How Nonprofits Can Effectively Conduct Virtual Events
Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in society, and it is imperative that they are able to utilize technology to further their missions and continue routine fundraising and volunteer activities online. In the new virtual world heightened by the pandemic, there is a need for nonprofits to adjust their fundraising and volunteer strategies. Additionally, many organizations’ social impact missions require financial support and often depend on community members to assist with operations; however, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened revenue decreases and disrupted normal services. While some human and social service organizations remained unaffected or received increased donor funding during the pandemic, many nonprofits were impacted by social distancing requirements and suffered a decline as a result.
Many nonprofit organizations offer programs that are dependent on donations acquired through galas and benefits. As the pandemic reshaped the way society functions, these previously planned past in-person events had to be repositioned into online fundraising events. Virtual donor engagement methods are becoming more widespread and influential. Moreover, live fundraising events through media platforms have proven to be successful and are therefore becoming more commonplace.
JCCA is a nonprofit that provides services for neglected, abused, and traumatized children, some of whom have been the victims of sexual abuse. Recently, the nonprofit held a live virtual fundraising event that serves as a great example of how online auctions can be run as effectively as in-person interactions. JCCA realizes the importance of recognizing those persons who donate money, time, or effort into helping the nonprofit thrive. As such, the annual event celebrated volunteers and staff as well as attracted donations. The programming included a video with impactful speeches and interviews made by volunteers and staff members followed by a live virtual auction. Through this event, more than $400,000 was raised. Some key strategies used by JCCA during their event included having an up-beat host who inspired donations, creating a light mood with humor, showing meaningful interviews and stories, and holding a live chat where guests could type comments. JCCA’s use of displaying a QR code for viewers to scan from the screen during the live stream made the donation process extremely easy and quick. Other nonprofits can follow many of these tactics to drive their next fundraisers.
Organizing virtual game nights is another way to bring a nonprofit and its community together. The volunteers are able to connect with the organization and make an impact while staying home. For nonprofits that have volunteers and staff focused on the children throughout the day, virtual game nights are another effective way to maximize engagement for the kids during the off-hours. There are other examples of virtual volunteer opportunities that benefit the nonprofit while allowing the remote volunteer to help out from home:
Conducting mock career interviews for veterans (Hire a Hero)
Help blind people with visual assistance through live video calls (Be My Eyes)
Support immigrants and refugees by providing translations (Tarjimly)
Additionally, virtual games such as trivia can be modified into a fundraising event. Each team could pay a fee, and there is the opportunity for more donations driven by participants fundraising for their trivia team. Prizes and free trivia points can be used as incentives for teams to meet fundraising goals. Nonprofits can use the platform, CauseVox, to plan and set these types of events online.
Since many online fundraising events have proven to be successful, this may remain the new norm even as the pandemic winds down. Virtual events are cost-effective for small nonprofits because there is no need to organize a space for the guests. Those that continue to hold in-person events can offer the virtual donor option to people who cannot make it to the event. Furthermore, through features such as live streams and chats, nonprofits can maintain a sense of community gathering even through virtual engagements.
As a social impact initiative, Rem and Company also offers free consulting services and resources to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Our pro-bono consulting teams provide small businesses with the opportunity to identify and prioritize issues facing their business, propose innovative strategies, and facilitate execution. If you are a small business or nonprofit in need of assistance, learn more about how we can help.