This is a guest blog from Holly Mitchell, #GivingTuesday UK Campaign Manager. It’s a follow up from her previous blog. I’m delighted to have been a #GivingTuesday ambassador.
It is now over a week since the first #GivingTuesday in the UK and here at #GTUK HQ we have had some time to reflect on what was an amazing day.
I think the fact that Black Friday had such an impact in the UK this year helped people connect more with #GivingTuesday. Whilst Black Friday was undeniably good for our economy, it was hard not to feel uncomfortable at the scenes we saw from supermarkets. #GivingTuesday gave us an opportunity to redress that balance.
Below are my top five ways that our first #GivingTuesday in the UK was a success and in sharing these, I hope that even more join us next year.
It had a big following
We ended December 1st with 820 partners officially signed up. 820 different organisations, from multinational companies and large national charities, to student groups and small, local charities. Getting a large number of diverse and often competing organisations on board to promote the same message turned #GivingTuesday from a campaign to a movement.
The figures
Figures and stats from a variety of sources have proved that #GivingTuesday was successful in increasing donations. Our core partner, Blackbaud, reported a 270 percent increase in donations, compared to December 3 2013. Just Giving reported an 80 percent increase in text donations and Visa saw a 10 percent increase in donations. This equated to £2,500 donated every minute.
It helped small & local charities
One of the best things about #GivingTuesday is how it helps to level the playing field. Large, national charities, inevitably, get a bigger slice of donations and publicity in comparison to smaller, local charities. However, #GivingTuesday turns that on its head. Statistically, we know that Localgiving.com took £75,736 on December 2 which is a massive 885 percent increase on December 3 2013. Anecdotally, numerous smaller charities have reported an increase in their online presence and uptake in volunteers.
It was massive on social media
#GivingTuesday trended for 11 hours on twitter. Most will be aware of how difficult that is to achieve. #GivingTuesday partner, Crimson Hexagon, provided us with some excellent social media data which showed that the UK sent 30,000 tweets about #GivingTuesday on the day. We also had a social media reach of 180 million, which is more than double the entire population of the UK!
It brought people together
One of the best outcomes of the events we ran was the opportunity to bring people together, who ordinarily might not have connected. #GivingTuesday has helped forge new relationships, whether between businesses and charities, such as Mindshare and Compassion in World Farming or in a community such as Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes Foundation rallied round local businesses for their #SurvivingWinter campaign to great success.
We want to keep giving going all year round, so even though #GivingTuesday is over, the conversation doesn’t have to be.
For those who want to get involved next year keep up to date with us at www.givingtuesday.org.uk and follow us @givingtuesdayuk.