What I've learned from hosting virtual galas over the past 6 months

As the fall gala season begins to slow down (though it’s nowhere near done), I wanted to reflect on what I’ve learned about virtual galas over the past 6 months and after hosting dozens of virtual events!

Virtual Galas are Profitable

Not just profitable as in you make more than you spend, but they are almost always just as profitable as in-person galas. Most of my clients this year have had equal or more net revenue in their virtual events than they had in their in-person galas in 2019. So I will call that a win for 2020!

Watch Parties are a great bonus experience

Watch parties are a great way to create a semi-hybrid experience and build a little peer pressure when it comes to giving. Instead of having table hosts, you will have watch party hosts who invite their friends or family over to watch the event in a safe environment. They can celebrate and share your organization together but remain in their “pod” to avoid COVID spread. Adding catered food options for additional purchase can heighten the experience and make it more exciting.

Give yourself time to plan

A colleague of mine on LinkedIn said it best, your virtual event can only be two things: fast, cheap or good, but it can’t be all three. This is true. There is definitely a learning curve when planning virtual events and you need to give yourself time to figure it out. You also need time to create hype, obtain sponsors, market the event, design guest experiences and plan an engaging program! Because you don’t need to worry about a venue, you may not need to start planning a year in advance, but you should expect to work on your event for 3-4 months.

Hire professionals

Unless you have a full-time producer, live streaming expert, scriptwriter, and videographer on your team, do not try to do this yourself. Hire a virtual event planner or a producer. Make sure you have a team who can successfully record and livestream your event without a glitch! Hire a professional fundraising host (yes, that’s what I do) who knows how to engage an audience through a screen without rambling.

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Keep them short and sweet

I’ve been saying this one since the beginning, but keep those virtual events to about 30 minutes. Cut the fluff and get down to business. An experienced virtual gala producer will help you plan it out and a professional fundraising host will make the most out of your 30 minutes with your audience.

Focus on getting people to attend

I’m talking about more than throwing it out on social media (though you should use every tool in your toolkit), but you should send physical invites, create an email funnel, personally call donors to invite them, encourage people to host watch parties, incentivize watching the event live. Get creative here. It is important that your guests take this virtual event as seriously as they would an in person event.

Overall assessment: Virtual Galas Work

People attend them. People give to them. They are NOT a risk. They are the best way for you to connect with your audience right now. Do I think in-person events are dead? Heck no! People are craving connection, but for now, they are showing up for you. Your donors know the work you do is important. They know you haven’t slowed down just because everything else has shut down. They will show up for you if you give them the opportunity.

Virtual Events: How to utilize watch parties to engage donors and raise more money

As we move in to fall with no large-scale in-person events in sight, your organization may be gearing up to plan an epic Virtual Gala to raise money and connect with your donors. Many nonprofits are wondering how they can create better experiences for donors. We know many guests aren’t ready to step into a ballroom with 500+ other people (and there are currently no event venues that would allow it anyway), but at the same time they want to be social and join in a shared experience. So how can we offer a more hybrid virtual experience for guests?

Watch parties are a great way to engage donors are raise more money at your virtual event.

What are watch parites?

A Watch Party is a gathering of people who would watch your organization’s virtual gala together while meeting local guidelines for group gatherings.

What makes watch parties effective?

Watch parties are effective because they hold people accountable to watching your event live and it gives them something to look forward to. When guests are invited to a watch party, they are held accountable by the host to join (think it’s a lot harder to skip when you have to call the host and let them know you won’t be joining). It adds some social pressure. It also gives guests something to look forward to because they get to gather with another family or a group of couples or just as friends.

When people watch together, there is a buzz that’s created and a lot more excitement around the auction and giving moment. They cheer each other on and they encourage each other to give!

Watch parties are fun!

Watch parties add an element of excitement and energy to your virtual events. The galas I’ve done who have had virtual galas, have had the best responses - both in revenue and in guest feedback.

How to set up watch parties

Identify potential hosts

You can encourage anyone and everyone to host a watch party, but you will want to do some of the leg work to ASK some of your more loyal supporters if they would be willing to host a watch party. Have them sign up in advance to host them and empower them to invite their friends. Board members should definitely be encouraged to host watch parties if they can.

Think of Watch Party Hosts as the new Table Sponsor.

