#GivingTuesday is an online event that takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Its purpose is to celebrate and support philanthropy and to kick-off the charitable giving season. Now in its fourth year, #GivingTuesday was initially conceived as an alternative to the commercially-driven Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, #GivingTuesday will take place on December 1st.

According to an AGN poll, 32% of educational institutions (i.e. colleges, universities, and independent schools) participated in #GivingTuesday last year. Many of those who elected not to participate reported “too much competition from other charities on that day” as their reason. Alternatively, a lot of schools launched their own “Giving Day” – many of which occurred in the spring. In fact, 77% of educational institutions reported that they are either planning or have already held a Giving Day of their own.

If your institution is planning to join in #GivingTuesday this year, consider setting a participation goal. Not sure what that goal should be? Figure out how many people gave on December 1st last year and increase it by 10%. Then, try these five tips to encourage your alumni, parents, and friends to give back:

1. Send an email announcing that it’s #GivingTuesday and asking for support.
2. Ask volunteers to change their Facebook profile pictures to your organization’s logo and spread the word through their social networks using your institution’s #hashtag and the #GivingTuesday hashtag.
3. Populate your institution’s social feeds with stories and pictures about gift impact.
4. Edit your phonathon scripts to mention #GivingTuesday early in the call.
5. Tweet thanks to @everyone who makes a gift using the hashtag #GivingTuesday.

Want to learn more? CLICK HERE for AGN’s Webinar on Planning a Successful Giving Day.