Welcome to Giving Hearts Day!
We’re so grateful to have you a part of Giving Hearts Day! You’re joining a group of passionate people across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota who are improving health and quality of life across our region. Now in its 18th year, Giving Hearts Day has become so much more than just a day; it’s become a movement for generosity.
Our hope is that you’ll find incredible inspiration during this journey. Each year, our nonprofit partners come up with new and innovative ideas that take their organizations to new heights. We cannot wait to see your own organization’s growth and success!
Our team is incredibly proud to serve alongside you. Our Giving Hearts Day team is here to help and is fueled by a passion for making our region the most generous region on the planet.
In this Beginner’s Field Manual, here’s what you’ll find:
• A roadmap to help you plan your Giving Hearts Day campaign
• Stories and examples from other charities that were once right where you are
• A calendar with all the important dates and deadlines you need to know
Remember to check your email for important links and details to guide you over these next few months, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at any time at GHDInfo@DakMed.org with questions or ideas.
Thank you for joining us to create a lasting giving tradition. Working together, we will do amazing things!
Sincerely,
The Giving Hearts Day team
P.S. If you choose, you will be able to access a more advanced version of this field manual within the GHD charity admin portal.
Giving Hearts Day Campaign Timeline
Month Activities
September
o Set your fundraising goals using the good/better/best approach.
o Set your new-donor goals.
o Set your match-donor goals.
o Assemble your campaign team.
o Involve your board.
o Figure out which “superpowers” you need on your team.
October
o Decide on a campaign theme.
o Craft your XYZ statement.
o Write a story of one life changed.
o Set your campaign calendar.
o Decide which fundraising tools you’re going to use.
November
o Send your network a save-the-date for Giving Hearts Day (Feb. 13).
o Recruit new donors.
o Reach for match donors.
o Check in with your campaign team.
December
o Send your network a save-the-date for Giving Hearts Day (Feb. 13).
o Recruit new donors.
o Reach for match donors.
o Focus on year-end giving.
o Check in with your campaign team.
January
February
o Remind your network that early giving opens on Jan. 13.
o Assemble swag and promo items (posters, snowbank signs, table tents).
o Finalize your plan for for day-of (including any support needed).
o Finalize your plan for Retaining repeat donors.
o Check in with your campaign team.
o Thank every donor within 48 hours.
How to Use This Field Manual
1. Read and complete the activities within each section.
2. Once you’ve finished each section, go to your “Plan on a Page” on pg. 15 and fill in your answers. This will give you a short, simple document you can reference througout your GHD campaign.
3. As you complete each campaign activity, check it off on your “Giving Hearts Campaign Timeline” on pg. 4.
Set your fundraising goals.
There are three levels of goals that charities set on Giving Hearts Day: “good,” “better,” and “best.”
1. Good: A “good” goal is a budget-driven goal, which is more conservative in nature and something you can pretty confidently know you’ll hit.
2. Better: A “better” goal is a stretch goal, which you can think of as a rubber band being stretched:
• Too loose and it’s not effective. There’s minimal motivation for your team, and there’s low incentive for your donors.
• Too big and it snaps. It doesn’t actually help you develop a cycle of progress.
3. Best: Then there’s a “best” goal. You can think of this one as a moon shot. What does that mean exactly? It means that, if you were going to truly move the needle on your cause, what would it take? If you were really going to make a dent, what level of donor support would you need?
We’d encourage you to get outside your comfort zone and opt into that third bucket. Let’s dare to be great together.
Before we actually get into setting our fundraising goals, we recommend splitting your donors up into three buckets:
1. New donors (Recruit)
2. Match donors (Reach)
3. Repeat donors (Retain)
You can’t expect your donors to build a pathway to you, so your role is to design and continually improve giving pathways for them. The better you are at creating a clear path for a new gift, thoughtfully preparing what it looks like to receive a match gift, and thinking through how you will showing appreciation for repeat gifts, the more successful you’re going to be.
Hopefully, this framework not only gives you a mental model for thinking about your donor list but also helps you more thoughtfully execute with your fundraising tools, which we’ll touch on later.
First, let’s set your overall goals for Giving Hearts Day.
Giving Hearts Day Overall Goals
Dollar goal: $
Match goal ($3,000 min.): $
Donor goal: donors
Assemble your campaign team.