Train the hosts on the tech

Prior to the event, train your hosts on how to use the mobile bidding so they can help their guests give during the giving portion of the evening. During a live gala, you would have staff from the mobile bidding company or volunteers from your organization to help tech-challenged donors navigate the technology if they had trouble, but during your virtual gala you just won’t have that option, so use watch parties as a way to connect your more “tech challenged” donors and equip your hosts to help them! Certain organizations have even sent a volunteer to each watch party to help serve and keep things on track so the hosts could just enjoy themselves.

Make sure they have a link to view the watch party and a way to watch it so everyone can see whether that’s a large TV or a projector. Ask them if they need help setting it up in advance so there are no glitches at the time of the event. These watch parties will likely have some big hitters in the rooms, so you want to make sure they can actually see the event you are working so hard to produce!

Equip them to host a great watch party

Create a branded watch party guide. Send them a suggested timeline, invitation templates, a signature cocktail recipe and possible food ideas. If you want to charge tickets for people attending host parties, you could have catered meals delivered or available for optional pickup for the hosts to have and easily set up. This is a great option to offer (but not require). Many hosts will take you up on it, but some of your hosts will want to personalize their watch party and make it their own, which is so fun to see! We love when donors take ownership and partner with you in ways that fits their gifts!

Recognize the hosts during the virtual event

Take time during your virtual gala to recognize the hosts and watch parties! If they can gather prior to the virtual event starting, you could have them send a photo or video to share live during the event. The parties love to hoot and holler when they see their party recognized. It’s a great way to engage them and thank them as you put on your event. It also adds to the “live” feeling of the event. This recognition is so important in building community through virtual events.

Enroll NOW! Don’t cancel your event, instead learn to plan an engaging and profitable virtual gala. This $67 course walks you through my consulting process and provides technical tutorials to produce your own virtual gala.

Start recruiting watch parties now!

You should be recruiting and creating buzz about your watch parties prior to even sending out invites to your virtual event (yes, send out physical invites for virtual events!!!). Allow this to be an integral part of your event because you can create a more unique hybrid experience. This is a fun way to empower supporters to bring new people into your organization in a more casual setting and open up their homes for a good cause.

What questions do you have about watch parties? Pop them in the comments below. I’d love to see your event be successful!!

How to Plan a Profitable Virtual Gala

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:

1. Comfortable with speaking to an audience through a camera (it’s a different skill than leading a live crowd)

2. 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

3. Able to help you set your goals and help you craft your organization’s message in an engaging way

4. 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

How to get people to attend your Virtual Gala

So you are thinking about taking your gala virtual. Good for you! There’s a lot to learn, but you can do it. I have been helping transition clients from traditional to virtual galas since March, and have seen so many wonderful success stories!

There is one thing that can make or break a virtual gala though: attendance.

No matter how highly produced or how much money you spend of videography or which celebrity you got to share a quick message on your organization’s behalf, your event will not be successful if people don’t show up to it.

So the question remains…

How do you get people to attend your Virtual Gala?

Marketing, baby.

You will have to invest in marketing your event. You will want to invest in time, but you’ll also want to set aside some money in your planning budget on digital advertising.

You will want to use all the channels at your disposal. Because a Virtual Gala is a digital twist on a traditional event, you will want to employ both traditional and digital marketing methods. Chances are your existing audience is used to RSVPing to your paper invitations and personal phone calls, but the cool thing about virtual galas is that they are a great way to connect with NEW donors and start building relationships with the lower-level donors who will be your big donors in the next decade.

At a loss of what ways work best to market you virtual gala? Don’t worry!

I want you to cover all your bases, so I’ve created a Virtual Gala Marketing Checklist for you!

This checklist will be your guide to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases and can create a well-rounded marketing strategy leading up to your event. A good rule of thumb is to start these methods about 30 days out from your event to begin building awareness. You won’t see registrations right away (in fact about 75% of your registrations will come in the last couple days before your event so don’t have an heart attack if it’s a week out and you’ve sold 12 tickets), but it will build awareness and a sense of FOMO as the date approaches. You will engage your current supporters and pick up some new ones along the way. That’s the dream, isn’t?

5 Ways Virtual Events Make Money for your Nonprofit

We’ve been in the midst of a global pandemic for 3 months now and I am surprised when people are still asking “are virtual events profitable” or considering “taking a risk” on them. Can you make money with a virtual event? HECK YES!

How can a nonprofit make money with a virtual event?

