I have a bah-humbug attitude toward Giving Tuesday. Basically, I dislike gimmicks.

But the data suggest I’d better get over it. Giving Tuesday donations grow every year, from about $10 million in 2012, the first #GT, to an estimated $300 million worldwide in 2017.

This year’s results aren’t in yet, but the totals will no doubt be higher. Gimmick or no, we’ve reached the point where nonprofits can’t afford not to mount #GT campaigns.

But here’s one thing you can afford to do: Ignore Facebook’s matching campaign.

This year, Facebook pledged to match the first $7 million in donations. That $7 million was gone, according to a Facebook spokesperson quoted in The Nonprofit Times, “within a matter of seconds” after the campaign opened.

Seconds.

The nonprofits who emailed us on Sunday and Monday to prime us to click first thing Tuesday wasted their time. Even if we were ready at 8:00:05 Eastern, whether we got in or not was largely a matter of chance.

Though I’m thrilled for the nonprofits that got any part of that $7 million pot, I think the big winner in the hype about the Facebook match is Facebook.

Here’s a better strategy: Set up your own match, so that all day long you can say, “Your gift will be doubled.” That seems to me to be a better use of donors’ patience with email blasts than the pre-GT “get Facebook money” messages.

Mind you, I’m not suggesting you ignore Facebook! Social media drive #GT, so Facebook and other social platforms are a must.

OK, all that said – though I obviously strong opinions, I honestly don’t have any special expertise on #GT.

So I’m really interested in your experience!

• If you work for a nonprofit organization, did you mount a #GT campaign? How did it work for you?
• If you’re a citizen-donor, were your inbox and social media feeds saturated? Did you donate? Why or why not?

Leave a comment below: How was your Giving Tuesday?