If You Can’t Beat’em…
The Covid pandemic instantly turned the world of fundraising upside down, creating an absolute crisis for most non-profit organizations. Many of them rely heavily on an annual auction event as their major source of fundraising for the year. But that all came to a screeching halt in mid-March 2020.
Initially, most people felt and/or hoped that the disruption would be temporary, but as the pandemic dragged on, it became clear that this new problem required a new solution. And that solution, thanks to rapid advances in streaming technology, has arrived in the form of online events being branded as “Virtual” or “Stay-at-Home” galas.
At first, I was skeptical. “How can you possibly hold a successful fundraising event online?” I wondered. But here we are, barely a year later, and countless non-profits are hitting home runs with virtual events, generating incredible profits through ticket sales, sponsorships, live and silent auctions, cash appeals, and raffles…all online! It just took some time for software developers to create functional, workable platforms that your “guests” would not only participate and engage in but actually enjoy.
My first experience participating in a virtual gala was last November – an online auction in Fort McMurray that raised a whopping $192,500. It felt strange looking at the bidders on a large screen Zoom call, but it worked incredibly well. Since then I have enjoyed nothing but positive experiences doing online events.
And now I’m proud to announce that I have teamed up with two excellent companies, Production World and Infinite Event Services in order to provide my clients with all the answers they need to produce a successful, profitable fundraising event.
If you’re interested in learning more, give me a call at (780) 487-5291, and let’s make it happen!