To be honest, it’s a lot of the same ways your organization would make money with an in-person event. Granted, people won’t likely pay $125 to attend a virtual event, so your revenue from ticket sales won’t be as high (you likely won’t charge for tickets at ALL), but your cost to produce the event will be a FRACTION of the cost! Here are some ways you will make money at your virtual gala:

1. Open Donations

   The place you will make the majority of your revenue will be from Open Donations during the Fund-A-Need Appeal during your event. Remember, the purpose of your virtual event is to educate, inspire and entertain your guests. You’ll educated them about the problem you solve, who it impacts and then inspire the donors to partner with you in solving the problem through their financial contribution.

   Some fun trends about Fund-A-Needs or Giving Moments during virtual events: while live auction item revenue is down, Fund-A-Need giving is UP! Also, nonprofits are seeing an increase in NEW DONORS! Allowing people to join in on your event virtually at no cost, paired with social media sharing from current supporters is showing an increase in giving from new donors. While these donations are at lower-level, if stewarded well, these new donors can become your future BIG donors. How exciting is that?!

   Learn the 4 Elements of a Successful Giving moment Here.

2. Silent and “Live” Auction

   People are bidding on silent auction items like it is their job! When your nonprofit opens the auction (about 3 days before the event), your virtual gala guests start registering for your event and get started on bidding. Don’t be discouraged if giving seems slow at the beginning, that’s normal for ANY auction. It will pick up during the virtual event and the hour before you close the auctions.

   Live auction revenue is down for a couple reasons. In a virtual auction, there is no way to replace the excitement and momentum a good auctioneer. The “Live” Auction items or “premier” auction items are higher ticket experiential items you’d normally place on your Live auction at your event, but are added to the mobile bidding platform and sold the same way as silent auction items. They are not selling as well in this format because you can’t build the same momentum, but also because these items tend to rely on experiences that include travel, crowds or restaurants (all things that people are stepping back from during COVID). Does this mean you should just get rid of them? NO! They are still a way to bring in thousands of extra dollars to your organization, but I want to you to know what to expect as you are planning your budget.

3. Sponsorships

   This is huge! When I first transitioned clients to virtual events they were concerned about how their sponsors would feel about it. Would they get enough recognition for their sponsorship level? Turns out there are so many MORE ways for sponsors to gain recognition for their sponsorship for your organization. With things like the pre-show slides, social media and email blasts, naming rights to the event, and more. Come up with all the ways you can feature your sponsors and create a PDF to share with potential sponsors that will allow them to see what different levels of sponsorships will benefit them.

4. Underwritten costs

   You can have sponsors or individual donors underwrite different parts of your event to cover the costs, so that from the beginning your event is profitable. Maybe your AV Crew costs $5,000, reach out to loyal supporters who are practical and let them know this underwriting opportunity is available. I offer a flat rate so that my clients can get my fee underwritten prior to the event even starting. No surprise fees or percentages to worry about. It’s a great way to include donors and make sure 100% of proceeds can go to supporting the work your organization does!

5. VIP or Optional Ticket sales

   While I don’t recommend charging admission for a virtual gala, there are options to make some revenue on ticket “sales.” You can do a “choose your price” ticket and allow guests to select what they want to pay. Many people will not pay anything, however you will find some people will pay $5, or $25 or even $100 on a donation basis. Remember, you want to get most of your costs underwritten prior to the event so you won’t need ticket sales to cover event costs.

   At the time of registration, you could also offer the regular admission (aka FREE) and a VIP package. The VIP package could be $25 and offer a grab bag or a separate zoom meeting with the Executive Director of your organization. Maybe it would include a separate “after party” with special content. Either way, it is a great opportunity for you to give people an option to pay while offering them greater access to educate them on the work you do.

Still wondering if your event will be profitable? Stop. It WILL be profitable. You still will have to do the hard work of building into sponsor and donor relationships prior to the event, but it’s very similar to how you make money at an in-person event. Additionally, virtual events are very effective at obtaining NEW donors which you can develop and grow into committed donors after the event.

Hosting a virtual event is not a RISK. It is a low cost way to connect with donors and hit your revenue goals for this year.

4 Elements of a Successful Giving Moment in a Virtual Gala

As nonprofits are transitioning to virtual galas, they may be wondering how to set themselves up for success and ensure their donors are engaged and ready to give.

Yesterday, I was on the “Corona Chronicles” With Julia Patrick of the American Nonprofit Academy and Jarrett Ransom (aka the Nonprofit Nerd) of The Rayvan Group to talk about the giving moment of a virtual gala. We talked about some timeless principles of engaging donors as well as how they are different from a giving moment in a live event. See the full episode below and check out their vimeo channel for all of their resources. I’ve been binging them and they have so many helpful resources for FREE!

