Nonprofit Information

Joshua Meyer

5 Ways to Make Your Virtual Auction Stand Out to Donors

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It’s been an extremely busy several months for the nonprofit sector. Pandemic response efforts, crisis fundraising, and shifting to virtual engagement techniques have almost certainly required drastic changes in your nonprofit’s initial plans for the year.

And with the year-end giving season right around the corner, there’s not much of a chance to take a break! Your nonprofit is probably already gearing up for another busy period of fundraising and donor engagement to tap into year-end generosity.

Hopefully, your nonprofit has already begun exploring its virtual event options since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual fundraising events have proven to be viable alternatives for nonprofits ready to get started with the right technology and strategies. In fact, many nonprofits that we’ve worked with have dramatically exceeded their initial fundraising goals with the switch to virtual events.

If an engaging virtual event sounds like the right move for your organization’s year-end campaign, we recommend hosting a virtual auction.

At OneCause, we specialize in supporting charity auctions, so we’ve pivoted right alongside the nonprofit sector to adapt to the new realities and challenges of virtual fundraising. Online auctions are an extremely flexible type of virtual event that can work for all types of missions and audiences. Plus, they’re easy to incorporate into a wide variety of other virtual events you might host, like an online gala.

However, competition for your donors’ attention online is fiercer than ever before! In order to maximize your event, you’ll need an effective event plan and marketing strategy to get you started. Here are our top tips for making your own virtual auction stand out to donors:

  1. Procure the perfect range of auction items.
  2. Host livestreamed celebrations during your auction.
  3. Give donors access to mobile bidding tools.
  4. Offer engaging add-ons to boost revenue.
  5. Tap into the power of peer-to-peer tactics.

Armed with these tips, you’ll be sure to draw a substantial crowd to your nonprofit’s virtual auction and keep them engaged through to close-out. Let’s dive in.

1.   Procure the perfect range of auction items.

More than any other element of your virtual auction, the items that you procure will play a major role in determining your success. You’ll need to procure the perfect range of auction items to excite your donors and generate some healthy competition. Nothing can attract excited bidders quite like the perfect auction item or package.

However, this means more than simply offering the most exciting or flashy items you can find. Your catalog of auction items needs to be targeted to your nonprofit’s unique audience.

This means considering donors’ interests but also their capacity to give and their expectations for your event. For instance, a large-scale virtual gala targeting older, wealthy donors would definitely feature a different range of auction items than a smaller online auction hosted by a school PTA.

Take the time to think about your own audience and supporters, and then start brainstorming different items and packages that they’ll find exciting and truly valuable. In our own auction item idea directory, we’ve broken down our favorites into categories like classic ideas, showstoppers, virtual-friendly items, and more to help kickstart your procurement process.

2.   Host livestreamed celebrations during your auction.

Livestreaming has proven itself to be a valuable addition to all kinds of virtual nonprofit events, including auctions. Incorporating live elements into your virtual auction opens up new opportunities to make donation appeals, present items, shout-out your supporters, and create a more dynamic, engaging experience.

These are a few ways that nonprofits have added livestreaming elements to their virtual auctions:

  • Kickoff celebrations to launch the auction, explain the rules, and show off key items.
  • Live finales to announce winners, thank your participants, and make final donation appeals.
  • Periodic live check-ins to make announcements and amp up the bidding energy.
  • Large virtual gala portions of the events in which you might include speakers, ceremonies, multimedia presentations, entertainment, and sponsor shout-outs.
  • Live bidding portions for mobile bidders to compete for your top items in real-time.

To simplify the process of including livestreaming elements in your auction, work with virtual fundraising software that features built-in live video capabilities. A centralized virtual event center will improve the entire experience for both bidders and your team once it’s time to kick off the auction.

3.   Give donors access to mobile bidding tools.

Mobile bidding tools open up your virtual auction to much wider audiences by allowing bids from both desktop and smartphones. Since many virtual auctions occur over several days, providing your participants plenty of flexibility and easy mobile access is a no-brainer to boost engagement.

While your virtual auction will naturally not involve classic paper bid sheets, offering mobile bidding in addition to bidding through your main website offers a major benefit: push notifications.

With push notifications, you can instantly direct bidders’ attention to items that could use more bids or to your top items that are generating a ton of competition. Plus, you can keep everyone in the loop by notifying all of your bidders at once about bid openings, closures, and upcoming livestreams.

If you incorporate mobile bidding tools into your virtual auction, you’ll need to take an extra step to fully explain to your participants how the technology works. Include explainers and demo videos in your broader digital strategy for promoting the event.

We recommend creating a dedicated email stream to send to registrants leading up to the event launch. In these emails, tease your items, explain how the process works, and walk through the mobile bidding process step-by-step. This can greatly reduce confusion and frustration once your auction begins, so bidders can hit the ground running.