Fundraising operations come in all shapes and sizes. Some nonprofits have a dedicated, full-time development team. Others? They’re a one-man band, meeting with donors when they can squeeze it in. If your organization falls on the latter end of that spectrum, assembling a team for your GHD campaign is definitely worth your time.
Campaign teams are great for a lot of things, particularly at filling in gaps in expertise, relationships, and time. Whether it’s sharing social media content, planning events, or actually making gift asks, the members of your campaign team can really help lighten the load for your organization and ensure you have a successful Giving Hearts Day.
It’s worth mentioning that, if you have any trepidation about asking people for help or see it as a sign of weakness, it’s quite the opposite. It’s a sign that your organization understands its weaknesses and knows how to address them. And almost everyone is flattered to even be asked. As long as your campaign team understands they’re making a temporary commitment and you give them clear expectations, it’s hard to go wrong.
A campaign team is also a meaningful way to involve your board.
It’s probably the best opportunity you’ll have all year to help your board members get a ground-level look at your mission. And in addition to the fundraising success that you’ll have with additional talents and skills supporting you, you’ll also grow in your relationships with one another.
Who you actually put on your GHD campaign team is everything. Getting the right people in the right seats — as well as getting the chemistry right — can make or break the success of your campaign.
When assembling your campaign team, think about whether there are any retired individuals in your network who might be a good addition. They likely have more time to give than a working professional, they tend to be a wealth of knowledge, and they might be looking for purpose and meaning in service of a cause like yours. It could be a real win-win.
While not exhaustive, here’s a list of some “superpowers” you’ll want to have on your campaign team:
Rainmakers: team members who raise large amounts of donations and dollars effortlessly
Powerbrokers: team members who have large personal and professional networks that they are able to access and activate in powerful ways
Promoters: team members who have the desire, ability, and access to platforms to get the word out through writing, marketing, and advertising
Planners: team members who have the ability to create powerful and effective plans
Presiders: team members who have the ability to lead meetings in a way that engages all the group’s members
Energizers: team members who exude positivity and electricity
Administrators: team members who are terrific at handling the daily details and are adept at keeping everything and everyone on track
Looking at your current fundraising team (or individual), which of these superpowers do you have already?
Name Superpower
Which superpowers is your team lacking?
Who are some prospects who could potentially fill the superpowers you’re missing?
Name Superpower
Decide on a campaign theme.
Developing a clear theme for your campaign will allow you to more cohesively broadcast the central focus of our mission (or a specific element of it), whether in marketing, at an event, or when interacting with media. Your theme will serve as a throughline for pretty much everything you do. You can use the following to build all of your campaign content for email, social media, mailings, etc.
There are two things we recommend that every organization do as they come up with their campaign theme:
1. Craft your XYZ statement.
We’ve all been there. Someone asks what your charity does, and you launch into a ramble, starting a sentence and not really knowing where it’s going to end up:
“We’re a counseling center started in 1972. We provide professional services in 12 areas of community need that lead … “ — any more and we might all need a pillow.
You can’t bore people into giving, so the challenge lies in: How can you get to the essence of what you do … in a concise way … when you have multiple programs?
Many of the charities we’ve worked with over the years have found great success in using something called an XYZ statement. It’s a simple way to share what your mission does in as little as one sentence.
The exercise is inspired by serial entrepreneur Stephen Blank, who uses it to help entrepreneurs pitch investors.
Here’s the format:
“We help X to Y so that they can Z.”
Here it is in the context of your Giving Hearts Day campaign:
“We help (who or what you are helping) to (programming you wish to focus your campaign on) to (impact of the work).“
You can find a couple examples from fellow Giving Hearts Day charities below:
Examples of Charity XYZ Statements
New Life Center
“ We help the homeless (X) with food, shelter, and job training (Y) so that they can become the best version of themselves (Z).”
Hospice of the Red River Valley
“We provide patients and families (X) with comfort and care (Y) to live well through life’s journey (Z).”
2. Write a story of one life changed.
Did you know the average person is bombarded with between 6,000-10,000 ads every day? On top of that, the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions daily. That’s … a lot.
So how do you begin to pierce through all this noise and connect with others who want to share in the work of your mission?
It turns out there’s a proven method: Tell them the story of one life changed. That’s right. All you have to do is tell donors about a single person.
