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Fundraising Tuesday: 3 Online Fundraising Ideas to Engage Remote Supporters

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A guest post by Steve Lausch of OneCause

Looking for new ways to inspire donors to support your cause? We’ve got you covered!

Your organization’s audience consists of diverse individuals with different preferences and characteristics, so the key to capturing everyone’s interests is to host a variety of fundraising campaigns.

As you plan your annual fundraising strategy, remember to include opportunities for those outside your local community. You want to ensure that remote supporters feel seen and appreciated just as much as if they were located near you.

There are many ways to involve remote supporters. Let’s look at three top online fundraising ideas you can incorporate to leverage the generosity of supporters near and far.

1. Online Donation Page

Engage your remote supporters by accepting online donations. This is the first step to successful fundraising! An online donation page allows you to receive a reliable stream of revenue from your nonprofit’s website.

Keep in mind the following tips when setting up your donation page:

  • Design: Build awareness by having your organization’s colors and logos throughout your site.
  • Donation options: Retain donors by providing the option of one-time or recurring donations to support your cause.
  • Payment options: Enhance the giving experience by accepting Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, and other forms of digital wallet.
  • Impact statements: Emphasize the power of donations with images, videos, examples, or a brief explanation of how they help your cause.

The best software will allow you to effortlessly personalize and create impactful donation pages to maximize your giving. Once you’ve created your donation page, make sure to embed it in your nonprofit’s website for supporters to find easily. If you don’t have a website, consider working with a web design company to start the process.

2. Online Auction

Auctions are a popular fundraising event for nonprofits, so why not take yours beyond the ballroom? Enable bidding from your remote supporters with an online auction! Hosting such an event provides various benefits for nonprofits, including:

  • Cost savings: Invest in flexible software so there’s no need to book a venue, catering services, or entertainment.
  • Increased participation: Have a link to your auction to make it simple for supporters to share your cause with their social network.
  • Improved accessibility: Move to an online auction to allow anyone to participate from anywhere without traveling for your event.
  • Better use of resources: You won’t have to worry about costs associated with in-person events, such as renting a venue, booking a caterer, or purchasing decorations.

Usually, online auctions take one of two forms:

  • Live auction: An auctioneer facilitates bidding on your auction items through a live stream. This event can be held either entirely virtually or in a hybrid format, where you invite major donors to the in-person auction and provide other supporters with the live stream link.
  • Silent auction: Supporters place bids on auction items they want through an online auction site without an auctioneer present. This type of auction relies on well-written descriptions that clearly communicate what the item is to entice the viewer to make a bid.

Regardless of which type of online auction you host, bidding usually takes place through mobile devices. Be sure to purchase auction software that streamlines online bidding and makes the process smooth and convenient for remote supporters.

3. Online Peer-to-Peer Campaign

Tap into the power of peer-to-peer fundraising with your loyal supporters. You can recruit your most committed champions to fundraise on your behalf. These individuals will create their peer-to-peer fundraising site and then use their social networks to spread the word.

There are many types of peer-to-peer campaigns, including:

  • Runs, walks, rides: Engage participants with physical activity, friendly competition, and social giving.
  • DIY supporter-driven: Empower supporters to create their own unique campaigns on behalf of your cause.
  • Giving and Awareness Days: Capitalize on dedicated giving and awareness days to boost the visibility of your campaigns and secure more donations.
  • Tributes and memorials: Offer supporters the opportunity to honor loved ones with personalized fundraising pages.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an easy way to strengthen your existing relationship with remote supporters while expanding the possibilities of new supporters not local to your organization. Once you’ve recruited supporters to act as your peer-to-peer fundraisers, prepare them for their role with training sessions, templates for marketing materials, and more. Then, stay in contact with them throughout the process to provide them with any support they need.

 

Steve Lausch head shotSteve Lausch

Steve Lausch brings over 20 years of marketing experience to his role as the Director of Product Marketing at OneCause. He leverages his expertise in product evangelism, marketing communication, and strategic product planning to deliver innovative solutions that empower nonprofits. A storyteller at heart, Steve is energized by the opportunity to tell compelling stories that move people to action. He is dedicated to supporting nonprofits in their journey to make a positive impact on the world.

Fundraising Tuesday: Top 5 Charity Auction Items That Your Supporters Will Love

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A guest post by Jason Champion of Winspire

If you’ve ever planned an auction for your nonprofit, you know that the process involves many decisions, from choosing its format to selecting marketing channels to spread the word. But the most important choices you’ll need to make before the event concern the prizes up for grabs.

It’s essential to keep upfront costs relatively low to maximize your event’s return on investment (ROI). However, you also need to seek out high-quality, unique auction items that will catch your supporters’ attention!

