Fundraising on Facebook: How to Use Facebook Live to Promote Your #GivingTuesday Campaign

With COVID-19 shaking the entire world and events being moved online, there is a greater need for nonprofit leaders to think about virtual strategies for #GivingTuesday campaigns this year.

One of the strategies you can explore is going live on Facebook.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raised $50,000 on #GivingTuesday by running a virtual fundraiser on Facebook Live back in 2017.

This was one of the first few #GivingTuesday campaign examples that took place virtually and turned out to be a roaring success.

How to Fundraise on Facebook Live?

It’s interesting to note that the daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts grew four times over the course of a year, making it a powerful medium to promote your campaign, raise money and engage with your donors.

In this article, I will tell you how you can use Facebook Live to promote your #GivingTuesday campaign and raise donations.

1. Make a Plan

While livestreaming events on social media might seem spontaneous, there’s no way they can be successful if you don’t plan well in advance.

Here are a few elements to consider while planning your fundraising event on Facebook Live:

• What is the goal of your #GivingTuesday livestream?
• Who is your audience?
• What time will the event take place?
• What are you going to do during the event? 
• Who will host the event?
• Where will the event take place?
• What equipment will you need to be clearly visible and audible?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you run a well-structured event.

It’s a good idea to use a timeline maker to create a timeline for the day of the event and share it with your team to improve team collaboration.

Here’s an example of an event timeline. Notice how it breaks down the event into time slots while mentioning the agenda for each slot. This makes it easier to manage time better and ensure the event flows in a logical order.

Credit: Venngage

2. Create Announcement Posts 

Imagine going live on Facebook only to be met with a poor turnout. How disappointing would that be?

Considering all the time and effort you’ll be putting into planning the Facebook Live event, it’s important to promote it through social media posts, email newsletters and Facebook ads. The idea is to create buzz around the event and maximize viewership.

Here’s an example of an announcement post you can create for social media.

Credit: Venngage

While creating announcement posts is essential, the good news is that Facebook also lets you schedule the live video broadcast one week in advance. When you do that, your audience gets immediately notified about the upcoming event and can choose to make time for it.

Once you schedule the live video, there are two posts that get published:

1. Announcement post with a ‘Get Reminder’ option for those who see the post.
2. Live video broadcast post on the day of the event with the livestream video.

3. Feature Stories and Interviews 

You’ve managed to attract viewers to your #GivingTuesday fundraising event on Facebook Live, but the question is: How do you keep them engaged and inspire action?

Leverage nonprofit social media storytelling to introduce your cause, engage your audience virtually and raise donations.

One of the most effective ways to stir action is to feature stories of beneficiaries or interview those who have benefitted from donor support.

Impact communication plays a vital role in donor engagement and retention. Telling people the kind of impact their donations are having keeps them invested in the cause and motivates them to continue their support.

You can also go behind-the-scenes to show the work your team and volunteers have been doing to drive impact.

It’s a good idea to take questions from the audience and do a live Q&A. This helps you address their questions on the spot and makes the event more interactive.

4. Add the ‘Donate’ Button

The end goal of every #GivingTuesday event is to attract donations. With Facebook Live, you have the option to add the “donate” button to your live broadcast and raise funds directly on Facebook.

This button appears at the bottom of the live video and lets people donate with a click of a button. That’s not all — they also get to see how much money has been raised in real time.

Be sure to call out the “donate” button during the livestream and tell people where to find it so that it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Credit: Facebook

5. Repurpose the Live Video

Facebook Live is not a one-time event. Look at it as a valuable content asset, and evaluate how you can repurpose it to maximize its potential.

Repurposing the live video into different types of content formats is not only cost-effective and time-saving, but it also lets you boost reach, visibility and engagement.

Here are some ways to repurpose your Facebook Live video and keep the momentum of your #GivingTuesday campaign alive:

• Create a blog post around the live event.
• Publish short snippets of the live video on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Pull out quotes from the event and create social media posts.
• Send out an email newsletter with the video to your subscribers.
• Embed the link in your donation landing page.

Make sure every piece of content you create has a strong call-to-action centered around raising donations for your #GivingTuesday campaign.

The Takeaway

Going live on Facebook to promote your #GivingTuesday campaign is a cost-effective way to reach a wider audience and amplify your message.

Keep these essential steps in mind, and use this opportunity to promote your cause, generate support and drive donations.

It’s also a good idea to send out a survey to your audience to get their feedback on the event and identify areas for improvement to take learnings for next time.