walk through of the process.

Check out our previous post on launching a successful GivingTuesday campaign with skilled volunteers for even more tips on how to get started!