On November 28th we’ll celebrate this years’ Giving Tuesday. Since 2012, this has become a day to encourage radical generosity and bring people together from all around the world through advocacy and generosity in support of their communities.

I’ve written about this from the donor perspective, and here is some advice for nonprofit organizations to make the most of this annual event. When times are tough, giving does not have to be financial, it can be beneficial in many other ways.

Here are six that may spark some ideas when asking your stakeholders to participate in a Giving Tuesday campaign:

  1. Ask existing financial donors to become monthly donors on their credit card. Imagine if even 10% of your donors converted to monthly? Even just a small amount of $5 or $10 per month means you can count on them during the year, lowering your cost of acquiring new donors.
  2. Ask for volunteers – some people can give of their time more easily than giving financially. I am currently the Vice Chair of Communication for a global nonprofit organization. I’ve tapped into volunteers to help me with projects, especially when I’m pressed for time with my other paying obligations. While the Marketing Director for another nonprofit, I also worked with many local volunteers. The best way I’ve found to do this is to ask current donors if they can volunteer, and if they do, give them specific tasks with a beginning and end date. They walk away with “feel good” vibes and the nonprofit benefits from their expertise.
  3. Ask for space – so many small nonprofits don’t have office space, or a place for storage of materials, or even a place for an in-person board meeting. This is an easy ask and you might be surprised at how many of these offers you’ll receive.
  4. Ask to use equipment – so often the little things we’d like to do such as mailings, or creating flyers, can become overwhelming and expensive at a printer or office supply store. Offices are usually well-equipped with copy machines, computers, printers, and other expensive equipment that many small nonprofits can’t afford to buy or lease. These sit idle after hours and can be of great help to a small nonprofit.
  5. Ask for food – this can come in the form of sponsoring meetings, or even cooking for your constituents such as Lasagna Love does.
  6. Ask for help cleaning up – if your organization does environmental clean up in parks or beaches, ask for volunteers to help.

Of course, when these offers come through for help, don’t forget to use your social channels to thank them publicly.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful in the spirit of Giving Tuesday’s belief of radical generosity and kindness. In tight financial times, there’s still a lot of good to be given other than asking for money.