The holiday season is officially underway, which means it’s time to start thinking about your website and marketing plans for the next few months. While the holidays often turn into a time of commercialism and frenzied gift-buying (think Black Friday and Cyber Monday), they can also be a great time to focus people’s attention on non-profits and charitable giving.

Here are a few opportunities where your organization can stand out this holiday season:

Giving Tuesday

Following Cyber Monday is Giving Tuesday, which is a “global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.” Rally your fans and site visitors for a good cause – your cause – on Giving Tuesday and see how big of an impact you can make! The Giving Tuesday website has a toolkit, case studies, and numerous other ways for your organization to get involved in this global movement. For anything you share on social media, be sure to use #GivingTuesday.

Year-End Tax-Deductible Donations

Many well-meaning people intend to give to charity but get sidetracked with groceries, bills, and everyday life. Get back on their radar screens by reminding them about year-end tax-deductible charitable donations! Your audience will likely appreciate the reminder, and the sense of urgency (before year’s end) should get them to act before they forget – again.

Annual Reports

While year-end reports aren’t required for non-profits, they are strongly recommended. Being transparent with your supporters and donors gives them confidence that you are using their resources wisely and can inspire them to share your mission with others. From a simple two-pager that provides a high-level overview to a full-blown multi-page report that includes financials, statistics, donor lists, status updates, and more, there’s no wrong way to do an annual report. What you choose will depend on your organization, your brand, and what your supporters will be expecting. To start brainstorming ideas for your annual report, check out this article.

New Year’s Resolutions

The start of a new year brings on all sorts of resolutions, some of which might include vowing to donate more time or money (or both) to causes we care about. This is a great time to engage your audience and show them all the great things your non-profit has planned this year – hopefully it will inspire them to support you in your cause!

How can you act on these ideas? One of the easiest ways is through online communication.

For example:

• Send an email to your subscriber list with concrete ways they can help your organization
• Post inspiring photos on social media and encourage your fans to share
• Update your website’s home page with holiday-themed content and a fresh call-to-action

And while non-profits aren’t retail stores per se, if you accept donations online then you might want to review our holiday checklist for e-commerce sites, particularly to be sure you have enough bandwidth for any holiday traffic peaks and that your donation process is hiccup-free.

If you don’t have the time or know-how to implement these ideas before the holidays, get in touch with us! Our team of experienced web developers, online strategists, and digital marketers is here to make the holiday season a success for your non-profit, which can lead to increased exposure and funding throughout the year.