4.   Offer engaging add-ons to boost revenue.

Add-ons are a great way to offer your bidders more ways to engage with your auction while also raising additional revenue. Consider these popular add-ons for virtual events like auctions:

  • Buy-it-now options. Give bidders the option to bypass the competition and simply purchase their favorite item (usually at 150-200% of the item’s initial fair market value).
  • Fixed-price add-ons. These are add-ons that participants can purchase during the registration process or throughout the duration of the virtual auction. T-shirts are a classic example, although think about other add-ons more directly related to your mission. For instance, a food bank might offer bidders the option to directly purchase a case of foodstuff to be donated to its pantry.
  • Raffle tickets. Raffles make easy additions to all kinds of nonprofit events. With a virtual raffle, participants can purchase digital tickets when they register for your auction. Then, pick a winner during your finale livestream. This is a great way to boost your event’s revenue without adding too much extra work to your team’s to-do list.
  • Fundraising challenges. Spur giving with competitive giving elements. Set fundraising goals and ask donors to unlock challenges for your hosts or ambassadors if they hit donation goals. Fun examples include head shaving, cake in the face, Tik Tok dances, and other funny social challenges.
  • Extra perks. A little incentive is never a bad idea to boost engagement and make your auction more exciting. Consider offering extra perks to item winners (or even randomly-chosen participants!) like free merchandise, tickets to your next event, or a discounted annual membership.

Add-ons like these can help you raise more while creating a more engaging experience for attendees. Virtual auctions are extremely flexible fundraising events, so get creative to come up with the best ideas to incorporate into your own plans. Just be sure to actively promote any of these exciting perks to encourage more potential attendees to register!

5.   Tap into the power of peer-to-peer tactics.

Social media marketing is a powerful force for spreading the word about your virtual auction and securing more support for your cause. Use peer-to-peer tactics to boost attendance, raise additional donations, and generate more excitement leading up to your auction. There are two general routes you might take:

  • Launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Empower your supporters to create their own individual giving pages to share with friends and family online. Encourage them to explain why they love your nonprofit’s mission and are excited about your upcoming virtual auction. This strategy can get your virtual event in front of a much wider audience, helping you to increase attendance while also raising more donations.
  • Recruit ambassadors in your community. An ambassador campaign allows you to take a more focused approach to large-scale virtual event promotion. Recruit well-connected supporters and give them everything they’ll need to get the job done, including individual sign-up pages and digital content to share online. Set specific donation and registration goals for your ambassadors, and then be sure to publicly recognize and reward them during your event.

Both of these tactics tap into the power of social proof to generate more engagement for your auction. When a potential donor or attendee sees that their loved one supports your cause and eagerly promotes it on your behalf, they’re much more likely to get involved than if they encountered your nonprofit on their own.

Plus, the direct impact that ambassadors and peer-to-peer volunteers can have on your event goes a long way to deepen their relationships with your cause. This makes peer-to-peer tactics an effective way to boost your retention rates over time. Bloomerang’s guide to donor retention ranks peer-to-peer campaigns as one of the top strategies for cultivating stronger long-term relationships with supporters.

Heading into the year-end giving season, your nonprofit’s virtual campaigns and events have to stand out from the crowd in order to succeed!

If you’re hosting a virtual auction as part of your year-end fundraising and engagement activities, remember these tips and incorporate them into your plans from the start. With a tailored range of auction items, engaging livestreams, intuitive bidding tools, appealing add-ons, and peer-to-peer connections, your virtual auction will stand out to supporters as an exciting opportunity. Best of luck!

5 Awesome Event Ideas to Pair with Your P2P Campaign

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Peer-to-peer fundraising events Peer-to-peer fundraising events, including runs, walk-a-thons, and bike-a-thons, share some common qualities: they encourage friendly competition, are interactive and fun, and are easily shared by participants to their wider networks.

While getting started in peer-to-peer fundraising (P2P) can sound daunting, it doesn’t have to be! With the right tools and resources, including a comprehensive peer-to-peer fundraising platform, you can successfully pair your campaign with an event and bring in even more donation revenue. Taking your peer-to-peer event online will also boost fundraising potential and make it easy for supporters to share their campaigns. It’ll also make the event simpler for you to organize.

We’ll cover some of our favorite event ideas to use with your peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns in this article. These include:

  1. Walk-a-thons
  2. Bike-a-thons
  3. Dance marathons
  4. Golf tournaments
  5. Charity concerts

While these are some of our favorites, a peer-to-peer fundraiser can really work with any type of event! Grab some inspiration from these top choices and see what excites us about them. Let’s get started.

