United Nations: #GIVINGTUESDAY [video]

Credits & Description:

Type of entry: Sectors & Services
Category: Charity and Not for Profit
Advertiser: INSPIRED BY THE 92ND STREET Y WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION
Product/Service: #GIVINGTUESDAY
Agency: HAVAS PR New York, USA
CEO: Marian Salzman (Havas PR North America)
Account Director: Amy Freeland (Fenton Communications)
Senior Vice President/Director of Global Marketing: Susan McPherson (Fenton Communications)
Supervising Vice President/Emerging Media and Technology: Adam Hirsh (Edelman PR)
(Dynamic Signal)
Principal: Chrysula Winegar (Trumeau)
Chief Operating Officer: Sharon Feder (Mashable)
Manager of Groupon Grassroots: Patty Huber Morrissey (Groupon)
Strategic Partner Manager: Libby Leffler (Facebook)
Director/Public/Media Relations: Beverly Greenfield (92nd Street Y)
Director for Center for Innovation/Social Impact: Asha Curran (92nd Street Y)
Director/Programming/Outreach: Jessica Schneider (92nd Street Y)
Describe the campaign/entry
Challenge
The holiday season starting with Black Friday had become a time to spend. The 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation wanted to make it a time to give. We united thousands of influencers and partners to launch a holiday initiative, #GivingTuesday, to inspire people to contribute time and money to causes worldwide during a time focused on commerce.
Objectives
• Position #GivingTuesday as the official kickoff to the holiday giving season
• Increase awareness and participation among individuals, nonprofits, businesses and media
• Drive charitable donations on Tuesday, November 27, and beyond
Strategy
We based our plan on the theory of open-source philanthropy, designing #GivingTuesday as a platform that partners could easily use and promote. We took the concept viral by leveraging our 2,500 partners' networks. In addition, we strategized a collaborative plan using partners' communication teams to expand media reach and charted a big traditional and social media splash.
Execution
Among our aggressive outreach, we:
• Undertook a roll-out to nonprofit and top-tier media
• Tailored pitches for reporters covering sectors like philanthropy and social good
• Used all online platforms on launch day to share stories and photos about people giving back
Outcome
We ignited conversations worldwide, with 800-plus press hits (59m impressions), including two dozen philanthropy trade features. 50m people spread the word socially, resulting in milestone Twitter trending. Most important, multiple nonprofit partners recorded massive donations on November 27, and Blackbaud processed $10m in online donations, a 53% increase over the Tuesday after Thanksgiving 2011.
Describe the brief from the client
Our secondary research showed that although Americans gave almost $300b to favorite causes in 2011, total dollars donated still hadn't rebounded to 2007 (pre-recession) levels. But people were spending: Holiday retail sales have increased, on average, 3.5% a year for the past decade. Using those statistics to establish the need for #GivingTuesday, we then set to work with these goals:
• Position it as the official kickoff to the holiday giving season
• Increase awareness of and participation in #GivingTuesday among individuals, businesses, nonprofits, thought leaders, policymakers and media
• Drive charitable donations on Tuesday, November 27, and throughout the holidays
Results
An unprecedented movement made history as 2,500-plus #GivingTuesday partners started changing the dialogue around giving.
We secured 800-plus press hits (59m impressions) in a diversity of media, including two dozen features in philanthropy trades such as The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The NonProfit Times. All pieces were overwhelmingly positive, most described #GivingTuesday as a kickoff to the holiday giving season, and two-thirds appeared in local sources, helping many local causes. Worldwide, 50m people spread the word socially, resulting in milestone Twitter trending, and we garnered 2.5m social impressions/tweets. Endorsements from the White House, Bill Gates and the Clinton Foundation, among many others, expanded online reach.
Most important, small and large nonprofit partners alike recorded massive donations on November 27. And Blackbaud, which processes online donations for thousands of charities, processed $10m in donations that day, a 53% increase over the Tuesday after Thanksgiving 2011.
Execution
We launched #GivingTuesday with a top-tier and nonprofit media roll-out in September, then tailored pitches for reporters covering such sectors as philanthropy and social good. We also empowered our partners--2,500-plus charities, volunteer organizations, corporations, community centers and foundations in all 50 states--with a communications toolkit stocked with key messages and a sample release, among other materials. (Our only major campaign adaption: ramping up communications to the unprecedented number of partners; we had originally predicted 600.)
Socially, we created a website, community page and Twitter handle (@givingtues); used the #GivingTuesday hashtag in all references to underscore the campaign's collaborative nature and encourage sharing; used Facebook and Twitter to generate discussion and attract advocates; and handpicked Social Media Ambassadors to amplify #GivingTuesday's message. On the final day, we used all our online platforms to share stories and photos about people who were giving back, to encourage others to participate.
The Situation
The media and marketing chatter that heralds the year's busiest shopping season, which retailers start with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is virtually inescapable. But another holiday focus--giving to those in need is approached more quietly. The 92nd Street Y, the United Nations Foundation and a host of other founding partners wanted to change that. Together, we united thousands of influencers, corporations and nonprofits to create an official holiday giving season launch that would motivate people to contribute time and money to causes worldwide. The big idea, #GivingTuesday, aimed to spread the word to galvanize support and inspire donations.
The Strategy
We based our plan on the theory of open-source philanthropy, designing #GivingTuesday as a platform that a person or group could easily leverage and promote. Our 2,500-plus partners from 50 states (a mix of corporations and nonprofits of all sizes, from Unilever to the Tacoma Art Museum) would show how they were participating and use our unique messages to encourage others to get involved. Then, by leveraging the networks of those people and groups, we could create a network of networks that would take the #GivingTuesday concept viral.
Our team saw an opportunity to use Black Friday and Cyber Monday publicity to underscore the lack of a kickoff for the giving season. One key strategy: a collaborative plan that used partners' communication teams to expand our ability to reach local and national media. We also charted a big traditional and social media splash, especially because 2012 was the inaugural #GivingTuesday.