Promoting #GivingTuesday

It’s #GivingTuesday! Is your United Way promoting #GivingTuesday?

United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley (Salem, Oregon) posted this video on their Web site last year to promote #GivingTuesday and encouraged people to give to United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley:

During the video, the “Main Anchorman” and “Co-Anchorman” explain that by donating, you will help change the odds for children in the Mid-Willamette Valley by making sure kids are ready to enter kindergarten and that they can read at a third-grade level by third grade.

I love this video because they explain what #GivingTuesday is for those who don’t know, they encourage people to donate (saying that no gift is too small), and they tell you how your gift will make an impact in the community. They make it fun to watch and encourage the younger generation to give.

This year, Orange County United Way (Irvine, California) is doing a great job of promoting #GivingTuesday. They are tweeting about how they’re helping kids in their community improve their reading skills, and they are encouraging people to give $15 on #GivingTuesday to buy three books for local kids in need. People can give by texting BOOKS4OCKIDS to 41444 or by going to bit.ly/books4ockids.

Orange County United Way also posted a video on their Web site, explaining that reading to kids for 15 minutes ensures they have the knowledge required for success in reading, and encouraging people to help promote early literacy in Orange County. During the video, kids from their community sing a song about reading, while holding books, and at the end of the video, there is a message asking people to give $15 to buy three books for local kids in need.

Orange County United Way’s tweets and video are great examples of how to promote giving at your United Way on #GivingTuesday. I love that they communicate the issue they are addressing, explain the impact of contributions, and make it easy to give.

If your United Way is promoting #GivingTuesday, consider communicating about a specific issue that your United Way is addressing and ask people to give to help make an impact today! (If your United Way would like guidance on adopting an issue focus, check out our Direction-Setting Process or send us an e-mail at info@perspectives4uw.com.)

Happy #GivingTuesday,