May 2020 - Groupfinity

How do you produce virtual events for fundraising? Auctioneer Greg Quiroga shares the secrets he’s learned from doing virtual events for charity and fundraising galas during COVID-19.

#012 – Greg Quiroga from Stellar SF Fundraising went from 100% live fundraising galas to 100% online events in a matter of weeks. His customers are nonprofits and schools and they all shut down their scheduled events when we went to Shelter at Home in March. Greg quickly pivoted and started advising his clients on virtual events.

You can’t stop fundraising because of COVID-19. As Greg puts it… “if you don’t ask them for money one year, it will be harder to get it the next year.” In this episode, Greg takes us inside some of his recent virtual events for fundraising and shares what is working.

If you are struggling with the decision to take your fundraising event virtual, there is something here for you. A lot of it is ATTITUDE! You have to get over your fears and BELIEVE you can do it.

Greg talks about using a variety of platforms including Zoom, YouTube, Facebook Live, and Twitch. He says it is best if you can get guests to stream the event to their smart TV to limit distractions on the computer.

These are tough times for sure, but many organizations are still raising money. Your organization’s costs are not going away so you still need to fundraise.

-Your supporters have likely done a number of virtual events for charity by now so they are accustomed to them.

-There are a number of virtual events to raise money around a number of great causes.

-Virtual events for adults are quite popular right now.

-In some cases, people are looking for virtual events to attend.

Virtual events in 2020 are exploding. We even came across a recent post titled “Virtual Events To Attend This Week”. If you are not asking, those funds are going somewhere else.

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Resources

Stellar SF Fundraising

Stellar SF Fundraising Blog

Stellar SF Fundraising Virtual Event Resources

The Lux Productions – AV Company

Groupfinity COVID-19 Q&A

3 Key Takeaways

#1 On average, virtual events are netting 90% of what they did as live events.

#2 A lot of your success rests in attitude. You have to believe you can do it.

#3 Keep it to 45 minutes to 1 hour. People’s attention span likely can’t take much more than that.

Show Notes

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

[2:46] We've seen different results in different parts of the country
[3:06] Some organizations have gone virtual and have achieved results in line with their live event
[3:49] I had no idea I would raise $1.4MM in front of my camera
[4:22] A lot available resources
[4:45] You can do something with low production value that still yields really good results
[6:11] If you are worried, you can do something that is low end
[7:09] Guests care about the guest experience
[8:45] Get people away from their computer screen and onto their TV screen
[9:16] Professionally looking virtual events...
[10:10] We did rehearsals every day for 2 1/2 weeks
[11:58] Gross is down, but the net is up
[12:10] Virtual events are netting 90% of what live events were doing
[12:55] You still need to build a community of supporters for your virtual event
[13:18] Expenses are down 50%
[13:33] Just because you're going virtual, it is NOT FREE!
[14:44] It is more important to raise money than ever before
[15:01] If you don't ask someone for money one year, it is harder to get money the next year
[15:19] The ones who've made the decision to go virtual are having an easier time
[15:44] You have to BELIEVE!
[16:00] online fundraising levels are comparable to those at in person events
[16:57] We're blazing a new trail
[18:49] Greg's school fundraising story
[19:53] People want to engage
[21:27] Four Phases of Fundraising in 2020 and 2021
[22:34] Plan on having a virtual component to your live events going forward
[24:40] That small virtual group raised more than if they had been together live
[25:55] You have to define your event differently
[26:35] Live events with a virtual component will be produced like a broadcast event
[27:52] Make sure presenters have a good internet connection
[28:10] You still need to do the work to get people to your event
[28:29] Keep it to 45 minutes to 1 hour
[28:53] Break your content up into 6 minute chunks
[29:38] Try to get your guests to stream to the TV
[30:04] Do the fundraising early

What if your organization is forced to cancel its annual convention in the wake of COVID-19? How Dondrell Swanson and his team reacted.

#011 – Dondrell Swanson and his team were hosting a 400+ person annual convention in March. Then the state and local governments put restrictions on large gatherings and ordered people to Shelter at Home. He and his team had to decide whether to reschedule to a future date or cancel. The venue was putting pressure on them to reschedule to a later date. This particular event is in the springtime every year. Moving to a later date was risky. They were unsure as to how it would perform later in the year.

Dondrell shares the team’s thought process at arriving at their decision and what they learned. If you face this situation now or if you will face it in the future, there are takeaways you can apply to your situation.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

Groupfinity COVID-19 Q&A

3 Key Takeaways

#1 Get key stakeholders together and do not make big decisions alone

#2 Make the easy decisions fast and keep them easy

#3 Don’t make human decisions financial decisions

Show Notes

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

[2:13] Important convention takeaways for members
[3:30] In February we knew we had to start paying attention to this
[4:00] We were in the final throws of planning
[4:47] Governor recommends events greater than 250 people be canceled
[5:10] Hotel wanted to enforce the contract
[5:32] Mayor recommends gatherings greater than 50 people be canceled
[5:49] Hotel wants them to reschedule
[6:11] The decision matrix
[7:58] Nuances with the decision to reschedule
[9:13] They did not officially release us from the contract until after we canceled
[9:34] Force Majeure
[11:40] How we handled deposits with vendors
[12:18] Decision to refund or not refund registration funds
[13:28] Our first choice was not to automatically refund
[15:35] Do the right thing by your membership
[16:37] Don't hesitate to get key stakeholders together
[17:26] Make the easy decisions fast and keep them easy
[18:05] People remained committed to the organization and wanted to contribute
[19:30] Do the right thing by your members
[19:40] Don't make human decisions financial decisions

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How do you produce virtual events for fundraising? Auctioneer Greg Quiroga shares the secrets he’s learned from doing virtual events for charity and fundraising galas during COVID-19.

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Resources

3 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

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What if your organization is forced to cancel its annual convention in the wake of COVID-19? How Dondrell Swanson and his team reacted.

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Resources

3 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

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BE AN INSIDER

Join the community