A list of programs is just too intangible and doesn’t pull at the heartstrings. We’re wired to connect through stories, especially those with challenge and triumph — the kind you probably see every day at your organization.
If you start with a story, only then is someone open to hearing about the rest of the work. But for whatever reason, we often get this equation backward by starting with our programs and history first. Telling a single memorable story is the best way for us to stand out in a noisy world.
There’s a good saying to remember: “Stories stick and facts fade.”
Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to be a great writer to be an effective storyteller. Just write the way you would talk, like you were telling an old friend over dinner.
Let’s look at an example from a GHD charity:
Soul Solutions Recovery Center
“Emotionally broken” is how Jackie describes her youth. Feeling depressed and alone, Jackie attempted suicide by age 11. To cope with the pain of loneliness, Jackie turned to drugs, first using marijuana and then progressing to alcohol.
over, and Jackie continued on a vicious cycle of substance abuse and destructive behaviors.
At 19, Jackie checked into her first treatment center. What followed was a series of more than 10 different attempts at various treatments, all resulting in relapse, hopelessness, and further isolation.
Jackie knew these behaviors were destructive. She tried to quit as she turned 18 and sought out different methods of fitting in in the world. Upon turning 18, Jackie became a confirmed and baptized Mormon, thinking it would fill the void of isolation. A sense of belonging failed to form, addiction took
“I was living in darkness,” Jackie says. “Soul Solutions came up coincidentally. Peer support suggested it, and soul solutions
The tipping point for Jackie was having her children taken away by Child Protective Services, her daughter taken from their home, and her son taken upon birth at the hospital and placed with a foster family. Little did she know, a woman named Patti Senn was about to change everything.
Patti called me within 45 minutes of submitting my form.”
Soul Solutions Recovery Center offers substance use disorder treatment and recovery services to help people learn to live sober for long-term recovery success.
Jackie was a no-show for her first appointment at Soul Solutions, but this time, things at treatment were different.
“They wouldn’t give up on me,” says Jackie. “They were persistent about saving my life. Somebody wanting to save my life was something I needed to hear. And that’s what they did. They saved my life.”
Soul Solutions gave Jackie a sense of home and belonging she’s craved ever since she was a little girl.
“You don’t feel like you’re just another number there,” she said, “You feel heard. You feel wanted. You feel like you belong in the world.”
When asked what made Soul Solutions successful compared to her other experiences with treatment, Jackie says, “They really prepare you for when you’re done with treatment, and they get to the root behind why people use.”
She describes the staff as angels: “They are thorough, trustworthy, empathetic, and passionate about helping people without (passing) judgment. You can’t really explain it. It’s mystical.”
Jackie remained strong throughout her time at Soul Solutions, as her husband simultaneously struggled to overcome his own personal battle with addiction. Over time, he joined Jackie on her Soul Solutions journey, and together, they found a clean life.
“My quality of life is amazing,” Jackie says. “I never thought we’d be financially stable or that our family would be so strong.”
Both Jackie and her husband are fully employed, and their two children returned home to them, now trusted to be in their care.
Jackie recently celebrated one year of sobriety. The foster parents who looked after her children attended the celebration.
“They’re a part of our family now, too,” Jackie says. “I want my kids to know it’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to mess up. I just want them to know they’re never alone.”
As we visited with Jackie, she was cuddling the newest member of her family, a precious nine-day-old newborn baby, Violet. When asked how she found the strength to share her story so early into maternity leave, she smiled through tearful eyes and replied: “Anything for Soul Solutions. They saved my life. It’s all part of the miracle. I want that to be known. This place helps people experience miracles. Patti is a miracle.”
After you’ve crafted your XYZ statement and written a story of one life changed, you should have a pretty good sense of your campaign theme. If you’re still not entirely sure, use these three questions to get the creative juices flowing: 1. What’s your organization’s most pressing need(s) that can be named or grouped?
2. What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about your organization?
We recommend just going with your gut here. Most charity leaders have a response in the moment when asked this question. One good example would be Haley’s Hope, a GHD charity that helps individuals with dyslexia.
When asked a few years ago what’s one thing she wishes everyone knew about dyslexia, Haley’s Hope Executive Director Kari Bucholz’s response is short and to the point: “One in five people have it.” With that simple answer, their campaign revealed itself: Bring awareness to the fact that one in five people have dyslexia.
