Dec. 3: What else is there to talk about than #GivingTuesday??‍♀️

Beate

Alright, everyone here?

Jen

Here!

Clay

Present!

Simon

Here! Just arriving home

Beate

I’m running around like crazy, I’ve got ten people showing up for cakes and mulled wine in an hour ??

Jen

Oh my goddess that looks tasty

Clay

Are cakes and mulled wine a traditional Norwegian Giving Tuesday celebration?

Beate

No, this is my getting-in-the-christmas-spirit tradition, which pre-dates Giving Tuesday by many years!

But – that’s a good cue, because Giving Tuesday is what we’ll be talking about today

woop?

Jen

Who has made donations today?

OK I’ll talk with myself. I made a donation to the ROSA project here in Canada.

Beate

Clay seems to be typing an essay

We have another mark-situation

Clay

I think some of the ancient scriptures include references to Giving Tuesday “And, lo, the spirit of the Giving came upon them and Gandalf said unto them Send Forth the voluminous email and the counting of the gifts shall be double”. That’s a fact, you can look it up.

Beate

Hahah?

Simon

I haven’t donated. Weirdly I have had very few mails from charities. Maybe I’ve unsubscribed a lot this year of maybe GDPR or seomthing

Jen

I must be getting your email Simon

#totaloverflow

Beate

I actually haven’t had that many either this year!

I think I’ve had one or two

Actually both from outside my country

Jen

Well Canadians are not fucking around. Many, many MANY emails

Clay

I’ve had exactly two emails. I’d like to think they’re being sensitive to West Coast timing but nah that can’t be it.

Simon

Maybe we’ve finally defeated the beast?

Beate

Well, it’s just getting started here – this is only the third year of givingtuesday in Norway

Clay

Facebook is 100% GT posts

Beate

same

Jen

I was also getting “Giving Tuesday is coming” for about a week

Simon

Oh yeh I’m also off Facebook so that helps

Clay

But didn’t you hear they’re matching $7M – oh wait it’s gone

Beate

hahah

Maybe they’re waiting to send emails until the evening to see if their facebook stuff takes off?

Jen

And a bunch of the GT emails I’m getting (including one that I drafted for a client) is about gift matching

Simon I know you were talking about that yesterday with the #quicktip

Simon

HAHAHHAHA Jen wrote a GT email

Jen

Yes, and it was pretty fucking good.

Simon

Yeh gift matching…the only reason to celebrate GT

Jen

NOT about Giving Tuesday, but about making magic happen for sick kids

Beate

It’s really late this year though – maybe that has something to do with it? Most charities are surely deep into their christmas appeals already?

Simon

“You might like to give on Mondays and Wednesdays, but let me tell you about a very different campaign…”

Jen

I heard something very interesting which I hadn’t considered before. Saying that charities who aren’t talking to their donors on GT are sending a message they don’t need our help.

Simon

Oh peer pressure

Like wearing a poppy

Clay

Jen – let’s not gloss over your support of ROSA – your championing that and the National Day of Conversation is such an import dialogue in the sector.

Jen

Thank you, beaufriend! (Unfortunately this is a better thank you than I got for my gift)

Beate

Oh no?

hmmm… do you really think anyone notices not being asked by one of a hundred charities?

Jen

Good question Bea

Beate

I think it would be easily forgotten at least.

like by the next time you write them to tell them you DO need their money

Jen

But I do think that if there is a charity you LOVELOVELOVE and they didn’t ask you on GT, maybe you would notice

Beate

maybe

Simon

I guess it’s plausible that someone loves a charity loads and they are aware of giving tuesday and they kind of think…huh I wonder why they never mentioned it

But cant imagine being put out

Jen

Right? makes sense. No idea if there is data to back it up — I heard it from someone who heard it on a webinar

so basically could be anything

Beate

ANd if you really love them, you already know they need your support

Simon

“…someone who heard it on a webinar.”

The new urban legend

Beate

I think another reason we’re not seeing that much GT-emailing this year – at least over here – a LOT of charities are doing anti-black friday stuff so everyone might already be a bit tapped out?

And using GT for other stuff than giving. A lot of Norwegian charities are using GT to give back rather than ask

Simon

I could get behind giving tuesday if it was more of a war on black friday

Rather than a ‘give us whats left over’

Jen

My goddess, Black Friday, Cyber Monday… all so much consuming

Simon

Yeh there’s defo a movement from asking to thanking

Gratitude Tuesday

Clay

It’s a good question. I honestly think we should lift out ongoing donors from Giving Tuesday. Like send them a thank you and acknowledge it but at “You’re good, Boo, we love you.”

Beate

One of my clients, the Norwegian Parkinson Association uses two days to call every one of their donors throughout the year and jus say thank you.

Jen

Gratitude Tuesday is what we hint to clients about

Now that I think of it I wrote a number of GT emails, but mostly were #donorlove and VERY soft ask

Clay

I think that was the INTENT of Giving Tuesday and it’s been interpreted and implemented as Asking Tuesday

Beate

I talked to about 50 donors yesterday, it was amazing

Jen

WOOT! That’s awesome Bea

Beate

And their secretary general is taking the day and evening today to call too

Simon

Jen are you a GT Consultant now?

Jen

HAHA. I always was. Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Beate

great experience for staff and donors

Clay

Bea – that’s awesome! Talking to donors?!? #Innovate

Simon

haha

Beate

I know, right??

Jen

Just got one. Subject: Your Giving Tuesday gifts matched. Preview: We need 1,000 gifts today. Can you help?

And it goes to “Dear Supporter”

Beate

Shit, I burned the cake 🙁

Clay

Somebody – who is it? – does a thing on phoning – saw it at a conference once.

