Giving Tuesday is a national day of giving during the holiday season that takes place after Cyber Monday on December 2nd. This being my first Giving Tuesday with Heart Meter, I really wanted to plan something special. With a little work, a lot of support, and a little bit of luck I was able to crush my fundraising goal of $750.22 and raised $1,182. 157.55% of my fundraising goal! Awesome right? Here’s how.
Why such a specific goal of $750.22? I wanted to donate a brand new Xbox One plus a copy of each of the most recent sports games to Hemby Children’s Hospital. Here’s the breakdown:
Having a specific fundraising goal was integral in the success of this campaign. If crowdfunding tools like Kickstarter have taught us anything, it’s that people are more likely to donate if they’re contributing to a specific goal, as opposed to throwing donations into a black hole and hoping the organization is using them responsibly.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of video games, so I decided to plan a Wii Bowling Tournament. Luckily my good friends at Tilt on Trade volunteered to host the event. I then brought Save Point into the fold. Save Point is a local used game store that hosts gaming tournaments on a regular basis. Tilt provided the venue, Save Point provided the equipment and management of the gaming. All I had to do was provide the people.
We have an incredibly underutilized nonprofit community here in Charlotte. From early on I’ve been involved with the amazing crew at Share Charlotte, especially Kimberly Paulk. They’re doing a fantastic job of bringing all the local nonprofits together. Rising tides lift all boats sort of thing. Kimberly has been incredibly helpful to me, letting run ideas by her and offering some incredible insights. Not only did Share Charlotte help promote the event, but also were able to line up donation funds matching. Here are some more stats on their involvement with Giving Tuesday Charlotte.
This was where my expertise as a marketer could really be put to use. I promoted the event organically on Facebook, as well as sending out email blasts through Mail Chimp. I used my Share Charlotte Giving Tuesday purple gift box as a cash box for the event. I also used a Square card reader for those without cash, which was actually a decent amount, which you can see below.
Here is the final breakdown of funds raised from the time I started promoting the event on November 18th to the day of the event on December 2nd:
| Cash | |
| Stripe | |
| Square | |
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| In kind | |
| Matching | |
| Total | |
| Goal | |
| % of Goal |
I can never thank everyone involved enough. But I do try to share stories of the kids as much as I can so that those supporting me can see the lives they're affecting. But more on that soon.
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