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END-OF-YEAR EVENT FUNDRAISING

With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic still very present, nonprofits are again faced with the challenge of deciding whether to hold in-person or virtual events this year. Your organization may be debating whether to move forward with trying an in-person event, keeping it 100% virtual, or possibly something in between.

The good news is that, even with nonprofits across the country having to make the pivot to online events, in 2020, charitable giving reached a record of $471 billion in the US. 

If you are thinking of hosting an engaging event to secure crucial support for your mission in the year ahead, whether traditional, virtual, or even a combination of the two, read on. We’re sharing ideas and resources on event fundraising. 

 

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Traditional Events

Traditional year-end fundraising events, such as galas, are meant to celebrate your hard work, reflect on your impact, and thank your donors and sponsors. As everyone rallies around your collective impact and gets inspired about the difference they can make, it’s helpful to offer multiple ways to support – whether through ticket sales, donations, sponsorship, volunteering, or a combination of the above. The multi-faceted approach allows your fundraising to take place before and during the event with different appeals and even bidding competitions.

Flipcause Campaign Tips: 

• Use a single landing page listing the event info and all the ways your community can get involved: buy tickets, donate, volunteer, sponsor—you can even add peer-to-peer—but try to stick to no more than 3 calls-to-action! Remember – the more buttons you add, the higher the likelihood someone will choose nothing at all.
• White-label your campaign URLs or use custom domains so your donors know it’s your organization! Here’s what a custom subdomain looks like on Flipcause:
  
• Don’t forget to bring card readers and devices to your event for checking in event attendees and volunteers, and of course, processing donations and payments at the event itself!

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Virtual events

With the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, many of us this year may again choose to run a virtual event. Some events you can simulate virtually with some slight adjustments, like a speaker series or virtual gala. Some events, however, won’t lend themselves to digital at all.

This can feel daunting, so we’ve gathered some creative ideas and real-world examples to help get your juices flowing. At the bottom of this post, we’ve also listed additional resources for setting up virtual events.

 

 

1. virtual galaS & CELEBRATORY eventS

Just like for your typical gala you’ll want to recruit inspiring guest speakers, performers, and influencers. Unlike typical events driven by in-person interaction, guests can be engaged with interactive polls, live shoutouts, and rotating break-out rooms (Zoom and similar services offer all or most of these features in one).

SIPA did an incredible job setting up their virtual fundraising gala last year, complete with entertainment, speakers, and sponsorship showcasing.

Virtual Gala Tips & Ideas:

• Share special dinner and drink pairing recipes before the event that guests can prepare and enjoy at home. You might even direct-mail pretty recipe cards to add a special physical touch!
• Hold a contest with rewards for Best Dressed or Best Background. Many of us would jump at the chance to get dressed to the nines again!
• Drive donations by sending out party kit swag boxes at certain donation levels.
• And for an extra high-touch, incentivize sponsors by including thanks in direct mail programming brochures.

Larry and Toby Milstein threw a virtual gala, aptly named “Zoomtopia,” which benefited the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Response Fund and the International Medical Corps. Organized in mere days and promoted entirely on Milstein and friends’ Instagram pages, they exceeded a whopping $20,000 in donations, and the event cost them nothing to put together.

2. benefit concerts & live performances

When we can’t watch on the big stage, thankfully, most performers can still perform at home. The unique upside of digital is you can draw on a wider audience as well as call on talent from both your local network and across the globe! The other best part about hosting this type of event is it’s one of the easiest to transition to virtual!

For performances, your best bet is to use a live-streaming platform such as Twitch (free to use). This type of event is less collaborative than a video conferencing app like Zoom. On a live stream, your audience can interact publicly via a sidebar chat, but the main focus remains on the performance itself. For convenience, you can use Facebook or Instagram live as well, although the quality of both video and audio might be limited.

This is a sweet example of an annual holiday concert turned virtual from Daughters of St. Paul. Last year in lieu of their traditional in-person performance, they hosted a Virtual “Home for Christmas” Concert (literally). Sponsors received a free song download from the choir:

Virtual Concert Tips & Ideas:

• The more well-known and well-loved the performer is, the bigger the draw to the end-of-year event and the fundraising outcome.
• Still a perfect venue for cultivating sponsorships, you can offer creative rewards like a mention in the event credits or, for an extra high touch, offer breakout rooms to mimic backstage VIP passes to meet and greet the artists.
• You can incentivize higher contributions by offering a recording of the event at higher donation levels.

