If you are considering hosting a Virtual Gala instead of canceling your event this year, you will be relieved to find out that you can still have successful fundraising without the fuss of planning a live event. No catering contracts, no venue or linen rentals to coordinate! However, hosting a successful live Virtual Gala will require some specific equipment, and if you’ve never done this before, you might be wondering what you need.
What tech do you need to host a virtual gala?
Mobile Bidding Software
For the past decade this has been becoming a standard feature at live events and has made checkin/checkout a breeze, allowed nonprofits to track donors and popular auction items and has increased the bidding in silent auctions tremendously. The best part is that it can be used from anywhere and it is a complete necessity if you are hosting a virtual gala.
My recommendation is OneCause who has a user friendly interface, great reporting, flexible plans and incredible staff (I am not paid by OneCause or affiliated with them in any way other than I’ve worked with them and have always been happy). Another option I love is Greater Giving which has always been reliable and cost effective. There are so many good options out there, but these two have always been reliable and user friendly which is especially important when bidders are at home without event staff there to walk them through the bidding process.
Live Streaming Platform
You will need to decide on a live streaming platform. Here are the most popular options:
YouTube Live
This is the most common option I’ve been seeing both in live virtual galas and other live events during COVID (like meetings and church services). It is user friendly, everyone can access it with just a link (as opposed to Facebook or Instagram Live that require an account). It offers community features like commenting. This is my personal recommendation.
Facebook Live
Another relatively easy and popular option is Facebook Live. Most people have a facebook account, even if they don’t visit it on a regular basis. There are a couple benefits to this: you can tap in to your current audience and it is easily sharable with your followers’ communities, it’s user friendly, there is a donate button integrated into Facebook’s user interface (good if you just want to do a Fundraising appeal and no auction). The BIG downside is that it can be glitchy and when you are hosting a live event you want to make sure everything will be seamless.
Mix of Platforms
If you are concerned about users being more comfortable with certain platforms you can livestream your event on multiple platforms (YouTube Live, Facebook Live, and Instagram Live). This will allow you to reach a larger audience, but will be less conducive to creating a community feel.
Recommendation:
YouTube Live is what I recommend. When we are hosting virtual galas, you want to foster a sense of community as much as possible so directing everyone to one platform is incredibly helpful for that. Your YouTube live link can be shared via email, facebook, instagram profile, Twitter and anywhere else you are communicating with your audience. YouTube has a lot of resources on how to use their live streaming platform.
Live Streaming Equipment
There are different production levels to consider when looking into equipment. While you technically can live stream something with just a webcam, doesn’t mean you should. If you were planning to produce a full live gala, you would want the best production quality possible because you are creating an experience for your guests. It is no different when producing a live virtual gala.
A low quality event only needs a webcam
If you are going to do a low quality virtual gala, you can use a webcam. This is good for an improptu call to action and will be perceived as casual. You could do this at any time and as often as you like. However this is not ideal for a Virtual Gala.
DIY Live Streaming
To DIY Live Stream you really need 4 things:
(some of the amazon links in this DIY section are affiliate links)
HD Camera
For a higher quality video, invest in a HD Camera. I personally have a Panasonic Lumix G7 which offers 4K video and can support an external microphone. There are a lot more expensive options out there, but for a new to streaming DIYer this is a great affordable option.
External Microphone
By using an external microphone you will get a higher quality sound, ensuring that your virtual gala attendees can hear your message and won’t be distracted by the noise of the street outside or your cat meowing to be let out.
Encoder
An encoder will take your video and sound and turn it into a digital format so you can instantly live stream it as you record. Without an encoder, you would have to prerecord your event and posted after the fact.
Good internet connection
This is a no brainer, but it’s also a necessity. Ensure your internet connection is strong and can handle the power necessary to live stream your event
Professional Quality Virtual Gala
This is my recommendation to all of my clients. If you set the stage and expectation that this is a big event, even though people must remain socially distanced, they will be more likely to meet your expectations and treat it like a real auction and ask for donations. To execute a professional quality virtual gala, you will need to hire a few important people:
A Professional AV Company
For a professional quality virtual gala, you will need everything above, but should consider hiring a professional AV company to manage this for you. They will likely have a studio space, professional camera, sound and lighting professional and really high end equipment. An AV company can execute the look of a live gala straight from their studio. I
f you are in Minnesota, I recommend AV for You as they have a full stage in their studio and are already set up for live streaming virtual galas.
A Professional Event Production or Planning Team
Hosting a live Virtual Gala is just like hosting a live television show, except that it’s streamed online instead of television. Imagine having SNL without a producer? It would be a wreck! A producer will be able to help you with creative vision, stage management, time and flow of the virtual gala, and creating energy that will keep viewers engaged.
If you are in Minnesota, I have already been working with Stagetime Productions on large scale virtual galas this spring and I know the team at Do Good Events have already had great success with their live virtual events (they switched to virtual last minute and hit $306K on a $300K goal).
My professional recommendations:
The recommendations I’m making to all of my clients is to use OneCause as a mobile bidding technology, stream their event on YouTube Live by using a professional AV company and professional Event Production company.
