The internet has always been a veritable platform for many fundraising efforts. It has provided charities with the means to reach much wider audiences and to increase their potential donor-base.
The pandemic has impacted many fundraising campaigns, but with the help of the internet, many organizations have been able to soften this blow by transitioning their efforts online.
If your campaign has been impacted as well, then it is high time to consider going digital with your nonprofit event.
And in this article, we will present you 5 things that need to be on your to-do list to transition a charity event to an online fundraiser seamlessly.
1) Communicate with Your Community
Your community may consist of recurring donors, partners, sponsors, or people who are generally following your activity. Be sure to let them know that your campaign is going to transition to an online environment.
You will want to avoid giving your community the impression that you have gone cold. It’s important to do this because people will notice a sudden drop in your organization’s activity.
Trust is essential for charities, and any unrest can instill a feeling of doubt among your supporters.
2) Create a Dedicated Landing Page
Landing pages for fundraisers are not a new thing. However, they have become a staple in the world of virtual fundraising.
A dedicated landing page serves as a central hub from where your target audience can connect to your online fundraiser. It is essentially the face of your entire campaign, and people will refer to it often to get updates or to find out general information about your activity.
Not to mention that the dedicated landing page is the first piece of content that potential donors will interact with, and it is in your best interest to make it stand out, but without compromising any of the vital information.
3) Safety Is a Priority for a Charity Event
People are very wary about where their money goes and how it is kept. You will have to emphasize the fact that even if you transition to a different medium, you aren’t exposing yourself to any online risks.
Security is an essential aspect of fundraising – showing your donors that their money and personal information is secured builds on that aspect of trust, which we mentioned earlier.
Thankfully there are many reputable online platforms where security is top-notch, and people won’t have to worry about their money ever falling into the wrong hands.
You will want to pick a platform which has powerful security measures in place to prevent instances of fraud or hacking, but without compromising the simplicity of the donation process.
Are you technologically challenged and overwhelmed with putting together a virtual event? We can help you plan and produce a online event that connects.
4) Cement Its Online Presence
Promotion is vital for any charity event. And similarly to how you promote your in-person event, you will want to spread the word about its online version.
The difference here is that you can link directly to the platform of your online fundraiser. People no longer have to go through web pages and then show up for an in-person event, since now they can directly reach the center of the action with just a few clicks.
Social media can be a very powerful tool in this regard. If your campaign happens to be shared around, you are looking to expand its reach significantly and, along with it, the possibility of finding more potential donors.
5) Get People Interested in Your Online Fundraiser
Virtual events can offer the same level of excitement as a in-person charity event. You need to invest in the right type of activities, which translate well into an online environment.
Since the action will be taking place online, you can go ahead and organize all kinds of group activities in which people can interact with each other through a webcam and a microphone.
A good host brings attendees together, engages the audience, keeps the energy up, segues from one presenter to the next, fills in the gaps, adds insights, levity, value and helps you raise more money! There’s an argument to be made that a Virtual Host is the most important part of a virtual fundraiser, because the virtual format makes all of these duties that much more important. An experienced, confident, professional Emcee goes from being a nice add-on feature to your fundraising event, to being ESSENTIAL to the success of your charity event.
Jeff Civillico has A LOT of experience hosting live events. Why does this matter? All of the same skills that are required to host live events will be required to host virtual events. Your host needs to be smart, quick on his or her feet, able to segue smoothly between speakers and programs, and most importantly for the virtual medium— your host must be HIGH ENERGY and ENGAGING. We all know that it will be much more difficult to command attention through a computer screen.
And be sure to consider the idea of hiring someone to provide professional entertainment for your online fundraising event. Evie Clair is popular virtual music choice for virtual fundraisers. More than one judge and millions of fans echoed that Evie’s voice was the sound of an angel. She’s different because although she can sing the big notes, she doesn’t depend on them and wants people to feel her soul when she sings, even in the quiet, heartfelt moments.
Sand Artist Joe Castillo has helped raise over Fifteen million dollars for nonprofit organizations. He is able to tell your story in Sand from his studio in Atlanta. He has been seen live on all 7 continents, over 43 countries, and into 35 different languages. He has done events for world leaders including President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Juan Manuel Santos, Pope Francis and King Abdullah. He has performed on NBC, CBS, FOX, BBC, PBS, ESPN, Univision and RCN Televisión. His work has been featured on America’s Got Talent, Q’Viva! The Chosen, X-Factor and The Today Show.
As the worlds leading virtual booking agency, we can help you find the right type of entertainer, perfect for both in-person and online events. We can also help you with producing the program and the technology required for a successful virtual fundraiser.
Reach out to us at (615) 283-0039 or drop us an email and we will gladly help you!