Icing. Cover it in icing nobody will know. Cake is just a delivery system for icing and/or ice cream

Jen

I second this.

Simon

I get charities mentioning Giving Tuesday, but wish they’d stop putting it front and centre over their own cause and brand

Beate

You are both north americans and your opinions on any food, particularly sweet ones are NOT valid for the rest of the world.

Jen

#bitchplease I gave you butter tarts this summer.

Clay

I JUST GOT MY FIRST “DEAR FRIEND” GT email thanking me for being a loyal donor. As we speak.

Think is – I set up this org’s data. I KNOW they have salutations. Or they did. They just hammered this together on the fly.

Beate

That’s true. Butter tarts are gooooood.

“Help us reach our goal” is not really the amazingly inspiring superstar fundraiser message I like to get behind..

Simon

Ugh…this day is a such a bummer

Clay

*Googling butter tarts* hold please

Beate

hahaha

Simon

It’s like a showcase of everything wrong with fundraising

Beate

oh man, Clay – you have missed out (as had I until this summer)

Yeah, it’s just lazy fundraising.

Because it’s giving-day is not really a strong emotional case for support

Jen

But let’s be real

It’s not lazier than usual, it’s just a volume thing. We rarely see so much lazy fundraising in such a short time

Beate

Yeah, you might be right.

Have we seen anyone doing it well?

Jen

Funnily enough

Someone doing it well I found through @fundraisingdogs

Clay

Really?

Jen

yah i’ll find it hang on

Simon

This seems set up for you guys to promote fundraisingdogs

Beate

hahaha

I won’t include a fundraising dogs link.

(i will)

(i love dogs now)

Jen

Chewie and Tux are finn guuts

Here it is:

Jen

How sweet is this?

Clay

My dogs put up their tree this wknd

Beate

thaaaaaat is christmassy!

Beate

So what’s the campaign, thanking people who put on a christmas sweater and donate today?

is that the gist of it?

Clay

Lovely!

Jen

Mind you I only have what’s on their Twitter feed, but it feels very fun and festive and grateful

Clay

Oh my dogness!

Simon

It’s cute

But I still dont get this day

Does it make people more likely to give?

Clay

It made me want to look into them and I’m jaded and bitter . . .

Beate

Well, it has urgency when it’s just that one day

Jen

Simon you’re right. Nothing to do WITH the day, but making good use OF the day

Here’s another consideration

Lots of orgs in Canada raise tons online in the period between Christmas and NYE

Beate

and offline I’d say

Simon

Urgency like theres no tomorrow

Jen

So I wonder whether this kind of Gratitude Tuesday/soft asking helps lift that too

Simon

Like that canadian org that said “#GivingTuesday is almost over, and there’s no “Giving Wednesday.””

Beate

hahahah, they said that??

Jen

I wrote that one you prick

Beate

ahahaha

Jen

(kidding, obvi)

Simon

Yeh…that’s a copy and paste tweet

Simon

Like there is a Giving Wednesday

There’s a giving every day

Clay

Again, I get the intent – a global generosity movement. But like so much fundraising it’s been convoluted into a transactional faux send of urgency and disingenuousness.

Beate

I have one email today talking about christmas and not mentioning GT at all. And then I have one asking “Why are you so amazing??” which is cool and it’s filled with videos of donors talking about why they give. With a very soft ask to give something, love, time, hugs or money.

I liked that one.

Clay

Is disingenuousness a word?

Beate

it is now

Simon

Yeh, like at midnight we all become assholes again

Jen

Greedy, consuming assholes

Simon

I actually got an appeal today that didnt mention GT today too

Clay

Wow, Jen, how do you REALLY feel? ????

Simon

Wonder if they’re doing my split test idea

Jen

I guess it’s what Jen always comes back to – authenticity and good stories. And having the giving-day kind of makes people forget that and focus on explaining the day itself instaead

Simon

Yeh it’s a distraction

Jen

Authenticity and good stories. Yay!

Beate

Btw guys, this is fun but time is running out and my guests are showing up soon for the burnt cake and mulled wine.

We have a request lobster fact before we quit!

Simon

The only thing I really like about it is it gives some charities the courage to ask for the first time

Beate

Hava Goldberg on twitter wants to know if it is true that lobsters are monogamous or if Friends lied to us.

Jen

Oh niiiiice I was hoping someone would respond to this. Heyyyyyy Hava! ❤

Clay

I signed up for an online class the other day and got an email confine that said “Dear Incredible Clay, welcome to our tribe of knowledge seekers and curious minds . . . “ made me want to re write every thank you I’ve done ever.

Jen

amazing!

Beate

That’s some sweet stewardship

Back to lobsters: And, according to the New York times, male lobsters are assholes.

“As it turns out, lobsters don’t mate for life,” explained Mr. Wheir, a video editor in New York. Actually, male lobsters in particular are rather promiscuous. “Lobsters do have a monogamous bond, but it only lasts for two weeks,” said Trevor Corson, the author of “The Secret Life of Lobsters”

Beate

So there you have it. Friends disappointing us, once again.

Jen

And men too

Clay

And men being jerks in all species

Jen

OK Bea’s cake is burnt and no one is drinking her mulled wine

Beate

So, any words in wrap-up before we go out to celebrate this glorious giving day?

Clay

Charities need you on a random Tuesday in July as much as they do on Giving Tuesday

Jen

I have a great butter tart recipe for Clay, legit a Love family tradition.

Simon

Yeh disperse GT over the other 364.25 days

Simon

Can you post it?

Beate

hose tarts are amaaaaazing!

Clay

I can’t wait! (Bracing for the “I’m gonna send it and instead getting booted outta the chat)

Jen

Right? Loves don’t fuck around

Jen

Here it is:

Simon

lol