3. What’s an event or partnership you could base your theme around?
Consider a partnership with a business, faith community, or other nonprofits. This can be a great way to raise awareness for both the cause and issues being addressed and can help you identify a central theme that will bring the various groups together.
Once you have your theme, your creativity and project planning can really come to life.
Without a theme, it’s common for charities to spin their wheels. As soon as a good theme is crafted, though, you have a filter you can use to make all subsequent decisions.
Your theme is your launch pad.
Come up with three campaign ideas here:
1.
2.
3.
Recruit New Donors
If you’re new to Giving Hearts Day (or fundraising in general), the first thing you’re going to want to do is create a newdonor ask.
As you develop your new-donor ask, it’s important to remember that you’re not simply asking someone to support a cause. You’re extending an offer. You’re not asking and convincing — as fundraising is typically viewed — but rather providing an opportunity and connecting in a mutual exchange to make an impact. To think of it another way, you’re putting a donor’s values into action. Taking this approach, as opposed to a transactional one, helps solidify in the donor’s mind that what they give matters and that a relationship with your organization is about meaning and not just money.
Here some of the most common ways to make a new-gift ask:
• TV
• Radio
• Print (magazines, newspapers)
• Social media
• Newsletters
• Direct mail/appeal letters
• Website
Examples of Charity New-Gift Asks
School
Education matters. What children learn and see modeled will influence them throughout their life. $40 educates one child for a day, $200 educates one child for a week, and $800 educates one child for an entire month.
YWCA of Cass-Clay
When you give to the YWCA, you help families build brighter futures. Your generosity provides safety and support and empowers women in our community. $23 provides shampoo, toothpaste, and a full bag of essential care items. $66 provides a night of safe shelter, food, and caring support. $132 provides three nights of care, resources, and most of all, hope. $308 provides a week of shelter and safety.
Now, it’s your turn. Put together your own new-gift ask, or, if you already have one, see if there’s anything worth updating or improving.
Reach for Match Donors
Now, let’s get into one of the most powerful tools in fundraising: a match, which is typically made up mostly of major gifts. Remember, every GHD charity is required to raise a minimum of $3,000 in matching dollars. The reason? Keep reading.
In one fundraising survey, it was found that four out of five donors said they were more likely to give if a match was offered. Additionally, one-third of donors said they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.
A match is highly motivating because it not only makes a donor’s gift go further, it also sends a clear signal that others believe in the cause. No one wants to be the only donor, and every donor wants to see a good use of their dollars. A match helps both.
Your matching gift(s) can come from one or more of several sources, with a few being the most common:
• Individual donor
• Businesses
• Donor-advised funds (DAFs)
• Grantmaking foundations
To get started with your match gift asks, we recommend creating a potential match-donor list.
Shiloh Christian
Once you’ve put together your donor prospect list, it’s a good time to have your GHD campaign team review the list and have them provide any additional referrals.
With your potential match donor list prepared, it’s time to actually start reaching out and making asks for your GHD match dollars. Here are a few tips for approaching a match donor:
1. Send an email ahead of time. In the message, let the donor know that you’re reaching out to them and other supporters to invite them to really make an impact this year. As a courtesy, send them a message before calling. Give them multiple options to connect.
2. If you get their voicemail or end up leaving a message, no problem. Let them know when and how you plan to follow up again, as well as your contact info.
3. Always keep in mind that your organization has something valuable to offer and that the mission can speak for itself. You’re a voice for it.
Whether you line up a call, connect in person, or make a presentation to a group, you can’t go wrong with the “Three As” approach:
1. Appreciate the donor.
2. Align the donor with your mission.
3. Ask the donor to make an impact with you and others.
All it takes is five contacts a day for 30 days, and you’ll have the odds in your favor to raise a very successful match for Giving Hearts Day. Match gifts can be given up front by match donors, or pledged to give to you after GHD based on your results. You’ll report the name of your match donor(s) and the amount(s) of their match commitment in your admin portal in January.
Alright, now, let’s put pen to paper and actually set our match-donor goals for Giving Hearts Day 2025.
Match-gift asks per week:
Match-gift asks per month:
Total match-gift asks:
Create a plan to Retain repeat donors.