1. Walk-a-thon

Walk-a-thons are a tried-and-true event idea to pair with your peer-to-peer fundraiser. Any sort of athletic event is great because it naturally encourages the same friendly competition and teamwork that you need for a successful peer-to-peer campaign while also inspiring people to give.

As you plan your walk-a-thon, you’ll want to make sure your chosen fundraising platform is equipped to handle all the planning, organizing, and, of course, fundraising. For that reason, make sure you’re using a platform that:

  • Is participant-friendly. Donors should easily be able to register, raise money, post to social media, and invite other participants to take part in the event through your peer-to-peer fundraising platform
  • Allows participants to easily sign up. Participants should be able to sign up as a group or individual charity, depending on how big your event is, and easily add new walkers to their team.
  • Supports custom needs. Your platform should also support custom registration needs and order changes, as these can be common during walk-a-thons.
  • Tracks offline donations. There should also be a way to add offline donations to a participant’s total via your peer-to-peer fundraising platform in case you don’t have internet access at the event itself.
  • Is easy to set up. Your platform should be easily set up, customizable, and allow you to track any matching gifts.
  • Looks great on mobile. Your platform should be mobile responsive, meaning that the campaign pages adjust to any screen size. This will allow for easy sharing, engagement, and donations from anyone’s mobile device.

If your platform is up to the challenge, your participants will be, too. Your peer-to-peer platform will help keep participants engaged, fundraise, and enable your team to focus on campaign success.

If you want to get started on planning the perfect peer-to-peer walk-a-thon, check out the ultimate guide by OneCause.

2. Bike-a-thon

Bike-a-thons are another athletic event that do wonders when paired with a peer-to-peer fundraiser. But you want to make sure you plan it using the right approach! Follow these tips to put on a successful event and raise the funds you need:

  • Launch your site early. Aim to launch your event site about 3 to 6 months in advance of your event.
  • Feature all of your information. Your peer-to-peer fundraising site should feature information about both your charity and your bike-a-thon, as well as all details about the event and a registration page that’s mobile friendly.
  • Use a “donate” button. Include a “donate” button on your site that allows donors to give even if they choose not to participate in the ride. This will help boost your donation revenue.
  • Display a leaderboard. Use an online leaderboard so participants can see how the other riders stack up in their fundraising. Take it a step further and make sure you have a way to recognize the leaders at the event. You can award them with badges, branded custom shirts, or other prizes.
  • Keep it on the platform. Be sure to use a peer-to-peer fundraising platform to keep your registration, donation, and informational pages all on one site, which will make it easy for your attendees to find exactly what they need.

Hosting a bike-a-thon is an exciting way to engage your supporters, let them have some fun, and boost your donation revenue. Stick to your plan (and check out this comprehensive guide by OneCause!) to ensure you get the best results.

3. Dance Marathon

Dance marathons have become an increasingly popular method to fundraise. Participants, called dancers, raise money before, during, and after the event by leveraging traditional and peer-to-peer fundraising methods. In return, donors pledge to donate or sponsor the dancers’ time and energy spent dancing for a cause.

Here are some tips to consider as you plan out your event:

  • Choose the right platform. As with the other events, make sure you find the right platform that is user-friendly and will be easy for your participants to use. This is especially important because its usability affects how much they have the potential to raise.
  • Share video of the event. Many dance marathons will live stream their events online so supporters can watch the events as they occur.
  • Provide resources. Give your peer-to-peer participants resources like templates for emails, fundraising strategies, and examples of social media posts they can use to promote the campaign and event. Then, check in with them on a regular basis and work with your participants as needed.
  • Collect mobile donations. Text-based donations work really well with dance marathons! Try incorporating this into your strategy.

When you look at how social fundraising works, you may notice that individuals who see other individuals donate are more likely to give to the same cause themselves. Apply this concept to your peer-to-peer fundraising event! Be sure your participants encourage others to participate, give, and have fun.

4. Golf Tournament

As mentioned before, a peer-to-peer fundraiser is pretty versatile and can work with any type of event! So, if you want to host an even larger event, a golf tournament is at the top of our list. Bring together some of your top supporters and encourage your participants to fundraise for the tournament and spread the word.

Here are a few ways you can run your peer-to-peer golf tournament:

  • Your organization can offer participants the option to fundraise with or without buying a ticket to the tournament.
  • Participants can choose their own fundraising goal and your organization can add incentives (like a free ticket once a milestone is passed) to motivate your participants.
  • You can accept in-kind donations as tournament prizes or raffle prizes to add a level of engagement and excitement to the event.

A golf tournament can bring in a lot of revenue, and it’s also a great excuse to get outside and enjoy a game with your supporters. If you think this might be the choice for you, make sure you work through the right checklist to get started!

