I was reading this article about community giving days, and how they can drive one-day results for nonprofits. There seemed to be a lot of positive reinforcement for tactics like these
[These] contests hold the promise to draw new people to philanthropy, and offer the possibility of opening new channels to donors, volunteers, and general supporters. American philanthropy, as a function of GDP the largest in the world, has remained remarkably constant (some would say stagnant) for the last four decades. And with a million-plus registered nonprofits in the U.S. alone competing for dollars, giving contests can be tempting for small and mid-sized organization form whom increased attention matters as much as the actual dollars raised.
While giving days, mobile giving, and other tactics can be enticing, it’s important for charities to never confuse the difference between a tactic and a relationship. And the more successful a tactic is, the harder it is to keep the difference straight. Giving days are a great catalytic tactic to prompt initial engagement with new donors, but no tactic is a substitute for a holistic fundraising strategy, no matter the size of the organization. The challenge to creating sustainable support is…what comes next?