Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to virtual fundraising and virtual fundraising events has changed the way the nonprofit sector raises money. Over the last couple of years, you’ve likely had to rely on trial and error to figure out how to transition from in-person fundraising and events to implementing these events in virtual ways.
No need to play the guessing game anymore – we’re here to help! Here are some virtual fundraising event ideas to create an effective virtual fundraising experience that supports your goals and engages your donors.
How To Fundraise Virtually
At the start of 2020, most businesses and nonprofits did not have virtual strategies in place. However, it became paramount to implement virtual strategies as quickly as possible as the year continued. Virtual fundraising platforms quickly took off, and soon virtual fundraising events were being held all over the world. Some of the best virtual fundraising event ideas include leveraging video storytelling, hosting exclusive virtual events for donors, and launching virtual raffles. Let’s dive into these a little deeper.
Video Storytelling
Telling a great story is one of the most powerful tools a fundraiser can use. Considering today’s world of social media and short attention spans, video is a critical element of nonprofit storytelling. Showing potential donors a visual representation of how their donation will impact others makes them more willing to donate to your cause.
Trying to tug on heartstrings and invoke sympathetic emotions is only part of the strategy though. The overall goal is to motivate donors to recognize the impact they can have and act on those emotions by contributing financially to the cause. There are three essential parts to telling a great story:
- Character: Donors relate better to a character and their story, rather than an idea or organization. Share information about an actual person who has been helped through your work as the character of your story.
- Desire: The character’s burning need to change their world by getting rid of an obstacle, restoring order, or escaping a threat. Knowing a character’s desire shows what matters to them and what motivates them. In your story, show donors how they can help people reach their dreams or desires.
- Conflict: The conflict is the obstacle preventing the character from getting what they need, and conflict makes a story engaging. Potential donors will respond best when the conflict is something they can identify with. For example, your donors might never have lived in a war-torn country, but they can relate to the feelings of pain, sickness, and loss experienced by the people affected by war.
- Bonus of Urgency: In addition to leveraging these first three elements, creating urgency is another excellent tool to drive donations through storytelling. Setting a deadline or showing how close you are to achieving your goal at the end of your story motivates people to give.
Emotion is power. Using the elements of storytelling can help your donors connect to your organization’s mission and see that their gift can make a difference.
Exclusive Virtual Experiences For Donors
Your audience is more likely to make donations based on their feelings than on logic, and a great way to make them feel connected to your organization is through a highly curated virtual experience. Some virtual fundraising events ideas include:
- Virtual Cooking Class: The key to so many peoples’ hearts is through their stomachs. So, why not create a virtual experience centered around good food, good company, and your good cause? Sell tickets to a virtual cooking event hosted by a local chef or even a famous culinary influencer. You can charge admission to the event in the form of voluntary donations and provide opportunities for people to contribute more throughout the demo
- Virtual Watch Party: Over the last couple of years, watch parties have become a fun way to bring people together virtually. Some streaming services, such as Disney+, even have a GroupWatch feature. Award ceremony parties are another popular option for virtual fundraising. Selling tickets and building in additional giving opportunities during the party for correct award guesses, for example, can help you reach your fundraising goal.
- Virtual Game Night: Who doesn’t love a good throwback? Pick your favorite classic and host a virtual trivia, Bingo, or Pictionary night for your cause. Voluntary player fees can get you entry, while bonus prizes for winning or game milestones can entice donors to stay longer, get competitive, and continue donating throughout the night.
These are just a few ideas on how to fundraise virtually, but there are so many more options at your fingertips. Virtual fundraising has opened so many doors to allow more donors to participate and contribute to great causes.
Virtual Raffles
While virtual fundraising has given access to more donors, it has also brought in more competition for your supporters’ attention. Making your cause and virtual raffle stand out is vital to meeting your fundraising goals. Virtual raffles are a great way to make your organization more accessible to a broader audience that otherwise might not be able to participate if the event was in-person only. In addition to making your auction more accessible, you also have more options as far as auction items in a virtual setting. Some top raffle prizes include:
- Virtual lunches with celebrities or influencers
- Tickets to a unique virtual experience
- Vacation packages
- Newly released tech gadgets
And more!
Email and social media campaigns are valuable tools for getting the word out and directing traffic to your website and ticket purchasing page. Besides ensuring you’re raffling off items or creating events that people want to participate in, there are a number of other moving parts to creating any virtual experience.
Maximize Your Virtual Fundraising With An Experiential Marketing Agency
Being a host and launching any fundraising initiatives takes a lot of resources, time, effort, and energy. Adding in the extra tasks to make your experience a success like figuring out virtual fundraising platforms, streaming services, website development, and video creation can take away your focus from your ultimate goal – raising money for your cause.
That’s where we come in. Reimagined Experiences is an experiential marketing and digital content creation agency. We empower organizations to reimagine events and experiences. We use state-of-the-art technologies to create dynamic and engaging experiences for your event. We will help your organization maximize its virtual fundraising efforts by:
- Creating compelling content, including videos, that inspires action
- Leveraging advanced, best-in-class streaming methods to ensure your virtual audience is not left out due to lagging or limited technology
- Crafting a campaign and strategy that implements new and exciting methods for outreach and connecting with audiences
At Reimagined Experiences, we have over 25 years of storytelling, content creation, event planning, and technology under our belt. Contact us today to see how we can bring your next virtual fundraising experience to life!