 

Hands for Hunger raised over $12,000 in donations through its first Online Virtual Concert.

3. GAME NIGHTS & CRAFTING

On the opposite end of the spectrum from concerts, you can go full-interactive by hosting a bingo night, poker tournament, trivia games, or a craft workshop. The key to making these exciting and accessible is to incorporate some form of direct mail ahead of time – you can mail craft supplies and instructions, bingo boards, or anything else your event will require. You can make it a contest with prizes, or you can use this time to cook to feed the hungry together or make holiday cards for kids in shelters.

Whatever you choose, be sure it’s an activity that’s relevant to the interest of your supporter base or to your organization’s work.

 

Virtual Game and Craft Night Tips:

• You can charge a ticket price to participate, have a donation drive during the event itself, or both!
• Don’t be afraid to call on your supporters! This is a great opportunity to leverage peer-to-peer fundraisers to organize their own fun night of their choice and gather friends for a good cause.
• Make it easy for supporters to start a fundraising campaign on your behalf. That way, they can select their own online board games, host trivia, virtual bingo, or online game tournaments.

Tutoring Art can even host Virtual Painting Fundraisers & Instructionals on your organization’s behalf.

4. speaker events & Rallies

Thankfully, there are some unexpected benefits to going virtual with a rally or speaker event! You can open up your event to a wider audience of people around the world, and save costs on travel and venues. You can host a live stream from Zoom across multiple social platforms using Switcher Studio or Restream and allow panelists, speakers, and a facilitator.

 

Virtual Speaker Event Tips:

• Designate a technical person to test and supervise your tech before the event and make sure everything flows smoothly on the big day–managing screen sharing, sound, cueing speakers, managing waiting rooms, and whatever else your event may require on the day of!
• Include links on your campaign page that offer easy ways supporters can donate and sign up for your email list.
• Leave everyone at the event with a clear action item: share the message, take action, or sign up to fundraise for your big end-of-year appeal.

In June 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and a fight against racial injustice, #GivingTuesdaySpark leader, 13 year old Khloe Thompson wanted to offer young people a space to learn, feel less alone, and take action safely. She planned a virtual rally for kids, bringing in activists and educators to talk about racism and mental health.
– GivingTuesday: How to Organize a Virtual Rally or Event

5. virtual 5K cruise

A run, walk, or 5k race is a classic fundraiser because it’s engaging, it’s active, and it’s fun! You can turn your regular event into a “virtual cruise” which has the benefit of added accessibility and allows your supporters to complete their route within a week’s time. Participants can use an activity tracker like Strava or Map My Run to record their run/walk/hike/ride/cruise and post a screenshot to their campaign page once they complete their personal goal. Just like a typical 5K, you can charge to participate or have each participant fundraise depending on their distance traveled. For you animal lovers out there, you can even host a walk-your-dog-athon!

 

Virtual Cruise Event Tips:

• For supporters participating in the same city, you can provide suggested course routes. Utilize Google Maps or Map My Run, and encourage participants to share theirs, too.
• Create a unique hashtag for the campaign for participants to use when they share with their social media networks.
• Gamify and incentivize with swag bags, t-shirts, recognition, awards, and rewards.
• Share a playlist that participants can listen to while embarking on their cruise.
• Utilize a peer-to-peer campaign to let your supporters create teams and recruit their friends and families.

 

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End-of-year and event fundraising is always a lot to take on! But with great challenge comes great opportunity, and we hope this information helps make it all more manageable.

Do you have any tips, inspiration, or ideas to share for how nonprofits are handling end-of-year event fundraising this year? If so, leave a comment below–we’d love to hear it!

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Additional Virtual Event Resources

• Nonprofit Fundraising Event Coronavirus Survival Guide 
• Safety Considerations for Online Events
• 30 Tips and Tricks for Hosting a Successful Online Event
• Virtual Events Best Practices and Vendor Resource Guide – a very thorough guide from Achurch Consulting and Ellipsis Partners. (Skip to page 18 for an extensive list of vendors for all and any virtual event needs.)