In this guide, we’ll discuss the top five charity auction items to add to your catalog for maximum supporter appeal and fundraising potential. These include:

  1. Travel Packages
  2. Gift Baskets
  3. Event Tickets
  4. Signed Celebrity Memorabilia
  5. Fine Food and Beverages

Keep in mind that you’ll need to procure a different number and collection of items depending on what type of auction you host. Winspire’s charity auction items guide suggests offering 12-15 high-value prizes at live auctions, all of which need to be high-value to ensure a positive event ROI. Meanwhile, silent auctions can include 100 items or more at a variety of price points to engage as many supporters as possible. That being said, let’s dive in!

1. Travel Packages

Travel-related items tend to sell well at nonprofit auctions due to their uniqueness and broad appeal. Consider including a mix of travel items to match different participants’ interests, such as:

  • Complete vacation packages for a few distinct locations. For example, you could feature one tropical resort getaway, one international sightseeing trip, and one tour of famous national parks.
  • Flexible airline and/or hotel reservations where the winning bidder can choose their own vacation. Make sure to specify any restrictions on this prize’s use (destinations, travel dates, spending limits, etc.).
  • Road trip supply bundles that include items like a trunk organizer, car emergency kit, cooler, snacks, sunglasses, car games, and gift cards for a popular gas station chain to appeal to local travelers.

While requesting in-kind donations of auction items reduces upfront event costs, travel-based prizes are rarely donated. Fortunately, there are dedicated providers of consignment auction travel packages that your nonprofit can partner with to procure these items conveniently and at the best prices.

2. Gift Baskets

Gift baskets are a silent auction staple! However, you can also include baskets in live auctions if you pair them with a vacation or other experience that brings them up to the proper quality standard.

Here are some tips to make your gift baskets stand out:

  • Design each basket around a theme. One of the easiest ways to acquire a themed basket is to ask one of your nonprofit’s corporate sponsors to donate samples of their products and services. For example, a beauty supply store could provide a gift basket of popular makeup and skincare products along with a certificate for an in-store tutorial.
  • Consider the basket’s appearance. When assembling your baskets, place the most visually appealing items front and center, and make each basket look full to increase its perceived value.
  • Give each basket a catchy and creative title. Put yourself in your supporters’ shoes when coming up with titles—for instance, if you were attending your auction, would you be more inclined to bid on the “Cooking Supplies Basket” or the “Home Chef Starter Kit”?

On the bid sheet for each basket, list all of the items inside so participants can understand its value at a glance. This list can also be helpful to your team to ensure you price the basket correctly.

3. Event Tickets

Some of your auction participants will likely come looking for highly sought-after tickets to events like concerts, musicals, and athletic events. Besides avoiding the hassle of ticketing websites, these supporters will appreciate spending less money on a better event experience.

To provide a better event experience and drive up bids, consider bundling the following elements into one auction item:

  • Two to four tickets for the best seats in the house
  • A piece of event merchandise for each attendee
  • A voucher for food and beverages at the venue
  • A photo opportunity with one of the performers or athletes after the event

The easiest way to solicit these auction items is to contact the event venue or organizer directly. Many venues offer nonprofit discounts on tickets, but you may need to negotiate with them to secure the entire bundle.

4. Signed Celebrity Memorabilia

While some supporters may enjoy an experience based around their favorite performers or athletes, others might prefer a keepsake signed by a celebrity. Although popular, these auction items can be challenging when it comes to validity and pricing. Always double-check that signed memorabilia is legitimate, and compare several estimates before finalizing the price.

Additionally, NXUnite’s nonprofit event planning guide emphasizes the importance of tailoring events to your target audience, which is especially true when choosing signed memorabilia. For example, an older audience might want to bid on a guitar signed by one of the Beatles, while younger supporters may get more excited about one signed by Taylor Swift.

5. Fine Food and Beverages

Good food and drinks bring people together, and they’re great prizes for auction participants who don’t want to add “clutter” to their lives. Your food and beverage auction items could include:

  • An experience such as dining out or attending a cooking class
  • Tangible items like a gourmet coffee sampler or box of fine chocolates
  • Both of the above—for instance, a tour of a vineyard that comes with bottles of wine to take home

For any auction items involving alcohol, verify that the winning bidder is age 21 or older. This ensures that your nonprofit can avoid liability and that the winner can fully enjoy their prize.
If you aren’t sure which auction items your supporters will enjoy most, communicate with them! Send out a survey to your target audience, and invite loyal volunteers to join your auction item procurement team so you can get a firsthand perspective on their interests and narrow your search accordingly.

Jason Champion head shotJason Champion is the Vice President of Business Development at Winspire, a global provider of luxury experiences for charity auctions and fundraisers. He is responsible for the next-stage corporate brand vision as the company’s branding leader, driving performance via product and service innovation, strategic brand planning and positioning, multiplatform content marketing, and communications, creative, digital campaigns, customer success, and business development.

