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To say the last few years forced non-profits to be more creative than they’ve ever been is an understatement. First, non-profit organizations had to raise money during a time when meeting in-person was out of the question. Then, non-profits had to navigate the post-pandemic reality where some things returned to normal and other pandemic adjustments stuck around. Luckily for us, the HGAFundraising community offers a wealth of expertise we can lean on. Recently, Matt Burnell, Founder and CEO of ClickBid, joined our webinar to discuss how non-profits can incorporate the things we learned over the past few years. Here are 4 fundraising trends he predicts will help you raise more money for your non-profit. Selective Streaming Streaming fundraising events offers an opportunity to raise additional funds beyond the event attendees. ClickBid’s average remote donation is $500, so even one donor brings an additional $500 to your organization. Matt Burnell wants to see non-profits continue offering a virtual component to allow donors out of town to participate in the giving. As he rightly points out, people have been phoning in to donate or bid on auction items for decades, so it’s not a new or difficult undertaking. There are several ways non-profits can do this. The first is selective streaming to cut out the aspects of the fundraising gala that only benefit in-person attendees. Watching people socializing or eating dinner would be boring for people streaming the event. Instead, non-profits can stream the foundation director’s speech, the ask, and the auction portions of the evening. Another option is to have a podcast team that walks around conducting interviews while event attendees socialize. There is a secondary program for virtual attendees during the social portion of the fundraising gala. Technology makes this really easy to do. ClickBid has a streaming platform built into their donation page. There is no extra production cost to stream your event. If you have an AV setup at your event, then you already have everything in place to stream or selectively stream your fundraising event. Pre-Event Advertising Jason Ledlow is a fan of saying that if you want to raise $100,000 at a fundraising event, you need at least $50,000 raised before the event through underwriting opportunities and sponsorships. In addition to that, you should be getting donors excited about the event and the items up for auction. If you use bidding software, you can encourage event attendees to register ahead of the event and browse the items available in the live and silent auction. You can also advertise these auction items on your social media pages and via email so that virtual attendees will get excited about the items up for auction. Packaged Experiences We have found that unique packaged items or experiences perform the best in live and silent auctions. Amazon has made it easy for people to buy physical items and get them delivered to their door. They can even order these items at a fundraising event instead of bidding on them. This limits the number of bids and the amount they raise for your non-profit. At the end of the day, donors are consumers, so your auction items need to capture their attention. Your auction items need to be something that they can’t just find on their Amazon app. For example, we’ve seen schools raise vast amounts of money by auctioning prime parking spaces or dinner with the principal. We’ve also seen a lot of success by combining a number of items and experiences to create a unique, high-value auction item. Short-Form Video Content One trend that has only continued to grow post-pandemic is short-form video content. It is an excellent way for non-profits to expand their reach. TikTok, Instagram, and even YouTube are prioritizing shirt-form video content, and there is more demand than content on many of these platforms.
Your short-form video content doesn’t have to be a high-production undertaking. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past few years, it’s that the most successful non-profits are those who embrace creativity and aren’t afraid to push the envelope. It’s no doubt that it can be uncomfortable to ask people for money – even when it’s for a good cause.
No matter how long you’ve been raising donations for non-profits, that discomfort never truly goes away. In fact, we’re willing to bet that your top fundraiser still feels uncomfortable asking donors for money. Keep reading to learn how top fundraisers deal with the discomfort of asking for donations and raising money for their cause. When you want to raise more money for your non-profit, the easiest place to start is with your donor relationships. Building strong, long-lasting relationships with your donors turns them into raving fans of your mission who will support you in any way they can.
When we have worked with non-profits who have strong relationships with their donors, their donors bring generous friends with them to fundraisers, their donors provide exclusive access that the non-profit can leverage, and their donors can be counted on to give and drive giving. Here are 3 ways you can build long-lasting relationships with your donors. Plus, read until the end for a challenge that will help you start nurturing your donor relationships. A non-profit organization we work with had their most profitable silent auction yet. There were only 56 people in the room, yet they sold 2 Tuscany trips and 2 Caribbean trips in the silent auction. They then resold each package after the event multiple times to the backup bidders. The secret to their profitable silent auction is that they had the right people in the room.
The two terms can often be used interchangeably, but they mean different things when it comes to decision-making and goals; they play different roles.
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