For all the details watch the video, but I’ve compiled a brief review of the main points for you right here.

4 Elements of a Successful Giving Moment in a Virtual Gala

1. Set a goal with a clear purpose 

Set a goal with a clear purpose: 
Don't: "We are raising money for our organization tonight."
Do: "We need to raise $250,000 to feed 1,000 kids for the next year." Create your program's stories and rhetoric around this for the entire program.

2. Use Donor-Centric Messaging

How will giving to your organization help your donor? I know this sounds backwards, but you have to help them understand that you are solving a problem that THEY care about. We do this by educating them about a problem (millions of kids die of starvation every year), getting them to care about the problem (make it personal through a story of a child who was impacted by hunger), and empowering the donor to be the solution which they can do by supporting your organization. 

3. Recruit Momentum Donors

This is no different from a giving moment at a live event. You will identify key donors who, based on historical giving, donate large amounts at your event each year and have a conversation about them being a "momentum donor" (sometimes called a seeded donor, but I don't like that word). Explain that by giving right off the bat during the giving moment, it inspires and motivates others to give which creates momentum and increases overall giving. You may have to walk them through the tech of HOW to give.

4. Ask Early and Ask Often
In an online presentation of any sort, attendees have the option to come and go as they please (unlike a live event when we shut ballroom doors and they are at a table with friends and a meal). Ideally, we want attendees to stay the entire time, but assuming that not all will, you should plan to do the formal giving moment early in the virtual program, and continue to remind people to give as you lead them through your program. 

How to Plan for a Future Event in the Midst of COVID-19

With the quick rise of COVID-19 and spring events being turned on their head, we saw many be postponed to the late summer or fall. At the time, we all hoped the impact of COVID-19 would be done by then, but as each day passes and stay-at-home orders are extended and summer programs continue to cancel, you may be wondering what to do about future events. How do you hope for the best while planning for the worst in a time like this?

How do you plan your future fundraising event, without knowing if COVID-19 will be gone by then?

Check vendor contracts and ask what happens if you cancel in light of COVID-19

When this all hit in the spring, vendors were met with a situation they had never dealt with before. Many vendors let clients out of contract with no penalties given the circumstances. Ask your vendors what happens if stay-at-home orders continue through your event date? Will you lose your deposit? Can you use it towards a future date? Do they offer a “backup plan” for events that have to cancel?

Plan to have a virtual aspect to your event

Once we are allowed to gather in groups again, some guests (especially high risk ones) may fear being in crowds for a while still. That’s totally understandable, and we can plan for this. Offer a virtual aspect of the event. Live stream the live program and allow people to attend from the comfort of their own homes. Many people will be ready to meet and gather, but providing this option will allow you to share your message with supporters who want to extend their own safe distancing for a while longer.

Host smaller events

Industry experts predict that it will be a while before we can place 10 people at a table again. We may even be using 10 top tables for 6 people, meaning the number of attendees may be way smaller. Hosting smaller events can allow you to create a more intimate and exclusive experience. There are so many options for smaller events and it may not look like a traditional gala.

Offer safety measures to reassure guests

Event professionals are providing solutions to make sure guests feel safe attending an event. Having sanitation stations with hand sanitizer throughout the venue, offering masks at check in and even taking people’s temperatures at the door are some ways to reassure guests about their safety at the event. Letting guests know in advance what measures you will be taking to keep them safe, will put people at ease and help them feel better about attending.

Have a Virtual Plan B

Obviously the ideal is to host your live event as you imagine it, but if this spring has taught us anything, having a Virtual Plan B in your back pocket will allow you to easily shift if we are required to shelter-in-place again in the fall. None of us know how this COVID-19 stuff will pan out, so preparing for what could (but hopefully will not) happen is the wisest thing to do.

Go all out in Planning a Virtual Gala

The benefit you have right now over the spring gala season is TIME. You have time to plan a virtual event that is engaging and exciting. Now is the time to think outside the box and innovate. Virtual Gala’s are happening all over the country, so tune in! Watch virtual galas being hosted by other organizations and learn about what you like and, more importantly, what you don’t like. Learn from them to make your virtual event spectacular.

Master Donor-Centric Messaging

With more of life being online, you will be fighting for your potential donors’ attention, which means you need to speak TO them. This means finding a way to intersect how your organization interacts with their life and what they care about. What do they care about? How will donating to your organization benefit them? I know this seems backwards, because fundraising shouldn’t be about the donors, right? Good news is that your donors are awesome people and want to know they are making a difference and a lasting impact in our world. Help them understand that they WILL make a difference by supporting your organization.

