If you are a nonprofit leader who has had to cancel your event due to, oh let’s say, a global pandemic, you have probably heard the term “Virtual Gala” be thrown around. You’ve likely been scouring YouTube for examples. But you are probably wondering, how the heck do you actually plan one?
I have been helping organizations just like yours transition from their in-person events to virtual galas since March of 2020 and have seen what works and learned to make them profitable. What if your organization could raise $50,000 or $100,000 or even over $500,000 through a 30-45 minute Virtual Gala streamed from your home or office?
These results are 💯 possible (and actual results of clients of mine).
The work your organization does is so important and I want you to be successful and meet your goals so you can continue to serve our communities, so in this post I am going to share some tips on How to Plan a Profitable Virtual Gala.
This post may contain some affiliate links. See my affiliate disclaimer if you have questions.
How to Plan a Profitable Virtual Gala
Select a Date
When will you hold your event? Is it going to be on the same night as your in-person event was or are you picking a new date all together? If you have announced the date for your gala and your guests already have that night set aside for your event, stick with the original date if you can. However, if your initial event has already been postponed, select another date. The good news is that based on what I’ve seen in the industry so far, it doesn’t matter if your event is on a weeknight or a weekend. In fact, you will probably have less competition on a weeknight to get your donors to come to your event. My advice is to pick a date and move forward confidently planning.
Decide the level of production you want at your event
Are you going to try to produce it on your own or hire a professional production company? You can produce your live event on a DIY basis with nothing but a Mac and a $25 Live Streaming Program or you could go with a professional production team which would run anywhere from $5,000-$20,000 depending on your vision for your event. Either way, whatever you do it will be for a fraction of the cost of your in person event (and that’s amazing news)!
Select a Mobile Bidding Company
There are so many amazing Mobile Bidding Companies out there and to be honest, after several months of running Virtual Events I have seen them evolve and adapt to this new way of fundraising so well. In fact, if it weren’t for our Mobile Bidding partners, we would never have been able to move to Virtual Galas so quickly. You can do your research on which company to choose, but the companies I see and work with the most often are: OneCause, Greater Giving, Clickbid and Auction Harmony.
One thing you’ll need to decide before meeting with and selecting these companies is if you will want your live stream embedded in the mobile bidding platform, because some companies do this and others don’t. The benefit to it is that it’s all in one spot and people don’t have to have multiple tabs open. Many clients are fine streaming to YouTube and asking their donors to go a different website for the bidding and giving. It comes down to personal preference.
Hire an Auctioneer experienced in Virtual Galas
Virtual Galas are a lot faster and a lot more focused than an in-person event, so you will need to find an auctioneer that is:
Comfortable with speaking to an audience through a camera (it’s a different skill than leading a live crowd)
Specialized in Fund-A-Needs. Many auctioneers will have an excellent chant and can sell items, but all items are being sold via mobile bidding, so your main focus should be on an auctioneer who is a true fundraiser and can effectively communicate your message to donors and call them to action
Able to help you set your goals and help you craft your organization’s message in an engaging way
Willing to host or emcee your event as needed. An auctioneer’s role in Virtual Galas is essentially to maintain the energy throughout the entire event, and take each element of your program and continue to bring it back to the heart of your organization and use it to call donors to action. This will help you increase revenue at your event.
Pick your streaming platform
Where will your donors see this livestream? Will it be on YouTube, Facebook Live, embedded on your mobile bidding platform or website? My recommendation is to plan to stream it on YouTube. Donors won’t need an account to watch it. They simply follow a link you send them via email and they are there! Selecting YouTube also allows you to have the option of easily embedding it onto your website or a mobile bidding platform.
Determine your Fundraising Focus
What are you raising money for? I know your organization does a lot of things, but pick one thing to focus on that night. Virtual Gala’s are fast and furious. Extensive studies in people’s interaction with digital media tells us that their attention spans are shorter online than they are in person (you know when you feed them and close the ballroom doors so they can’t get out). So you won’t have time to share every part of what your organization does. Pick one, set a goal based on how much that will cost to fund, and…..
Build your program around your Fundraising Focus
When you build your program around your Fundraising Focus you can effectively tell your story so guests will feel connected and more inclined to give in this format. What stats can you share about your Fundraising Focus? What stories can you share that help emphasize your Fundraising Focus? Your program should be built around this so you can engage donors and inspire them to action.
Market your Virtual Gala
One of the biggest success factors in virtual galas is an organization’s ability to get guests to show up to their event. Seems obvious, but it is important to state. Because you aren’t reserving a ballroom and paying for catering, the ability to get donors to commit to coming is more challenging, which is why you need to take a multi channel approach to marketing your event. Mix traditional and digital methods of marketing and empower your biggest supporters to reach out and get people excited about it.
NOTE: Nonprofits are seeing unprecedented levels of NEW DONORS come in through these virtual events. It’s very cool, and it’s likely because nonprofits are needing to invest more in marketing and advertising. It’s also because virtual galas are sharable. Meaning your supporters simply share a link and BOOM their entire social network can be involved too. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to spread your message and acquire new donors.
Have a plan to engage your “Tech-Challenged” donors
The biggest hurdle for clients to transition to Virtual Events is that they assume their supporters are too “tech-challenged” to figure it out. While this may have been true back in March, now even our oldest community members have been thrust into digital communications. They talk to their grandkids through zoom. Their daughter got them set up on a Facebook account to keep in touch. Digital platforms are the best way we are keeping our more mature (or the people you think are “tech-challenged”) community members safe and engaged! So, while you might fear they won’t be able to figure it out, I encourage you not to doubt them. However, I recommend coming up with a plan to make it easy for them and to teach them how to register, bid and give through your digital platforms. This will help you involve some of your more “mature” donors and ensure you don’t leave any money on the table.
Assume it will work
Finally, I want to let you know that mindset is important here. I know this sounds a little cheesy, but it really does matter. If you go into it with a “let’s see what happens” attitude, your donors will pick up on that and it won’t feel as inspired or motivated to attend or support your organization. However, if your plan and mindset is that this Virtual Gala is going to succeed because there is no other option, you can move forward in planning with confidence and treat it like it’s a BIG FREAKING DEAL and your donors will catch on to that energy and follow you into the unknown. You’ve got this!
Need more help?
Maybe you're not sure whether or not virtual galas are right for your organization and worry that no one will show up. Perhaps you wonder if your donors are tech-savvy enough to join in a virtual format.
Imagine if:
You could create a 30-40 minute Virtual Gala that was engaging AND profitable
You had a marketing checklist that helped you reach your donors
You had tools and techniques to engage even your most tech-challenged donors so you didn't miss out on any revenue
All of this is possible for your Organization with The DIY Virtual Gala Course
