Join the movement! Giving Tuesday is the global giving event of the year. It’s a one-day event, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It was created to encourage a movement of generosity and has since become one of the more inspiring initiatives for driving generosity. In the early stages of developing Giving Madness software program, the Millie team made a strategic decision to offer the program in the time brackets spanning one month, one week, and one day. The inclusion of one-day brackets was a deliberate choice, tailored to accommodate single-day company events and to align with important initiatives like Giving Tuesday.
What is Giving Madness?
Giving Madness is a gamified giving experience, meant to create excitement around giving. Structured like the famous college basketball tournament, a company starts with 16 nonprofits in the giving bracket. Employees vote (each voting experience includes a nonprofit profile that advocates awareness) to advance their favorite nonprofits through four rounds over the course of one day, one week, or one month.
Other times of the year, a one week bracket is recommended for Giving Madness. However, a one day bracket is a great idea for an experience on Giving Tuesday, the biggest giving event of the year!
Employees start their day learning about the 16 nonprofits in the bracket, with voting rounds every 2 hours. Adding to the donation pool is optional at any point of the experience, and team members usually get pretty excited to advocate for their choices. This is a great way to lean into the movement!
How to Set Up a Giving Tuesday Giving Madness Bracket:
Pick 16 nonprofits. Choosing orgs that your employees support is essential for high participation rates, as advocacy among team members is the driving force for participation. That being said, involving employees in the nominating process is highly encouraged.
How to pick nonprofits
1. Request nominations from employees. Empower your employees to participate by soliciting their nominations. Distribute a survey to all your team members, inviting them to share their preferences and reasons for choosing particular nonprofits. You can either select based on the most inspiring submissions or opt for a fun and unbiased approach by using a random wheel generator to make the nominations.
2. Engage ERG’s (employee resource groups). Encourage ERG’s to nominate orgs aligned with their member’s passions and interests. Fostering active engagement with ERGs not only strengthens your decision-making process but also brings multiple benefits to your company’s philanthropic efforts.
3. Create a Holiday Madness Campaign. Engaging your employees in the decision-making process is the most ideal approach, as it fosters a sense of ownership. However, we understand that time constraints can sometimes be a challenge.
Consider time-efficient alternatives that boost spirit like a Holiday themed bracket. Check out a list of some suggested nonprofits you can support:
- Make a Wish
- Toys for Tots
- Christmas Tree Santas
- Toys for Kids
- Angel Tree
- Christmas SPIRIT Foundation
- Salvation Army
- One Simple Wish
- Operation Christmas Child
- United Way
- Pay Away the Layaway
- Feed the Children
4. Engage employees in cause-based voting. Encourage your employees to actively participate in the decision-making process by voting on cause areas instead of nonprofits. Our Millie portal simplifies this by offering a search feature categorized into the following cause areas:
- Health
- Animals
- Arts, Culture & Humanities
- Community Development
- Education
- Environment
- Research & Public Policy
- Human Services
- Human & Civil Rights
- International
- Religion
Once employees have cast their votes for their preferred cause area, you can easily filter nonprofits in alignment with these selections through the Millie search portal. This approach not only adds a fun and low-pressure element to the selection process but also provides valuable insights into the predominant passion areas within your company culture.
5. Customize your selection based on your company’s preferred cause areas. If you have a good understanding of your company’s ethos and passion areas but lack existing nonprofit partnerships, leverage the Millie search feature. This enables you to swiftly identify nonprofits aligned with your company’s favorite cause areas. This approach not only saves time but also reinforces your company’s values and culture while supporting meaningful causes.
Time to promote. After finalizing your nonprofit selections and setting up your bracket, effective communication is paramount (shout out for our Slack integration and a fully-automated communication toolkit!) . Maximize your outreach leading up to the event through internal communications, marketing initiatives, and active engagement from both management and employees. Harness the power of advocacy by enlisting ambassadors to champion your cause through grassroots efforts. The more you promote and mobilize, the greater the success of your event will be.
Interested in running a Giving Madness bracket for your company? Request a demo.
