Are you hosting a virtual nonprofit event?

Are you using the following? Zoom. Google Meet. Skype. Facetime. Over the course of a pandemic, we’ve all become really used to the tools that have made connection (even if not in-person) possible.

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

• “Let me share my screen.”
• “Can you see my screen?”
• “Sorry for the background noise.”
• “Could everyone please mute yourself during the presentation.”
• And of course “You’re on mute.”

The reality of online meetings and events is that although many are experiencing online fatigue from them, they’re still a powerful resource for businesses and nonprofit organizations doing online fundraising.

And online meetings and events aren’t going away.

Since the future of events for at least the next long while will continue to include online components, we’ve compiled a list of ways for your organization to continue to be successful in bringing in donations. Here’s how to host a virtual nonprofit event, successfully.

Use Donation Forms for Online Event Registration

By using your Donation Form for your Online Event Registration, you can offer your registrants the opportunity to not only cover the expenses for your event, but also let your donors add to the cost of their ticket by using the custom amount to give more than their ticket cost.

How to set this up:

• Determine the cost of the event for the organization, and how much each registration must raise to cover the cost and also contribute to your cause. (I.e. costs for the online delivery; other costs like teachers, entertainment, etc.; and any advertising.)
• Create a GiveWP form with a set donation for the registration or ticket fee. You can also enable a custom amount (with a minimum donation equal to the fee) to allow registrants to donate more than the required registration fee.
• Add a featured image that showcases the event well.
• Add the event information to the donation receipt email for the form. This is how your registrants will find the event.
• Create and schedule an email campaign.
• Schedule social media posts throughout the registration period.
• Follow up with social media posts and email blasts to donors showing screen shots and videos from your course.

Be Creative in Your Online Fundraising Events

Opportunities for different kinds of events are as vast as your imagination. From planning a virtual tour of your local museum to online cooking classes, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of different ideas you can use to do online events.

Here are a few ideas, but you can also read through our blog for more ideas like in this post about virtual fundraising events.

• Do your own “telethon” using Facebook Live, Twitter Spaces, or using an online platform like Zoom.
• Have a weekly “coffee club” where donors pay a membership fee for a weekly online coffee klatch.
• Allow donors to tune into a live feed of puppies, kittens, farm life, etc. Who wouldn’t want to watch cuddly kittens or an angry emu?
• Ask a racecar driver (or equestrian, sailboat, etc.) to live stream from a GoPro to your event, and ask donors to reserve a ticket through your form.
• Have live chess matches.
• Do an online fashion show.

The sky is the limit!

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Use Text-to-Give During Your Event

If you don’t want donors to miss what’s happening during a live online event, give them the opportunity to use Text-to-Give! Text-to-Give will allow your donors to make a donation through text messaging while never leaving your online streaming platform.

So unless they’re hands-deep in a cooking class, Text-to-Give is a great way to engage your donors while keeping them in your event.

Add Your Donation Form to Your Events Calendar

Incorporate your donation form right into your event calendar. When setting up your online calendar and adding your events to it, use a GiveWP shortcode to embed the donation form right into the calendar event itself. It’s easy to do, and gives your donors another place to find your donation form, and support your organization.

Make Your Event a “Registered Attendees Only” Event with Restrict Content Pro

Doors that are locked are always the most intriguing! The same is true for online content. When a page on a website is listed as “members only” it makes me want to know what’s on it even more. The same will be true for your donors. Whether you put the streaming video on a restricted page, a list of ingredients for a cooking class, or downloadable printables (like posters, stickers, etc.), making content restricted will create an aura of interest and intrigue, and a FOMO (fear of missing out) that will inspire donations and registration to access.

To create content like this, you’ll need the Restrict Content Pro plugin and a GiveWP form that requires registration/login.

Follow the instructions in Restrict Content Pro to restrict access to the page(s) on your site that are for your event attendees.

How are You Engaging Donors in Your Online Events?

Have you tried any of the tips we’ve included? Do you have other ideas that work? Tell us about them! We want to hear from you.