Where are you in your planning stages?

How is your fall event going? With some of the country opening up, are you moving forward with a live event or are you going virtual? Share what excites you about this time!

Creative Ways to Engage "Guests" at a Virtual Gala

Hosting a virtual gala is a great way to connect with donors and raise money in this time of social distancing, but there is an important question: how do you keep guests engaged?

How to Keep Guests Engaged During a Virtual Gala:

Cut out the fluff

Make every moment count. In our fact-paced, entertainment-centric culture, people expect to be engaged. Spend time strategically planning how your event will go down to the minute. Even one boring or unnecessary minute will lose you viewers. Hiring a creative director and professional emcee will help keep the flow going.

Integrate Social Media into the Program

Have people sharing pictures of themselves watching the gala from home. Repost their pictures to your feed and have the emcee or auctioneer mention it during the live program, “I see @awesomesauce334 got all dolled up in her prom dress for our virtual gala, the slippers are a nice touch! Keep sharing those photos with our gala hashtag #homegala2020.” It’s a way to bring the home audience into the live event.

Try reposting their photos on instagram and have followers vote on “Best Dressed” as a fun game using the poll option in instagram stories. This is a way to get people involved and feel like they are a part of the community.

Incentivize them to stay around

Now, I don’t mean you should bribe your guests, but could you entice them to stay with a special announcement that happens at the end of the program? Could you get a surprise celebrity to video call in to the event near the end of the event to chat with viewers? How about a giveaway* for people who watch through the end or for who engages the most with the event through comments and social media?

Your emcee or auctioneer will remind guests throughout the program, “now later in the program we have [a special guest, a big announcement, an opportunity for you to win] so stick around to find out what it is…”

Think of how TV shows entice you to stay past the commercial break. You are waiting for something BIG and they keep stringing you along through a bunch of other stuff, but still you find yourself sitting through those commercials and backstories for all of the contestants until you finally find out who won! That’s exactly what you need to create within your virtual program.

Stats show us that 50% of people drop off the live event by the end of it, but giving them a reason to stay can help improve those numbers for your event.

*For giveaways and raffles, make sure to research the laws and guidelines around these, because different social media channels have rules to keep engagement honest and ethical.

Ask them questions throughout the event

One cool thing a virtual event offers that you cannot achieve in a live event is that you can communicate with the audience members as individuals. Use the amazing comment features on your live streaming platform to have your guests answer questions. “Who are you honoring by being here tonight? Oh, I see Susan Smith is honoring her grandmother who she lost to Breast Cancer. We are so sorry to hear about your grandma, Susan, but thank you for showing up for her!” The Emcee and Auctioneer can take a few moments to read some responses, but the guests will be able to see the comments coming in and see a sense of connection and community even though they are all at home.

Which will you try?

Which of these will you try for your virtual event? How could you use one or more or all of these to keep guests engaged through your entire program and help connect them with your mission? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Here's Tech you need to host a Virtual Gala

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.

How to Plan an Engaging Virtual Gala Program

Considering turning your annual gala into a Virtual Gala this year? You are not alone. This is the trend we are seeing in 2020 and it is a creative and profitable way for nonprofits to meet fundraising goals in our socially distanced culture.

While the virtual gala should have a lot of similar elements to your live event program, you will need to adjust it for the new format of being on the internet.

Why does your virtual program need to be different than your in-person event program?

There are more distractions at home.

Your virtual attendees will have children and dogs and other things on the internet to capture their attention if your program is not engaging enough.

They won’t have the energy of a live community.

When people come to a live event, they become part of a community that they are involved and engaged in which creates a unique energy an involvement that is unique to live events.

They have short attention spans.

People are trained to have highly engaging content. With online content getting quicker and shorter (think TikTok or Twitter), they don’t have as much patience for things that are slow, so your program needs to be quick, to the point, engaging, inspiring and call them to action soon and often.

What makes a successful virtual Gala?

A Short Program

The ideal length for a Virtual Gala program is 30 minutes. Any longer and people start dropping off. Statistics show that after a half hour 50% of virtual program attendees leave the virtual event. This means, you’ll need to cut your 30 minute key note speaker and stick to the point. Every second of content during your virtual event should either inspire, entertain or encourage your audience to take action (aka give $$). Your messaging will need to be clear and concise. It takes more strategy and forethought, but it will be much more impactful.

