Going Virtual with Your Events

Stay at home orders, sheltering in place, social distancing. Whatever you call it, it does not conjure up images of a large fancy gala as the best way to raise money for your organization.

Because many nonprofits live or die on the funds raised through events, many have opted to switch to a virtual platform rather than cancel or postpone the event altogether. Since I have never run a virtual event, I asked some local nonprofits who hosted a virtual event this spring about their experiences and advice so we can all learn from them. Their experiences, combined with research and best practices on social media and messaging, led to these tips.

But, before we jump into the tips, a little background on the organizations and events.

Virtual events come in many shapes and sizes. The Arc of the Quad Cities Area, GiGi’s Playhouse, and Alleman High School hosted synchronous events with a live broadcast at a given time. Assumption High School hosted an asynchronous event on its website, inviting people to “attend” at their leisure over a few days. YouthHope did both; they premiered a video on Facebook Live and then took donations for a few days afterwards through their website.

These organizations saw higher attendance, greater social media engagement, and people “attend” who had never come to their traditional event, including some as far away as California! YouthHope’s event became international with donations from Canada, Japan, and Cambodia. Some raised more money than they would have through the traditional format; all exceeded their expectations. Pam Lynch of GiGi’s Playhouse noted that “Without the expenses of location, food, alcohol, and other items that would have needed printed and prepared, the profit margin was higher than it would have been for an in person event.”

Everyone expressed satisfaction with the outcome of their event and said they would do it again. Although, given the choice, they would probably integrate virtual and in person aspects of the event, because they and their guests missed the human interaction the comes with a face-to-face event.

Based on these examples, I bring you their top 9 tips to successfully host a virtual fundraising event.

1.     Keep it simple. Hannah Carr from YouthHope said they had lots of ideas when they decide to move their event online. With only a month to make the change, they decided to keep it simple and created a 30-minute video that highlighted their programs and the differences they make in the kids they serve and eliminated the auction.

2.     Make it easy to give. Chris Lambrecht from Alleman High School said that the technology intimidated some of their older alumni, so they also took bids by phone if people did not want to use Facebook. Bloomerang talks more about the more technical side of events and logistical considerations that might make your transition a little easier.

3.     Message. Message. Message. Everyone used the power of social media early and often to talk about their event, preview auction items, and ask constituents to invite their friends. Alleman and Assumption had alumni and friends attend from all around the country. Andy Craig of Assumption High School said they saw a 600% increase in social media engagements in the weeks leading up to their event. Everyone reached more supporters and had new people bidding on their items or donating. Tip from Assumption: If you have a national audience, budget the cost of shipping auction items!

4.     Use video. Everyone created videos about their organization or their constituents that they shared at the event – either live or pre-recorded. Assumption and The Arc both asked charismatic people (alumni and the CEO, respectively) to introduce auction items via video. Sarah Wright of The Arc found that the video about their Catalyst Award winners has become “a pretty powerful tool to gain a wider audience” after the event.

5.     Interact with your audience. GiGi’s Playhouse had 3 people watching the video, chatting online with supporters, and monitoring the auction so they could respond with shout outs to participants. They and Assumption also used text messages to encourage people to bid, remind them of deadlines, and highlight certain items.

6.     Make it fun! Pam Lynch of GiGi’s Playhouse said that “Everyone enjoyed the video, online auction, and just plain having something to do. Everyone participated in their own unique way. Some did a Zoom call with their original table mates/guests, others did a family night of popcorn in favorite team attire, while others had a nice meal and dressed up!” The more flexible you can make the event, the more your audience will make it something meaningful to them – and the more engaged they will become to your cause.

7.     Get staff and volunteers involved. Staff, board members, and volunteers at these organizations created videos, emailed, and texted constituents and shared the event on their social media pages to drum up support and attendance. Do not assume such help will come organically; tell people the ways they can help your virtual event succeed.

8.     Give yourself plenty of time. These organizations turned on a dime with 2 to 6 weeks to turn an in-person event into an online one. Creating videos and engaging through social media consumed most people’s time. Andy Craig of Assumption said they had three people working fulltime (plus!) on their event for a month. On the flip side, Hannah Carr said that the day of the event when they would usually set tables and fuss with last minute details, they sat around wondering what to do because they had everything done!

9.     Be open and trust your people. Circumstances did not really give any of these organizations the option to host a traditional event which made it an easy decision to try virtual. Once you decide to have a virtual event, though, a cascade of other decisions follow. Andy Craig suggests that you allow your people to experiment and trust that they have your best interest at heart.

I hope by fall we can all gather in large groups again, though conventional wisdom does not support that wish. We also do not know what long-term impact the quarantine will have on our desire to gather or to continue to connect virtually so you will want to continue to monitor your community’s mood as you decide virtual versus in person or both.

If you have thought about moving an event to a virtual platform – for necessity, convenience, or curiosity, feel free to reach out to these organizations or others who have taken the plunge to learn from their experiences. And please share your experiences so we can all learn from each other.