Getting It Right: The Virtual Fundraiser

This past Saturday, I had a wonderful experience at a nonprofit’s fundraising walk.  The kickoff was a great opportunity to learn about the nonprofit.  We were introduced to the leadership team when they provided their background and told us what role they played at the organization.   Then we heard from the Executive Director who shared a bit of history and clearly articulated the mission and vision of the nonprofit.  Once the intro was done, we learned about the details of the walk, the day’s activities and options available.  Finally, one of the children who has participated in the nonprofit’s programs led us in a warm-up including jumping jacks, mountain climbers and sit ups (it was tough!).  And then we were off

Does the above sound like the beginning of the typical charity walk that’s become the anchor event of so many nonprofits? Having spent much of this past decade doing these walks, as well as bike and run events for charities, I would say so.  In fact, I’ve just described what went on at Walk For Their Future, the 10th Anniversary of the fundraiser done in support of  Today’s Youth Matter (www.tymkids.org)   This year’s very appropriate theme was Moving Forward and like most of the fundraising events taking place, it was moved from a live to a virtual event.   Yet despite the miles and distance, I truly felt a part of something very special.    

As a very committed runner, I’ve done several virtual 5K’s and half marathons as substitutes for the live races on my spring schedule due to the coronavirus.  It’s been a nice way to support charities I care about and add extra incentive as I do my solo runs.  Yet, I have to admit that I’ve been quietly skeptical about the ability for nonprofits to create an impactful experience that provide participants with a sense of community when moving their events from live to a virtual platform.  This past Saturday, I was pleasantly pleased to see how wrong I was!

I wanted to share several best practices based on my experience with Today’s Youth Matter (TYM).  And in the interest of full disclosure, I am a fan of TYM as I provide grant writing services for them.  If you’re in the process of moving your event from live to virtual, I hope the following can help you create the best possible experience for your volunteers, fundraisers and donors:
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• Leverage the Freedom....and the Technology:   TYM’s virtual fundraiser offered you the opportunity to participate with an activity of your choice - walk, run, bike, swim, skydive etc.  - anything goes!  I took advantage of the opportunity.  There was something very cool and unique about dedicating my five mile run in Florida to Today’s Youth Matters that is doing life changing work all the way across the country in the Bay Area of California.  I then shared a video - as did others - on an ongoing album highlighting all participant’s activity.     

• Attention to Detail:    I was truly impressed by the attention to detail in service of creating an event that paralleled a real walk.  TYM provided numbered bibs you could download from the site.  I don’t remember many live walks even offering those! And, as I mentioned earlier, we even started our event with a virtual warm-up done by an individual impacted by TYM’s work. 

And most importantly….
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• Create a real connection with the organization and the community:  TYM had a well crafted kick-off agenda that created connection with their organization as well, if not better, than many live walks I’ve been to.  Beyond that, the Executive Director asked intriguing questions about engagement with TYM, created cross introductions between participants and numerous other activities in service of an experience that truly created a community and family.  

While there are other key components to crafting an engaging virtual experience, these are some building blocks that will create a strong foundation for success.