Virtual fundraising has always been prominent, however, it has picked up more pace over the last two years. Ever since nonprofit organizations have begun taking the virtual path of hosting events for raising funds, at the same time, they find it quite challenging to host a successful fundraising event.
Even though the audience and potential donors enjoy the event without stepping out of their homes, it can be quite tedious to keep them engaged throughout the fundraising event.
As a virtual event marketer, you need to make sure that to host a successful event, you should include a mix of all elements to keep the event balanced and running smoothly.
Your virtual fundraising event ideas should not only be about serious sessions, but it should also comprise entertaining elements to keep the audience engaged throughout the session.
Make your way through the post to get an insight into a few fundraising ideas that can help you run a successful event and raise funds for your nonprofit organization.
Without any further ado, let’s get started with these innovative ideas!
Best Practices To Host A Super Successful Virtual Fundraising Event
Online Auction
Auctions are a classic way of generating funds for your cause. If you were hoping to host a regular auction, then don’t lose heart as it can happen virtually too.
You can display all the items online and ask your attendees to bid on them one by one. Make sure that you define all the rules to your audience much before the event in the form of a mail or verbally.
Another thing to keep in mind is to promote your items and make the starting bid clear to your audience. Since the event will be virtual and your audience will not be able to see the displayed products in real, make sure that you leverage high-quality pictures. Lastly, it is not necessary to host a one-day event, make it a multi-day auction to generate maximum donations.
Virtual Concert
If there is one thing that people would not mind spending on is to see their favorite band or performer play live. Since times are not the same, you might as well adopt the ‘new normal’ and host a virtual concert instead!
Collaborate with a famous artist, band, or performer who enjoys a good following and generate funds by selling tickets. Moreover, watching a concert from the homes will be a good change from the same old boring routine of your attendees and they would look forward to it.
Include A Social Media Wall
Engagement is crucial especially when it comes to virtual events and including a social wall can be a game-changer. If you are new to the concept of a social media wall, it comprises live and aggregated social media feeds from various platforms.
Just like a regular audience, a virtual audience also likes posting content on their social media handles in the form of photos, videos, selfies, etc. They use the event hashtag for posting the content. Further aggregating the content and posting it during the virtual event is a great way to engage your audience the most. Moreover, everyone loves getting featured during the event and this would lead to more participation from your audience.
Host A Virtual Dinner Party
Sometimes, all that the attendees want is to have a good silent time, having conversations over a glass of wine. Make the most of it by hosting a virtual dinner party for your guests. You can make them indulge in a conversation related to the noble cause that you are supporting and how their donations would tremendously benefit your organization.
There is a high chance that they may feel the need to donate right after the night gets over. You can leave a link in their mailbox after dinner. If your budget permits, you can send a few munchies to your attendees for them to enjoy during the event.
Include Games
Speaking of entertainment, make sure that you lighten the environment of the event and nothing can be as result-driven as games! If your event includes sessions, make sure that you give a break to your attendees and include games.
You can include a few rounds of housie or virtual UNO. Include a few multiplayer games like Call of duty to ensure more interaction between the attendees.
Promote The Event
Lastly, always make sure that all your potential attendees are aware of your upcoming virtual fundraising event. You can leverage various methods of marketing including social media marketing to target your audience. Run ads and create posts comprising details about your event.
Moreover, make it a point to inform your previous attendees and also push them to spread the word and inform their knowns about the cause that you are supporting!
Final Thoughts
We are at the end of this post and you are now aware of a few tried and tested virtual fundraising event ideas that can help you host a successful event and also achieve your desired donation numbers!
Go on now, include these strategies into your upcoming fundraising event and you will for sure notice positive results!