4 Steps to a Successful GiveNOLA Day

GiveNOLA Day is the single biggest fundraising opportunity for New Orleans nonprofits each year. In 2025, over 900 organizations participated, raising a collective 6.9 million dollars to support their missions. When done right, GiveNOLA Day isn’t just about one day of donations, it's about cultivating new and standing donor relationships and building sustained support.

The nonprofits that exceed their goals are more strategic, more prepared, and they pull every lever available: compelling profiles, coordinated messaging, direct ambassador outreach, and thoughtful follow-up.

In our latest Missions Bayou podcast episodes, we sat down with leaders from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, Gambel Communications, and Be Loud Studios to dive into ways nonprofits can make the most of GiveNOLA Day 2026. The rest of this blog breaks down four key steps you should follow to meet and exceed your funding goals. For deeper conversations, you can listen to podcast series and access our free companion workbook to guide you in your GiveNOLA Day preparation.

Start Early & Clarify Your Core Message

Define Success on Your Own Terms Well before GiveNOLA Day starts, decide what success looks like for your organization. Don't let the leaderboard define that for you. It might be a dollar amount, 10 new donors, or re-engaging donors who gave years ago. Be specific about what you're measuring.

Get Specific About Your Message The most common mistake? Trying to say everything instead of one clear thing. "Help us make an impact" doesn't convert. "Your $50 funds one week of summer camp for a student who couldn't otherwise attend" does.

Build a message framework: "We're raising $X to [specific outcome] so that [tangible impact]." When possible, make your ask timely. For example, Be Loud Studios fundraises for summer camp scholarships because it’s right around the corner.

Align Your Whole Team Your board members, staff, and supporters all need to know the message and their role. Ambiguity doesn't perform well. When everyone can clearly articulate what you're fundraising for, you build momentum.

Listen to Episode 1 for the full conversation on message clarity.

Build A GiveNOLA Day Profile That Converts Donors

Your Profile Affirms the Decision When you send someone the link to your Give NOLA Day profile, they’re already in the decision-making process. Your job isn’t to convince them from scratch, it’s to affirm their decision. Remove friction. Make them feel excited about what they’re committing to. But, you only have seconds to do it.

Be Quick, Clear, and Compelling Before anything else, ask yourself: Is my profile quick, clear, and compelling? If it's not all three, it needs work.

GiveNOLA Day Profile Must-Haves:

1. Visuals that connect - High-resolution photos of volunteers or staff doing the work. Show action, not just posed group shots. Aim for 15 strong photos.

2. Clear copy - Lead with your one initiative. The first two sentences should explain who you help and how.

3. Donation tiers - Give donors options and make them accessible. For example, "$20 connects a young person with their first microphone." Make sure at least one tier is $25 or under.

   
   

Do a Clarity Check Show your profile to someone unfamiliar with your organization. Can they understand what you do, why it matters, and what their donation accomplishes? If not, it’s time to simplify.

Listen to Episode 2 for platform best practices from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Ready to Put This Into Action?

You’re halfway through our helpful insights, but we have even more resources available to support you. Our free GiveNOLA Day Playbook workbook gives you fill-in-the-blank templates, checklists, and worksheets to build your complete GiveNOLA Day strategy as you watch each podcast episode.

Download your free workbook →https://www.comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook

Activate Your Organization’s Ambassadors

The Truth About What Drives Donations Mass communications alone don't drive results. Social media and email blasts are important background noise, but they're not what gets people to give.

What truly moves the needle are direct, personal asks. Text messages. Phone calls. One-on-one outreach.

Last year, Be Loud Studios had over 500 donations. About half came from their 20-person ambassador team, from individual people asking their networks.

Build Your Ambassador Team Your ambassadors don't need to be famous. They just need to be willing. Board members, staff, longtime donors, volunteers, parents, even your college roommate.

Give them everything they need:

• Clear talking points

• Sample text messages and phone scripts

• Donation tier language

• Graphics for social posts

• Direct link to your profile

Make it effortless. The easier you make it, the more they’re likely to participate.

Out-of-Town Donors Don't overlook people outside New Orleans. Last year, GiveNOLA Day participants saw donations come in from all 50 states and 16 countries. These donors are less overwhelmed by GiveNOLA Day messaging and often excited to support the city from afar.

Listen to Episode 3 for real examples of ambassador activation.

Turn Donors Into Long-Term Supporters

This Is Where Most Nonprofits Often Misstep After GiveNOLA Day ends. Energy drops. Donors hear nothing for months. This is where you can separate yourself from 90% of organizations. Keep engaging. 

The Thank-You That Matters A thank-you doesn't have to be instant to be meaningful. One nonprofit sent a thank-you in January for a May donation, and it still made an impression. What matters is that it's personal, specific, and connects their gift to impact.

Be Loud Studios has their middle and high school DJs call every donor on GiveNOLA Day. Parents write handwritten notes. It reinforces their mission while stewarding supporters.

The 48-Hour Rule Send a personal thank-you within two days. Not automated. Not generic. Include the specific impact of their gift.

The 30-Day Follow-Up Share what their money accomplished. A photo, video, or story showing impact in action. No ask—just connection.

The Long Game Add every new donor to your communication list. Keep showing up with monthly impact stories and volunteer opportunities. Treat GiveNOLA Day as the start of a relationship, not a transaction.

Organizations that retain 60% of new donors do this differently than those who retain 20%. The difference is intentional follow-up.

Listen to Episode 4 for donor retention insights from nonprofit leaders.

Making The Most Of Your Opportunity

Start Now:

• Define what success looks like

• Clarify your one core message

• Audit your profile using "quick, clear, compelling"

• Identify your ambassador team

The Missions Bayou GiveNOLA Day Playbook series breaks down every part of this framework with expert panel conversations from Be Loud Studios, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and Gambel Communications.

Listen now at www.comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook