COVID-19 has hit nonprofit fundraising hard. Without the ability to hold large gatherings, more nonprofits are turning to virtual fundraising events to attract support.
These virtual events can be wildly successful—with some earning 300% of a nonprofit’s fundraising goals—but most nonprofits planning virtual fundraisers stress over one question:
“What virtual fundraising platform should I use for my online fundraiser?”
It’s an understandable concern, especially in this new age of Zoom calls and virtual meetings. Event planners worry they don’t have the tech skills to hold a virtual event. They want to use technology that won’t fail them or create issues during the event.
According to virtual fundraising consultant Emily Quinn, however, choosing fundraising platform technology isn’t the most important part of hosting successful virtual fundraising events. Instead, Quinn encourages nonprofits to ask themselves a more relevant question:
“What event do I need to create that will engage my audience and encourage them to donate?”
Looking at your needs from this angle puts your virtual event in better perspective—and allows you to narrow down the types of online platforms to those that support your specific event.
Let’s take a closer look at how to determine your virtual event’s needs and view examples of fundraising platforms that support those needs.
5 Questions to Ask Before Hosting Your Virtual Events
In 2020, Quinn, a 12-year veteran of event fundraising, helped 15 nonprofits enjoy 100%-300% fundraising success through virtual events (not counting the net savings virtual fundraisers enjoy over live fundraisers). In the process, she’s become familiar with multiple online fundraising platforms.
To determine which of these platforms is best for her clients, Quinn gets nonprofits to answer key questions, including:
1. What does my audience want out of a charity event?
Fundraising supports your nonprofit’s mission, but your donors and supporters have their own reasons for attending your fundraising events. Some enjoy the personal connection of communicating face-to-face with other supporters. Others attend for networking opportunities. Still others like the activities associated with the event.
Recognizing your audience’s needs influences not only your virtual fundraising ideas but also the type of online platform you choose for your event. Audiences who want to attend large gatherings they can’t go to during the pandemic need a platform that supports big groups and lets attendees interact with each other. Networkers appreciate the ability to move freely from one online group to another. People who love charity auctions need a platform that communicates the energy of the event through their screens.
2. How easily can my audience use this technology?
Some fundraising platforms offer amazing features that assign guests to “virtual tables” and allow them to move to “virtual sofas” for private conversations. Other fundraising platforms enable people to donate through their mobile phones while viewing the virtual event through their computers.
These features can create an amazing virtual fundraiser, but if your audience is only familiar with Zoom, a complex platform will hurt your event. Your platform could work perfectly, but if your audience doesn’t know how to navigate it or make donations with it, your event will fail.
By the way, even if you host your event on a platform like Zoom, don’t think this will hurt your fundraiser. Quinn has seen many amazing Zoom virtual events that were successful because the organizers had a clear intention for their fundraiser and chose a platform they knew their audience would be comfortable with.
There are also free fundraising platforms like BetterWorld that allow you to host virtual auctions and crowdfunding campaigns for your nonprofit or charity. BetterWorld does not charge a platform fee like other platforms, but you do need to pay credit card fees ($0.30 + 2.9%) for every donation made by your supporters. That said, you can give the option of paying these fees to your donors, and a high percentage of your supporters will cover these costs.
3. Does my audience need to see each other?
Being able to see each other is very important for some fundraising audiences, especially after long periods of social isolation and lockdown. If this describes your audience, you may want to conduct pre-fundraising events through Zoom to establish an emotional connection with your audience—and then move them into a different fundraising platform to donate.
On the other hand, some audiences prefer to keep their fundraising events focused on information-related tasks or activities. In these cases, a webinar through a platform like Demio where the audience doesn’t see the whole audience could be a better option.
If your virtual fundraising ideas involve a lot of audience interaction, be sure your platform supports these activities. Quinn, a professional benefit auctioneer, once managed an online charity auction where the platform didn’t let her see the audience or give her enough information about their bids. This drained a lot of the energy she could have infused in the event.
