How to Rally Ambassadors for your cause on GivingTuesday

Introduction

GivingTuesday is a great time to activate influencers and your biggest fans to amplify your mission and move the needle on your cause. By partnering with ambassadors, you can connect your organization to an enthusiastic community you might not normally have access to and mobilize them for action.

Where to Find Ambassadors

If you’ve got Oprah’s digits, by all means use them, but in this toolkit we’re thinking about everyday ambassadors and micro influencers.

Everyday Ambassadors

Take a close look at your network. Think about who you have connections to who have large megaphones and can tell authentic stories about why they’re passionate about your mission. Think about:

your board members
civic leaders
local celebrities
athletes
musicians
news anchors or radio personalities

Micro Influencers and Bloggers

Is there a blogger who writes on a topic that’s aligned with your mission? Know of a micro influencer who has a following that shares the same values as your organization? Remember: the size of their following is less important than relevancy and developing a relationship takes time so you’ll want to start as soon as possible.

How to approach these types of ambassadors:

Create a list of credible people in your topic area that have an established presence and network on social media and engage with their posts
Find and engage with hashtags that are relevant to your mission.
Use follows, comments, and direct messages to get on influencers’ radar
Sometimes they list their email on their profile page or website
Offer to send them swag
Invite them to participate in a personal virtual tour of your org

What To Ask Them

Be straightforward and direct in making asks and be clear about why their voice is so important to your organization at this moment. Offer influencers a variety of ways to get engaged. Some ideas:

Share your post or lend their name to an email you send to your constituents
Post on social about why your cause matters to them or kick off a challenge
Launch a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser for your organization
Invite them to come to your office or wherever you do your work and create an experience for them. Educate them about your mission, have them help with a project, or interact with constituents. Ask them to create content about that experience. (Here’s an example from GivingTuesdayNorway.)

Give Them The Tools To Succeed

When your ambassadors agree to help, make sure you equip them with clear instructions + content they can build on with their own stories – make it as easy as possible for them.

Create an Influencer Toolkit with activation ideas and sample posts (here’s a sample you can start with)
Send a calendar invite so they remember when to post
Be in regular contact so you’re top of mind

Additional Reading

22 Social Media Influencer Strategies Nonprofits Can Use

How to Use Influencer Marketing to Expand Your Reach

Working with Twitch Creators for GivingTuesday