April 2020 - Groupfinity

Did coronavirus cancel your school auction? Here is what one elementary school did – with Becky Urbano

#010 – Becky Urbano is the auction chair for her elementary school. Their auction was scheduled to take place just days before the shelter in place was ordered due to the coronavirus pandemic. She and her team had to scramble to change course fast. In a matter of days, they had to cancel vendors and move their event online to a virtual one. They lost deposit funds paid to vendors, but they were able to minimize other losses and still had a successful event. They used social media more than they had in the past to inform the community and drive excitement.

They had to scramble fast to scrap their physical event and go virtual. They did the best they could with the hand they were dealt, but still raised money. Do what you can and don’t worry about what was planned. This covid-19 crisis has taught us that we have to do things differently. You have to think out of the box.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

SchoolAuction.net

Other Resources

Groupfinity COVID-19 Q&A

Facebook Live

3 Key Takeaways

#1 Don’t be afraid to ask your guests to donate their ticket funds

#2 Be proactive and emotions must take a back seat

#3 Prepare for the worst case scenario

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[1:51] We were under pressure from the district to postpone 4 days before the event
[2:35] We were proactive and we looked at other options
[3:36] It was very clear that our event was not going to happen
[4:02] We lost our deposits, but we did not have to incur additional costs
[5:24] All guests donated cash paid for tickets
[7:15] Our decision to go virtual
[8:28] We had to go through our items to determine what could still be offered
[9:16] We quickly pivoted to an online event
[9:41] Using SchoolAuction.net was a big benefit to us
[10:53] We had to adjust our expectations
[11:20] The online only event did not generate as much as the historical live event
[12:43] We generated about 50% of what we would have fundraised
[14:00] You always have to be prepared for the worst case scenario
[14:30] The biggest thing I learned was the importance of being proactive
[15:20] We used social media more than ever before
[16:20] I had not done Facebook Live and now I've done several
[17:24] How we used Facebook Live

Coronavirus impacting your fundraising? Here’s what to do – with Christy Noel

#009 – This is my interview with Christy Noel, VP of Marketing at MobileCause. Nonprofits use MobileCause’s online and event fundraising software to boost their fundraising efforts. This episode was recorded in early April when organizations were faced with having to cancel or postpone their events due to the coronavirus pandemic crisis. The social distancing and stay at home orders as a result of the coronavirus pandemic are adversely impacting nonprofit organizations’ fundraising events. You may have to decide to cancel your event. Local authorities may force you to cancel your event. Christy shares what you can do. Specifically, she talks about transforming “in person” events to virtual ones.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

MobileCause

MobileCause Resources

What do do if your event is canceled due to coronavirus

Live event thermometer video

Enhanced text messaging video

Coronavirus communication templates

Virtual fundraising ideas

Other Resources

Groupfinity COVID-19 Q&A

Vimeo

3 Key Takeaways

#1 Don’t drag your feet on moving to a virtual event.

#2 Don’t assume you need to refund your ticket/registration funds. Communicate with your guests and sponsors and come up with a way forward that works for both sides.

#3 Add value to your sponsors by continuing to promote them.

You need to continue communicating with your guests and sponsors. Let them know what you are doing. Let them know how they can help. Don’t assume they know.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:02] Spring events are going virtual
[2:33] Organizations are continuing to fundraise
[3:30] Organizations are pulling the plug on live events scheduled in the next 3 months
[3:57] Outside of June, organizers are moving ahead cautiously
[4:34] Going forward, live events will have a virtual component
[8:25] Communicate - don't assume you need to refund ticket sales / registration funds if your event changes
[9:00] Ask your guests and sponsors how they want to handle the funds they paid
[10:02] Continue to promote your sponsors
[10:58] Multi-channel communication
[14:15] Recalibrate your expectations when you go virtual
[14:40] You still need to promote your event after you decide to go virtual
[17:00] Livestream your event
[20:15] Test your set-up before you go live (livestream)
[21:37] Make sure you have good audio
[22:46] Do not drag your feet about going virtual
[24:40] Virtual events can expand your reach

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Did coronavirus cancel your school auction? Here is what one elementary school did – with Becky Urbano

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Resources

3 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

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Coronavirus impacting your fundraising? Here’s what to do – with Christy Noel

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Resources

3 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

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