An Early Fund-A-Need Ask

In a typical live gala, the whole program will build momentum up to the Fund-A-Need or fundraising appeal, but in a virtual gala, you will need to ask early (and ask often). You should start your event by reminding people why they are there, using a story/testimonial/video to connect them to your mission and conducting the Fund-A-Need while you still have everyone’s attention.

After the formal fundraising appeal, you will continue with your program. You can share more stories, talk more about how your organization is serving people and as you do this, your auctioneer (who should be working in tandem with your emcee) will remind people that they can still give. Think of one of those old telethon fundraisers from the 80’s or 90’s. They always did multiple asks. Most people will give during the formal ask, but you want to remind them incase they couldn’t figure out the tech right away or if they feel inspired to give more later in the program.

Featured “Live Auction” Items

Your live auction will not be a typical live auction where the auctioneer calls out bids. They should be listed as “Live Auction” items on your mobile bidding technology, but the virtual attendees will be able to bid on them the same way they would a silent auction item. The “Live Auction” items would be featured during the program and the auctioneer would call attention to the current bid and move on to the next rather quickly as donors would have several hours to get in their bids.

Mix Live and Prerecorded content

Hosting a live streamed event with a professional AV and production team allows you to integrate multiple formats seamlessly. This allows you to prerecord nervous, rambling or high risk speakers so they can have multiple takes, get used to the camera or record at a time with fewer people around. The live aspects could include your emcee and auctioneer who are professional performers and can improvise on screen with ease. Your production team can splice in inspirational videos and graphics with along with the live content to make it more engaging and fast paced and your viewers at home don’t have to know that any of it was recorded in advance.

Save Thank You’s for the end

In a live event, it is common for the Executive Director or Board Chair to get up and start the night by thanking sponsors, volunteers, donors, etc for about 10 minutes. However, in a virtual event you will literally lose your audience if you start with this mundane content. Wrap up your event with important thank you’s and find creative ways to feature sponsors that doesn’t take up the prime time in your virtual gala. Some ideas are:

• Create social media posts thanking them

• Insert their names in the graphics on the bottom of the screen

• Thank them additionally in a post-event email

Possible Program Order

1. Quick Welcome with Emcee and Auctioneer to walk through what to expect during the program.

2. Remind attendees why this gala is important. “Hello you cool cats and kittens, we are all here today to support the important work Carol Baskin is doing with the large cats…” (Is it too soon for a Tiger King Reference?) Your guests are smart and know why they are there, but this will help transition you into a short storytelling connection…

3. Storytelling connection. This could be a video or testimonial or an inspirational recap of the work your organization is doing. This should take less than 5 minutes and be engaging and inspirational.

4. Fund-A-Need Ask. Then your auctioneer will transition into the Fund-A-Need. This will take a lot less time than a traditional paddle raise at a live event and will sound a little bit like a QVC sales pitch. As an onscreen auctioneer, I don’t get to see bidders faces, but I get to see their data and bids coming through. During a virtual fund-a-need I thank specific donors, recognize momentum donors, continue to share about your organization and help donors emotionally connect with your mission.

5. Thank you and another storytelling moment. This could be a current events moment where you share positive stories about what your organization is doing in your community recently. It could be a volunteer or client highlight story. This is where you essentially say “Thank you for your support and this is what your funds are doing.” (another reminder that they can give using the link below)

6. Highlight Live Auction Items. Your auctioneer and emcee will highlight the featured live auction items and bring attention to the current highest bidders. The auctioneer and emcee should work together to make this segment as entertaining as possible using natural banter while being able to move it along quickly. Keep auction items to 5 or fewer.

7. Live entertainment. This is where you could add some live entertainment: a studio performance, a sketch comedy act, a video, etc.

8. Thank you to everyone who showed up. Remind them again about what their donations are accomplishing and let them know you are excited to see them when we can all meet in person again. (another reminder that they can give using the link below)

9. Housekeeping items, auction checkout logistics, and Thank you’s to sponsors, volunteers, staff and everyone that made the virtual gala possible.

These segments should be short and flow quickly. I highly recommend enlisting a professional Auctioneer and Emcee to help move this event along and keep the tone appropriate and help tell your story as concisely and inspirationally as possible.

What else do you want to know?

This is just one possible order for your Virtual Gala. For a more personalized gala order, based on your organization’s culture and audience, reach out to me to learn how to make your virtual gala a reality. We are still at the front edge of virtual galas and are constantly learning to make them better. Together with industry partners, we are sharing best practices in how to engage your audience and make your virtual events profitable.