Virtual Fundraising: How to Host a Virtual Fundraising Event during COVID-19

As you may know, fundraising is a huge part of the performing arts world. We understand how important this is for the health of your organization, so we wanted to help by sharing some ideas on how to host a virtual fundraising event during the current pandemic. Although times have changed and we cannot be together directly, there are still many ways for us to come together virtually.

Has your organization thought of hosting a virtual fundraising event? With our new feature AgileLINK, we made it easy for you and your patrons to come together while still adhering to CDC recommendations of social distancing. It’s time to get creative. Here are a few ways you can fundraise from a respectful distance.

All you have to do is ask.

Asking for donations is the first step. Agile Ticketing Solutions has a great Donor Management tool that allows you to pull reports of who has donated to your organization. This is a great place to start. Your organization can personally reach out to each person who has previously donated. You can explain to them how the current climate of COVID-19 and the CDC recommendations of social distancing have unfortunately had a negative impact on your organization. Kindly ask your patrons to donate again and track the results of your efforts. If you choose to use an email management platform such as MailChimp or Emma, these will allow you to track your donation request efforts.

As we have mentioned earlier, this is a great place to start but there is more than one way to increase donations. Get creative. Sometimes just asking for a donation isn’t going to help you reach your fundraising goals. Don’t forget to utilize the tools around you. One of these tools being your community, you can ask local businesses to donate an auction item for you to sell during a virtual fundraising event, or you can team up with a local business for a giveaway to help grow your social media following. Here are a few different events you can hold virtually to help your organization bring in a large amount of donations.

 1. Host a virtual fundraising event utilizing the AgileLINK platform.

During your virtual fundraising event you may want to set up a virtual auction and sell highly desired items via the AgileLINK platform. Creating a “bidding war” between patrons will allow you to easily sell items past market value. Below are some recommendations of auction items that you could add to your checklist.

a. Stage and sell a romantic evening

b. Floral arrangements

c. Food baskets

d. Housecleaning services

e. Handyman services

f. Trips from a local travel agency

g. Dinners for two from local restaurants

h. Desserts or goodies from a local bakery

2. Host an educational webinar for kids.

Right now, a lot of children are out of school, leaving their parents with the responsibility to teach them. You can set up a virtual learning center within your organization and ask the parents for donations in exchange for their child attending your educational webinar. This could be a standard price you set or a “pay what you can” price. Below are a few educational webinars your organization can offer.

a. Your work within your organization

b. History behind your theater

c. History behind cinemas and how they have changed over the years

3. Host a social media fundraising event via Facebook or Instagram Live.

We recommend utilizing your social media channels if you have a large audience. An example of a social media live event is, tour of your facility and talk about the history of your organization. Set up a donation website where people can watch your live stream and donate at the same time!

In summary, there are endless ways your organization can get creative when coming up with ideas for virtual fundraising events in the current world and we are here to help! Fundraising is a huge part of our industry and it’s important to utilize the tools in your community. People want to be able to help in any way they can, so don’t be afraid to ask. If you have any questions on how to get started you can reach us at support@old.agiletix.com.

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