4. Where will my audience’s kids be during my virtual events?
Anyone who’s taken care of their children during lockdown knows how kids can make unexpected appearances during your virtual meetings. While these appearances can be funny, they also tend to disrupt the event and draw your audience’s focus away from important activities (like donating).
This is particularly relevant when coming up with virtual fundraising ideas for schools during the pandemic. If parents make the majority of your audience, planning activities to keep their kids occupied during your virtual events will make your fundraisers go smoother.
See if you can get volunteers to play Zoom games with children during their parents’ fundraising event. This will also inform the type of online platform you need to invest in, as you’ll want to offer an efficient fundraising presentation that will engage the parents for the hour you have their attention.
5. After the event, what do I want my audience to take with them?
Successful virtual fundraisers might last an hour, but the connections made during the event can last a lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to come up with virtual fundraising ideas that leave a lasting impression.
There is no “one size fits all” virtual event. Quinn normally wouldn’t recommend showing your audience a slide show—but found a slide show of K-8 graders enjoying pre-pandemic activities made an excellent impression at a school’s virtual fundraiser. Likewise, platforms like Eventure could offer an excellent return on investment if the main draw for a virtual fundraiser is networking.
Which Platform Best Supports Your Virtual Fundraiser?
So, now that you have a clearer idea of how your event will engage your audience and encourage donations, what technology will support your virtual event the best?
While there are too many online fundraising platforms for one article to review, these platforms tend to be used in three different tech set-ups, each with their own pros and cons:
Live Stream with Mobile Giving
This is a two-screen set up where your audience attends the event on their computers but donates through their mobile phones. Guest receive two separate links, one for their computer and one for their phones. This set-up has been used to great effect for online charity auctions where audiences place bids through their mobile devices.
Many virtual events use YouTube Live to broadcast the event on computers. You can use different types of mobile software to help with donations. Some online platforms also let you show QR codes that attendees can scan with their phones cameras to get to the donation platform.
This set-up is not well suited to audiences unfamiliar with virtual events. Even if your technology works well, the struggle to use mobile phone apps and view the event on separate screens could slow down your event and limit your donations.
Single Screen
This single screen set-up lets audiences attend and engage with a virtual event on a single computer. The online platform includes “Donate” or “Pledge” buttons attendees can click on the screen, with options to donate by credit card or other means.
Eventure is a single screen platform that offers many excellent features for networking. This platform’s software can accommodate large groups and enable audience members to chat at “virtual tables” or move to a “virtual sofa” for side conversations. Quinn has used it for multiple events and finds it useful for audiences familiar with virtual meeting software.
Quinn also recommends PayBee, an all-inclusive virtual platform that’s very user-friendly and boasts a clean interface. She finds the platform is easy to explain to audiences and can be combined with other platforms (such as when she offers pre- or post-event Zoom gatherings for people to socialize in before moving them into the PayBee fundraising platform).
Webinar with Chat Giving
This set-up allows audience members to donate through the chat feature. It can be conducted through Zoom, Demio, and other online platforms and is useful for providing information about your nonprofit or teaching courses through live streams and videos.
While webinars can be effective, they need to constantly engage your audience. Make sure to offer captivating content about your nonprofit with videos and other media. Multiple presenters can also keep your audience focused. If necessary, use other online platforms for pre- or post-events to keep your audience engaged and energized.
Regardless of the set-up, almost all virtual events require planners to switch between live stream, videos, slides, and other media. Quinn recommends StreamYard, an easy-to-use streaming software that lets you switch between the necessary media and then broadcast the audio and video content through your online platform.
Developing Your Virtual Fundraising Event
Developing a clear intention for your virtual fundraising event makes it much easier to find the right online platform for your virtual events.
However, successful fundraisers require both a consultant and technical support to guide you through the process of assembling your virtual event. This also lowers the stress of managing your event since you can focus on promoting your nonprofit’s mission.
Emily Quinn offers online training for Virtual Fundraising Events that includes live study sessions that focus on virtual fundraising event tech, marketing events, attracting audiences, and production planning. Nonprofits can also contact her for a free consultation call to help make your virtual fundraiser successful.
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