Fundraising Tuesday: 3 Favorite Hybrid Fundraising Events Your Nonprofit Can Host

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A guest post by Kelly Velasquez-Hague of OneCause

Hybrid events have become far more popular among nonprofits in the past several months. They offer the convenience and flexibility of virtual events with the face-to-face connection of in-person events — all rolled into one. When a hybrid event is pulled off successfully, it can make a positive first impression with new supporters and deepen connections with existing supporters.

There is one thing every fundraiser should know! Hybrid events have a lot of moving parts. There are many logistics to consider, such as how to keep both remote and in-person audiences engaged, what activities you should plan, the software you should rely on, your registration, fundraising and checkout flows, and so much more.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of favorite hybrid fundraising events to help get you started. Here are our top three hybrid events:

  1. Auction
  2. Drive-In
  3. Webinar

Planning your own hybrid event might seem overwhelming, but shifting your mindset helps. Here’s the key: think of the in-person and virtual options as two ways to experience the event. When you think in terms of what the in-person and remote supporters will experience at key points in your event, it helps ensure you are maximizing engagement and fundraising for both audiences.

Let’s take a closer look at these three event types and see which one is right for your nonprofit!

1. Auction

Auctions are an adaptable and flexible event option for nonprofits of any size. The best part?  They can be adjusted to fit a variety of audiences. If you’ve ever hosted an auction before, you know that they require preparation, and that’s still true with hybrid auctions. To plan your  hybrid auction, use these tips:

  • Preview your auction items in advance. Giving your potential attendees a glimpse into what they could win to incentivize them to bid. This OneCause guide on charity auction item ideas can help you pick the best items.
  • Use mobile bidding software, which makes it easy for bidders attending in-person or virtually to compete for the same items simultaneously. Plus, you can easily keep track of winners, payments, and where to ship the items.
  • Keep the live auction fairly short so that virtual attendees do not become disengaged and log off. Consider pairing your auction with other activities, such as meet-and-greets or educational programs to keep everyone’s attention.

With compelling items, the right software, and an organized format, your hybrid auction can be an engaging event for participants attending in-person or virtually. And it’s a great way to raise money for your nonprofit!

2. Drive-In

Who doesn’t enjoy a night at the movies? Hosting a drive-in or a watch party is a great way to build community among supporters of your nonprofit. And of all of our hybrid event options, a drive-in is likely the easiest to pull off.

Once you secure a venue and set up your live-streaming software, there’s only a few things left to do to bring your drive-in to the next level, including:

  • Allowing attendees to vote on the movie: During the registration process, include a few movie choices and show the one with the most votes. You can even theme the movie around the time of year, like playing a Halloween movie in October.
  • Encouraging watch parties for viewers at home: Just because a participant isn’t attending in-person doesn’t mean they can’t spend time with others. Encourage your attendees to invite friends to watch with them.
  • Creating snack packs: Whether you participants are attending in-person or virtually, provide snack packs with popcorn, candy, and other treats. You can give them directly to in-person attendees and mail them to participants watching from home. This is also a great opportunity to include some branded materials to raise your nonprofit’s visibility.
  • Weave in Mission Moments: Be sure to orchestrate fundraising and donations moments before and after your movies. If you are doing a double-feature, have an intermission and do a Fund-A-Need moment.

To foster connection with your attendees and make it fun, you could plan themed activities for before, during, and after the movie (think Rocky Horror Picture Show or movie trivia). Adding a few creative elements and activities can boost engagement, and create a memorable hybrid event experience for all!

3. Educational Webinar or Event

If your nonprofit is looking to incorporate more educational events into your fundraising strategy, then a webinar, seminar, or other educational gathering might be the right hybrid event choice for you!

Webinars are a great way to raise awareness about your cause and ignite passion in your donors. You can offer in-person tickets to the speaking event to VIP guests while other attendees can stream the gathering from the comfort of their homes.

During your hybrid webinar, provide equal opportunities for engagement for in-person and virtual attendees. Allow both groups to ask questions and interact with speakers and each other. For virtual attendees, create breakout sessions to facilitate smaller discussions about what your speakers have shared.

Another option is to pre-record the speaker’s lecture and host a live Q&A session. This provides in-person attendees an opportunity to connect with each other as they watch the video, while everyone at home can keep up with the recording. With this option, be sure you have a moderator to run the online questions so that everything stays organized.

One last tip: When planning your hybrid event, start preparing early. Remember, there’s a lot of logistics involved, so it’s best to give yourself plenty of time to get everything up and running. Good luck!

 

Kelly Velasquez-Haguge head shotKelly Velasquez-Hague brings over 20 years of fundraising, nonprofit management, and sales/marketing experience to her role as the Director of Content Marketing for OneCause.

As a member of the OneCause sales and marketing team, Kelly manages all of the company’s content strategy and execution. She is passionate about empowering great missions and loves that her current role allows her to continue to help nonprofits reach new donors raise more funds for their cause.

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