How Non-Profits Use the Giving Season to Their Advantage

How non-profits are increasing donations with some smart use of digital marketing this Christmas. 
Christmas and the surrounding holidays are known for giving and generosity, and it represents an opportunity for non-profits to use this season to their advantage.
Here’s a few ways charity websites drive more donations over the Christmas period.

Online Donations and Sponsors

Donating online is one of the easiest ways that anyone can give to non-profits. So it makes sense that charity websites are seen prompting the idea to gift to a good cause rather than buy pointless gifts.
With 26% of all charity donations in the UK last year being made online, it makes sense to push donations in shopping season while people already have their hand in their pocket.
Instead of having a simple donate button, non-profits can make donations more relevant in the holiday season.
For example, packaging donations as gifts makes donations more appealing, and helps to tell people what their donation will achieve.
The Donkey Sanctuary is a perfect example of this, offering the adoption of a donkey for £24 a year as the perfect Christmas gift.

Seasonal Cards

7 billion greeting cards are bought annually, so it’s no surprise that a lot of money is spent on Christmas cards each year.
Instead of purchasing these cards elsewhere, charities are encouraging people to buy their Christmas cards as a way to contribute to a good cause.
Brands such as NSPCC, The British Heart Foundation, PETA and Cancer Research, to name a few, sell fun and attractive Christmas cards.

Christmas Jumpers

Is it really the holiday season until you’ve showcased your stylish Christmas jumper? Ugly Christmas jumpers are a classic, so a day dedicated to wearing them for a good cause sounds great.
Save The Children launched Christmas Jumper Day back in 2012, and it’s a great way to encourage donations.
If Christmas jumpers are your guilty pleasure, December 15th is your lucky day to dress up and donate £2 to Save The Children.

This event is widely promoted in schools and workplaces, fundraising packs will be sent out from the nonprofit organization to raise awareness of this event to maximise donations. If you’re feeling extra charitable on this day, you can buy a Christmas jumper from nonprofits such as Cancer Research and Oxfam.
From a search perspective, it’s a way for Save the Children to attract more online donations.

 
Searches for Christmas Jumper Day reach a peak in November and December, and Save The Children is well positioned to take advantage of this extra traffic.
It has the top organic search listing on Google, and has paid for PPC ads to make sure a lot of this traffic reaches its site.

Events and Activities

Fundraising events around the this time of year are a great way for charities to use the excitement of Christmas to raise money for a worthwhile cause.
For example, Dogs Trust has announced that they will be hosting Christmas fairs throughout November and December in a variety of locations nationwide.
Money is raised for the cause from craft and gift stalls, festive refreshments, and a BARKery, to name a few. Dogs Trust has pushed this event on their website and social media accounts to ensure that people are aware and attend the fair.

Where Does Your Money Really Go?

Marie Curie feature stories on their website, which is a great use of content to show people who are considering donating exactly how their money can help.
Showing a real person that has benefitted from donations adds a personal touch and makes donors feel as though they are helping a specific person.
Additionally, these stories can inspire people to get involved this Christmas season by collecting for the non-profit. These stories also link to how collections help families with a terminal illness enjoy Christmas together, therefore encouraging more to collect for Marie Curie.

Countdown Timers

We don’t realize how quickly the holidays are approaching, resulting in last minute hectic Christmas shopping.
However, Toys for Tots reminds people to donate by having a clear countdown of the days until Christmas on their website homepage.
This is a great feature with the element of time, encouraging consumers to donate now rather than later when they realize how quickly Christmas is approaching, therefore increasing conversions.

Social Media

Remember the ice bucket challenge? Dumping ice over yourself for a good cause… everyone has heard of it and the cause that it was supporting.
It’s fair to say social media has a real impact on spreading awareness, so why not use this to help a good cause?
Heart Research UK used social media for their new Christmas campaign, ‘sing for your heart’. Where social media users sing, donate and nominate. The hashtag #SingForYourHeart is used to build the campaign.
Those taking part in this campaign are encouraged to post a short video of themselves singing before nominating up to three people to carry on the campaign. When nominated, the charity encourages people taking part to donate £3 to heart research by texting SING to 70144.