#GivingTuesday: 4 Easy Steps for Small Business Participation

Today kicks off the week of Thanksgiving. A week that people really start remembering why they should be thankful, start acting a little sweeter and take a few moments to focus on family, good food, and soak in the goodness that life has to offer.

With all this thoughtfulness happening, many also take time to pay some of their good fortune forward and give back to the communities and organizations they support.

#GivingTuesday was a day established in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and United Nations, to be a global day of giving back and to combat the increase in commercialism around the holidays.

This day was primarily a social media campaign encouraging people to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday when giving back, not as a way of boasting, but as a way of encouraging others to join the movement and make some sort of a donation to a cause they care about.

Why should #GivingTuesday be important for small business owners?

While this day may not seem like an important day to a small business owner, it is actually an opportunity that many are not taking advantage of and should be.

Tomorrow’s customer, the growing millennial, currently controls $70 million in spending power and stands to inherit more than any past generation before them.  They are interested in purchases online and engaging with businesses and causes via social media.

Today, this group of people ages 13-34, make their decisions on what to purchase and where to purchase based on a company’s philanthropy and if they believe the business is helping people.

According to Wired magazine, over 50% of millennial parents say they try to buy products that support causes or charities. This could be things like buying specially marketed food from Walmart and it triggering a donation to Feeding America for its Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign.

Watch this great video from their campaign. This video tells the story from the kid’s view and really brings the issue to life and shows there are two sides to this issue.

https://youtu.be/2iadG5trqbc

Another example is Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty that associated the purchase of their products with a social movement for girls to love themselves and appreciate their unique beauty.

Also, according to this article by Larissa FAW in Forbes, 8 out of 10 (81{17f09484087064dea24125bfd976ef2d4b6a8ac424126ed2ad5ed4f58a2a6b6b}) of millennials expect a company to make a public commitment of good corporate citizenship. That means you need to operate in a way that is honest and helps people and the planet. Millennials want to know that you have a cause or two you are working on and are thoughtful about how your business impacts the people and world around you. They want you to talk about this and have more information on your websites and social media, that shows commitment and is their key source to “checking you out”.

How can you participate in #GivingTuesday

Let’s go through the easy steps on how to pa1rticipate. There are several options depending upon your time and financial commitment so we will run through a bit of everything.

1. Partner with a local nonprofit

Choose an organization or cause that you are passionate about. If possible, make it something that your customers are passionate about too, and helps if it compliments your business. I recommend choosing a local organization vs. a national one as more people will give when the money stays local.

For example:

• If you sell pet products, pick a local shelter
• If you sell insurance, partner with an organization that helps protect women or children or provides disaster relief kits like the red cross
• If you run a gym, donate to a children’s shelter or training program for underprivileged kids.

Once you find your chosen organization, contact them as soon as possible and let them know what you are wanting to do. Some organizations want to speak in person, visit your office or may have you fill out some paperwork to confirm who you are and that your intentions are legitimate, as well as have you sign an agreement that confirms how you will work together and how they will use your business name or info to advertise.

If the organization can not participate for any reason (not enough notice, they don’t partner with businesses or they already have another event), ask them if they have recommendations for another similar organization as many organizations complement one another and work together on issues.

2. Determine how you want to work together

There are many ways to support a nonprofit organization. Whether you donate to them financially, partner with them for a fundraising event or volunteer – any and all of these items are helpful for most nonprofits but, some have different needs than others.

For example, many companies encourage volunteerism around the holidays but, because so many businesses are doing so, there are fewer opportunities available than at other times of the year. If they are “over volunteered”, offer to do an event another time in the year.

If you want to dedicate a portion of sales, make sure that you are clear with the nonprofit the time period for which this will happen. Is it only for the day, for the week, or the total season?

Assume that you will sell the max amount of product during that time and check your business numbers before your conversation with the organization, confirming what you can afford to donate.

Most nonprofits will request an estimate of funds donated, some will require a minimum donation. If there is a maximum amount you are willing to donate, you MUST provide this to your customers, letting them know upfront that “sales will be matched during this day, up to $500”.

Maybe you want to provide them space to solicit to your customers and get donations? The Salvation Army does this well with its bell ringers outside of every major retailer.

Many do this also with a donation from those company’s to match or support the customer donation as well. If you chose this option, consider also making a donation to match or begin the donation period. That would also help show the millennial that you are serious.

3. Market to your customers

If you are committed to do a fundraising event or a time period of time, you need to ensure that your customers know what you are doing and when you are doing it.

• As soon as possible, post the event or sale on your website’s calendar or page of events
• Post it on your social media and make sure to link to the nonprofit’s social page. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and create multiple posts, putting one out every day or every other day to increase interest
• Make a “feature” blog about the organization. Have the focus be on their mission and a few stories of people impacted by their work. Make sure to list the details of the event and use the hashtag #GivingTuesday
• Ask the nonprofit to also post on their social media and website spaces
• Make sure you get the nonprofit logo and any other details they need you to list in all communications
• If you have a brick and mortar store, make sure to post it somewhere near the register and another place most tend to look like near the exit door

When in doubt, keep talking about it as it may take a while for the word to spread about your event. Should you need or want #GivingTuesday branded tools, check out their website which has a lot of ideas and

4. Don’t forget to give “thanks”

You want to thank the nonprofit, your customers, and your staff. Make sure after your event that you send out a big thank you on your website, social media, and post in your brick and mortar store. Let people know how much they raised or how much you donated and what those dollars will go to.

Make sure to thank the nonprofit for their work and for your customers for their participation. In person, make sure to thank your staff, especially if they created some special event or went above normal duties to accommodate a crowd.

To wrap it up, giving back is extremely important to the millennial customer and should be something you do on a regular basis. It helps you to be seen as a good neighbor in your community and it should make you feel good, too. It’s easy to participate in #GivingTuesday but if you can’t, pick another day and make it your own day of giving. You will be glad you did.

Thanks for reading and I encourage you to check out our other blogs to get quick tips on making your small business a successful one!