For many nonprofits, fundraisers have usually taken a more traditional approach with an in-person activity or annual gala event with cheque books and solid cash used to collect generous and much needed donations.

However, the pandemic abruptly caused many nonprofits with long standing fundraising formats to pivot and seek new avenues. That is where virtual fundraisers were given the chance to shine. A virtual fundraising event is so much more than an ‘alternative’ to an in-person event and their benefits reach long after the passing of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Happily, you can use virtual events and livestream services to:

1. Activate any of your social media channels as a fundraising platform

Social media is a great tool to optimize donations by connecting with your established followers in a format they are already familiar with.

2. Expand support for your programs by attracting new audiences

You can spread the word about your cause to more people in your community and across the country, and then make it so easy for them to donate as they wish. This is a huge win for fundraising goals as you would not be excluding anyone who, for whatever reason, would not have been able to easily attend an in-person event.

3. Seamlessly receive and celebrate donations made by text or web

A customized user experience and giving people options are always important, and both those things can be fully optimized with virtual events.

4. Increase the frequency of sharing program updates

Staying connected with your community of donors and engage supporters, making them feel involved and in the loop, is a great way to build trust and inspire them to make a donation.

5. Create urgency and instant gratification for online donations

Seeing donations made in real time, watching that pledge counter go up and up, having a donors name pop up on the screen; it all generates a sense of collective excitement that makes participants feel instantaneously fulfilled when making a donation.

Discover how Happily helped this nonprofit raise $30k with a virtual live auction

Team Happily recently worked with LEAP, a nonprofit based around mentorship programs for youth in low income communities. We were able to successfully transform an annual fundraising event that they had been hosting for 25 years into their first virtual gala.

You can read all about the challenges, solutions and results in this LEAP Case Study, as well as a video summary of the event.

Now we’d love to hear about your nonprofit

Get in touch with us and let’s chat about your virtual gala, virtual fundraising event or any virtual fundraising ideas you may have. Together we can produce a Happily virtual event customized for your nonprofit.