Q&A Lessons: Fundraisers Speak on Virtual Event Planning

by Betsy Steward

As a fundraising consultant, I have many clients whose plans for their annual in-person spring gala were upended by COVID-19. Everyone was forced to either transform, postpone, or cancel their event; the “virtual event” has become, at least for now, the new standard format for fundraising events.

Who knows if virtual events are here to stay? I hope the Q&A below can be of value as you plan your own virtual event in the months, and perhaps even years, to come.

Two of my clients have agreed to share their experiences, and I am pleased to introduce them here:

Maureen Natkin is Director of Development at Westhab, Westchester County’s largest provider of housing and services for the homeless and its largest nonprofit developer of affordable and supportive housing. 

Lindsey Coviello Gialanella is Development Officer at the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle, also located in Westchester County, which provides resources that young people need to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Lindsey’s in-person event was originally scheduled for March 19th , canceled just days before and then rescheduled for June 1. Maureen’s virtual event, on May 5th, was held at the same time and date as originally planned.

Question: What platform did you use for your virtual event?

Maureen: We filmed the live portion in a studio and streamed it to YouTube and to Facebook. The YouTube stream was also embedded in our website along with an app that showed the comments from both Facebook and YouTube in real time. Virtual viewers could not comment on the website though, comments were only enabled on Facebook and YouTube.

Lindsey: For ticket sales, we used Network For Good, and to host the event, we put our pre-recorded video on our website.

Question: How did your messaging change as you transitioned from in-person to virtual?

Maureen: The message change had more to do with the circumstances that led to the change: COVID-19. It allowed us to add a sense of urgency – “We need your support now more than ever.”

Lindsey: Our donors received a lot more email-based communication about the event. We made sure to stress that “it’s not canceled, it’s just virtual.”

Question: Did you change your event’s fundraising goals? And did you meet those goals?

Maureen: We were quite far along with our fundraising when we changed to a virtual event, so we did not change our goals. We slightly exceeded the net proceeds from the previous year’s event.

Lindsey: Our goal went from $100,000 to $60,000; as of this writing, we are just about there.

Question: How did you invite people?

Maureen: Our invitation had been printed but not mailed when we made the change, so we included an insert about the switch to a virtual event. Our Executive Director sent out 500 invites to the Facebook event that we created. We also posted on Facebook and sent out 4 or 5 mass emails in the run-up to the event. Our board and staff were provided with an email template that they could easily send to their contact lists. The template included a graphic and all of the relevant links for tuning in to the event.

Lindsey: We sent our invitation out via email and Facebook. We then followed it up with a paperless post invitation from paperlesspost.com. Our board members were provided with an email template, and we reached out individually to our major donors.

Question: How are you following up with donors?

Maureen: Online donors received an email immediately post-donation. All donors received a personalized thank you/tax receipt post-event. Many also received emails from whomever their “solicitor” was at the time of their donation/sponsorship. Some donors also received handwritten thank you notes.

Lindsey: We sent an automated email as soon as online donations arrived, acknowledging the gift and reminding them that our offices are closed, and adding that a more personal note would come once we re-open. After the event, we emailed a thank you video from our Board President, which we also posted on our website.

Question: Do you think you’ll do a virtual event again? Or, do you think an in-person event is best?

Maureen: We plan to return to a full-scale in-person gala next year. However, we do see an opportunity to add regular virtual events to the mix as a means of connecting with donors for whom an in-person event is not the best option (e.g., out-of-state donors and people for whom the dinner ticket price is too steep).

Lindsey: I recommended to our Executive Director that we should think about doing more virtual events. I felt that it got across to more people than an in-person event would have.

Many thanks to Maureen and Lindsey!

No one knows if the virtual event will be the new standard event, but we’ve all learned about a new tool that is an effective way to engage donors.

Good luck to all the fundraisers, event planners, and nonprofit executives reading my blog who have upcoming events, whether virtual or in-person. Keep your mission central and your spirits up – you can make your event a success!

Betsy Steward previously served as a Senior Consultant at the Heller Fundraising Group. Betsy is an expert in capital campaigns, board training, nonprofit organization, major donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.