Facebook’s recent bad press can’t take away from the good it did this week.

According to stats gathered by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, #GivingTuesday, in its seventh year, raised $380 million, a 27 percent increase from 2017. Leading the way was Facebook, which nearly tripled the $45 million it helped bring in last year; its array of new fundraising tools helped charities raise $125 million this year. The company teamed with payment processor PayPal on a $7 million match for charities that took part on the platform, but it took only a few seconds for the match to hit its cap. The amount was three and a half times the $2 million match offered last year, which went nearly as fast.

Other major payment processors also reported growth, including Blackbaud, which saw a modest increase to $62.6 million from $60.9 million last year. The big story: The average donation amount increased from $134 to $147, and donations went to more charities this year.

Smaller firms pitched in too. The Chronicle reports that DonorPerfect and Classy each saw double-digit growth in donations over last year—in Classy’s case, by nearly 50 percent.

Overall, it represents yet another year of steady growth for #GivingTuesday, which has successfully leveraged the waves of social media in a big way.

Survey Invitations Matter

Your #survey invitation can make a big difference in your response rate. Here are tips to review before you send out your next online survey. #CSAE #ASSNCHAT https://t.co/lyrAoxs4dy

— Gerald Bramm (@gbramm) November 29, 2018

Trying to get folks to take your survey? The way you make your pitch can make all the difference, B2B researcher Gerald Bramm says in a roundup of tips for improving response.

“The invitation outlines objectives of the survey and explains how the results will be used,” he explains on his Bramm Research blog. “It gives respondents a valid reason to complete the questionnaire. It answers the question … ‘what’s in it for me?’”

In his post, he recommends giving a specific completion date, a guarantee of confidentiality, and (potentially) an incentive.

Other Links of Note

If you need to boost your spreadsheet game, PCWorld offers a useful guide to help you make sense of Excel’s powerful macro functionality.

What the heck is “hygge”? It’s a Danish term for a general sense of comfort and warmth. And it could improve your office, the Nonprofit Marketing Guide argues.

Instagram gets more accessible. The app’s newest features make it easier to use for those with visual impairments.

(cnythzl/iStock/Getty Images Plus)