How a small nonprofit can prepare for GivingTuesday.

GivingTuesday falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It began in 2012 as a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York, working with the United Nations Foundation, and has since become an independent organization and a fixture of the year-end giving season.

For small organizations the day brings a real opportunity and a real problem. Donors are primed to give, and every other charity is asking them at the same time.

Pick one specific goal

A general appeal disappears among hundreds of others. Choose one thing the money will do, with a cost you can state plainly and defend. A clear, modest goal that you reach is better for next year than an ambitious one you miss.

Line up a match before you announce

Many organizations ask a board member, a local business, or a small group of donors to pledge a matching amount in advance. A match gives supporters a reason to give on that day rather than later. Describe it accurately, including what happens if the match is not reached.

Write the messages now

Draft every email and post in advance. A typical sequence is a short notice the week before, a morning message on the day, a midday update on progress, and an evening message before the deadline, followed by a thank-you the next day to everyone who gave. Keep each one short and send people to a single donation page.

Test the donation page

Make a real gift through your own form on a phone. Check that it loads quickly, asks for as little as possible, offers a monthly option, and sends a receipt with the language donors need for gifts of $250 or more.

Plan the thank-you before the ask

Decide who will call or write to first-time donors within a few days. A GivingTuesday gift is often a donor's first, and what happens in the following weeks decides whether there is a second.