Once Giving Hearts Day has passed, it’s time to make a plan for how you will retain as many of your donors as possible. Retaining your current donors is much less expensive in terms of time and effort than recruiting new donors, so it’s worth having a goal and strategy for retaining as many of your GHD donors as possible.
The most effective way to do this is by keeping them engaged in your mission throughout the year. Here are some good/ better/best retention percentages you should shoot for:
Good: 30% retention rate
Better: 50% retention rate
Best: 70% retention rate
Before you actually set a goal for retention rate, list three activities you will do to keep your GHD donors engaged and aware of the impact of their giving between now and the next GHD. Some examples could include:
• Send a mailing about the impact of GHD gifts
• Personally call each donor to provide an update on what their donation made possible
• Block time in your calendar to schedule coffee with as many of your donors as possible over the next year to ask why they give to your mission and show your appreciation
Alright, now let’s put pen to paper and commit to a retention goal for next year: Number of donors on GHD this year: donors
Retention goal for GHD 2026: %
Remember to put together your plan on pg. 15. This will help you to communicate goals and expectations with your team and map out your plan. We can’t wait to see your efforts pay off!
Calendar
FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANTS
Note: This calendar is your one-stop shop for important deadlines and steps toward a successful giving day. Any additional trainings will be announced via email.
Essential To-Dos
Apply to Participate in Giving Hearts Day 2024
Monday, June 17-Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024
Complete the GHD 2024 charity application
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 New charity orientation (Recording will be available) 9-11 a.m. CT or 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT
Pay Giving Hearts Day 2025 Subscription (Via check or credit card)
Friday, Aug. 30, 2024
Subscription due and Stripe account set up due By 5 p.m. CT
Attend or View a Giving Hearts Day Kick-Off Training: Select One Below
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 Giving Hearts Day Kick-Off Fargo, ND + Hybrid 8:30-10 a.m. CT
Link available in GHD overview emails
Hybrid: Zoom, or inperson in Fargo, ND Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
“Subscription & Stripe” tab in Admin Portal or via check Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Zoom or in-person in Fargo, ND-Location to be announced Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 Giving Hearts Day Kick-Off Minot, ND 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT Minot Public Library Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 Giving Hearts Day Kick-Off Bismarck, ND 10 a.m.-12 p.m. CT Dream Center Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 Giving Hearts Day Kick-Off Grand Forks, ND 10 a.m.-12 p.m. CT Choice Health & Fitness Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Create Your Charity’s Online Profile
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024
Promote Early Giving
Monday, Jan. 13-Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
Create and/or update your charity’s online profile page By 5 p.m. CT
“Charity Information” tab in Admin Portal Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Let your supporters know they can give their GHD gift to your organization antime between Jan. 13 and Feb. 13! Ends 11:59 p.m. CT on Thurs., Feb. 13 GivingHeartsDay.org GivingHeartsDay.org
Report Your Self-Raised Match Amount
Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
Minimum $3,000 in self-raised match gift report due By 5 p.m. CT
Have Fun on Giving Hearts Day 2025!
Monday, Feb. 3, 2025
Friday, Feb. 7, 2025
Start entering check donations received for GHD early giving
GHD donation reconciliation orientation video available On-demand
“GHD Match” tab in Admin Portal Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
“Add GHD Check” tab in Admin Portal Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
“Resources” tab in Admin Portal Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 Giving Hearts Day 2025 12 a.m.-11:59 p.m. GivingHeartsDay.org
Friday, Feb. 14, 2025
Celebrate with your team, thank your donors, and get some rest!
Admin Portal URL: Admin.GivingHeartsDay.org Join the GHD Email List: bit.ly/GivingHeartsDayEmails
Our Giving Hearts Day 2025 Overall Goals
Dollar goal: $
Match goal ($3,000 min.): $
Our Campaign Team
Donor goal: donors
Retained-donors goal for GHD 2026: donors
Name Superpower
Name Superpower
Name Superpower
Name Superpower
Our XYZ Statement
We help to so that they can
Our Campaign Theme
Our Story of One Life Changed
Our New-Gift Ask
Our Fundraising Tools
Our Match-Gift Ask Goals
Match-gift asks per week:
Our Retention Goals for GHD 2026
GHD 2025 donors:
Good: 30% retention rate
Match-gift asks per month:
Total match-gift asks:
Better: 50% retention rate
70%