5. Charity Concert

Holding a charity concert is a great way to reach new audiences, but you’ll need to market it effectively. Marketing should go beyond your existing donor base and reach out to local music-lovers who might want to attend. That’s where peer-to-peer fundraising comes in!

You can hold your peer-to-peer fundraiser as a lead-up to the concert, which will serve as marketing while also helping to pay for expenses related to the event.

Follow these steps to start planning:

  1. Choose the kind of show you want to put on. Determine the size of the event you think you can host and how many people you want to attend. Then, think about the type of music you want performed.
  2. Choose your venue. If you know where your event will take place, it’ll be easier to find performers and promote the event.
  3. Choose your lineup. The musicians you partner with will also be an important part of your marketing and fundraising. You can even ask them to set up team pages and fundraise as part of your peer-to-peer campaign leading up to the show.
  4. Promote the concert. There may be a portion of your audience that comes for the performers rather than for your organization, but you’ll still have a great opportunity to gain exposure for your nonprofit and get them involved.
  5. Sell tickets and accept donations. Make tickets available online beforehand so it’s easy for people to make a commitment to attend. Offer the audience a chance to make mobile donations at the event, too.

Your charity concert can be a huge hit if you take the time to carefully plan, incorporate your peer-to-peer fundraiser, and get everyone involved?—including the performers! Self promotion is an important part of running a nonprofit (and not promoting is a mistake made by many nonprofits), so be proud of your event and your cause.

There are many events you can tie into your peer-to-peer fundraiser, and hopefully this list gives you some inspiration! Beyond hosting these events, be sure to thank your donors and your participants for all the effort and support they’ve given you.

Part of running a successful event means investing in the right peer-to-peer fundraising platform. If you’re looking to upgrade your current process but aren’t sure where to start, check out this list of the top peer-to-peer fundraising tools. Good luck!

Selecting Fundraising Software: A Guide to Navigating Board Approval

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Nonprofit Fundraising SoftwareIn today’s data driven world, modern nonprofits are finding that fundraising software is a necessity to complete their mission. Yet justifying the expense for fundraising software to board members can prove challenging.

Determining which software is needed for your organization can prove to be an even greater challenge. There are many different types of fundraising software, including CRM, Event Management, Matching Gift, Donor Research, Online Auction, Mobile Bidding and more. When selecting fundraising software and presenting it to your board, there are a three key steps you should keep in mind:

  1. Conduct a NEEDS Assesment

The first step in selecting fundraising software is to identify your organization’s needs.   It’s important to know that whatever software you choose will fit your nonprofit’s needs now and in the foreseeable future.

Before you dive in and start researching software options, create a list of the common issues your organization is currently facing that software may be able help simplify.

There are several things you may want to consider when creating your list, including:

  • How are you managing donor records?
  • Are you finding challenges with planning fundraising events? Ticketing? Auctions?
  • What kind of data sources are available for donor research?

With this list in mind, you can make a more informed decision about which software is going to help you tackle your greatest challenges.

  1. Prepare Your Presentation

Now that you’ve evaluated your organization’s needs it’s time to start preparing for your presentation to the board. The best way to do this is to consider which question you think your board may ask and what objections they may bring up. They may ask:

  • What are the adoption costs?
  • How long until we start seeing results from this investment?
  • Why is software an improvement from our existing systems?

You know your board better than anyone else, so take the time to think of other questions they may ask and be prepared with thoughtful responses. It will probably be helpful to break down larger questions into smaller ones to make sure you really address the board’s concerns.

  1. Share your Findings with Your Board

Selecting the software is only half the challenge. Presenting your findings in a way that will best answer your board’s questions is essential to make sure your organization makes the right purchasing decision.

As you build your presentation make sure you address likely questions. Add facts, data and comparison charts so your board has a solid understanding of the costs and benefits of both keeping your existing system or purchasing new fundraising software.

Try to schedule one-on-one conversations with key board members before you build your presentation so you know which key points you should highlights and which issues you should avoid.

To make your presentation count, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • If you’re building a slide deck, focus on one key message per slide.
  • Use graphics and images to illustrate your message. The fewer words per slide the better.
  • Keep it short and simple.

Make sure you take time to practice your presentation beforehand. Have your team review your presentation with you before you present it to your board. If possible have a friendly board member sit in on your practice sessions and provide feedback.

Closing Thoughts

If you think your organization would benefit from fundraising software, it’s imperative that you take strategic approach with your board when securing funds for the investment. As long as you come prepared and provide a thorough presentation, you should be confident they’ll agree with you.

For additional information on purchasing fundraising software, check out BidPal’s guide on Best Practice for Purchasing Online Donation Software.

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