Your organization needs donations, even during COVID-19. Here’s how you can fundraise virtually.
With fundraisers and activities cancelled by the pandemic, it’s time to be innovative to make up for missing funds.
Donors still understand that your work is important, especially during a time of crisis. This article presents ideas for virtual fundraising events, with suggestions for the right technology and partnerships, to ensure that your fundraiser is a hit!
Organize Remote Dinners
This option is proving popular, with many organizations such as Parkinson Quebec launching remote dinner events. Here are our tips for making sure your virtual dinner is a real success:
Using basic technologies
The most frequent choice is to use a video conference solution such as Zoom, with a ticket office for NPOs such as Zeffy (a free ticketing platform). Eventbrite or Paypal can also be used if you are indifferent to fees. The direct connection is easy to set up, so that each participant is registered for dinner on Zoom as soon as they have registered on Zeffy!
Who’s cooking?
Once you’ve decided on the theme of dinner, here are four innovative ideas to make your donors feel invited to dinner:
- Ask someone to do a cooking class. Why not a guest chef?
- Send standard boxes ready to cook. The ingredients and recipes are already in the box, and you can partner with Quebec companies like Cook-it or GoodFood.
- Team up with a local restaurant that delivers. We know that local businesses have been massively impacted, so they’ll be happy to participate and be valued.
If it is the participants who are cooking, a competition might be the motivation they need!
Zeffy used to share offices with the Quebec meal delivery kit, Cookit. Contact us and we can put you in touch with them!
Propose a Zoom call, with a theme and dress code
It is very easy to provide a background for participants. With zoom, you can even send images to participants so that they choose the one they prefer. If you combine this with a dress code, your participants will feel like they are all together at an event!
Activities
- Small breakout rooms can be organized in Zoom, so that your participants can network in subgroups.
- Many artists, especially those from the radio could be willing perform.
- Involve your board, your volunteers and all of your collaborators! You can join an auction! (see example 3)
Any other ideas? Write to [email protected] to share them! She’s our specialist. To start, create an account on Zeffy.
Host Remote Sport Events
Obviously it is difficult to organize a race or a walk during this time, but rest assured, there are solutions! It’s still possible for all of your donors to walk, run or exercise at home!
The application Strava allows everyone to track their activities, such as distance travelled on by walking, running or biking, the time spent doing yoga, or even the workouts completed. Set up a Club on Strava in just a few minutes to gather your donors and launch challenges.
With , each participant can make a virtual fundraising campaign with a donation objective and an exercise goal too! It is 100% free of charge and easy to set up.
Organize a Remote Auction
There are two innovative solutions for remote auctions which ensure that 100% of the donations come back to you at the end, giving you another option for virtual fundraising.
The first is to make an auction where each person raises the bids on Zoom. At the end you put the final price into your Zeffy ticket office and the winning bidder pays online! You can also use online auction platforms if you are ready to take on large fees.
The second is to make a silent auction off of goods donated! This will require a bit of work in adapting the number of donations to be auctioned and their value, but here is the idea:
You present an object with emotional or artistic value, and each person makes the donation of their choice to the organization. The person who makes the largest donation receives the object, and the others receive tax receipts!
Your donors will enjoy the game, but are there primarily to support you.
More virtual fundraising ideas
- Organize free activities and propose that donors support you with a voluntary or suggested contribution. The results are always impressive!
- Organize a fake radio show with a real presenter.
- Have a board game evening on gameboardarena.com.
- Organize a virtual fundraising garage sale. Each of your donors sell stuff they no longer need on Facebook or on Kijiji, and profits goes to the organization! (Be sure to remind your donors to respect social distancing guidelines when delivering the sold items.)
Virtual Fundraising for Cultural organizations
Many museums and theatres use Zeffy, and sometimes feel that, because they are not on the front line, they shouldn’t ask for donations. Yet, more than ever, art and culture are missing from our confined lives, and your donors and members are still out there.
Here are some actions implemented by organizations:
- The Théâtre la Bordée offered a live facebook performance
- A museum will offer donors dinner that includes a presentation of photos of works of art.
- Another theatre is launching a podcast.
- Finally, a museum will share archive images.
If you have financial needs, we suggest that you ask donors to make a contribution. You will be amazed by their generosity. Why? Because you offer quality. If your organization is in the cultural sector, don’t be afraid to offer voluntary contributions when you offer quality content. Remember that your donors pay for Netflix etc … they will be ready to pay for your quality content.
