Hybrid Fundraising Events

What is a Hybrid Fundraising Event?

Why Hybrid Events?

The onset of COVID-19—and the resulting restrictions on large gatherings—forced many nonprofits to cancel or postpone their in-person fundraising events in 2020. With technology largely in place, nonprofits saw an all-digital event as a natural transition to fundraising—and so the Virtual Event was born.

Some organizations live-streamed a program that guests could watch and participate in from a computer or mobile device. Others pre-recorded their program to minimize the possibility of technical interruptions, and peppered in live fund-a-need broadcast. Nonprofits utilized online auctions, donation appeals and interactive activities to try to fill the space that signature fundraising events left behind in the pandemic.

A recent nonprofit fundraising study showed that the majority of nonprofits that hosted a virtual event saw an increase in new donor attendance. With the possibility of in-person gatherings on the horizon, we stand on the precipice of change. How can you maintain the incredible energy of online, purely virtual events in the future? That’s where hybrid fundraising come in.

What Should My Hybrid Event Look Like?

Every hybrid fundraiser is tailored to the organization holding it! You know your audience better than anyone—find out what they liked, and what they want to see moving forward, and tailor your event experience to their needs. Start out by asking your most important donors what they want in a future fundraising event. This will tell you so much!

• If you held a virtual event last year, what did they like? What didn't they like?
• Try to get an idea of how many guests will be willing to attend in-person, and how many would like to continue attending virtually/online.
• Where will you hold your event? What are the restrictions and advantages of the venue?

Make sure your preferred venue will allow hybrid event integration! Check that your venue has enough space for the additional equipment and personnel. If you plan to stream your live event for guests watching from home, you’ll want a reliable, high-speed internet connection that’s thoroughly tested beforehand so your stream isn’t interrupted. Find a production team with experience and know-how in recording and broadcasting an event online.

Most nonprofits already have the technology and expertise to host a hybrid event! Nonprofit organizations have been holding hybrid fundraising events for years—we just didn’t call them that! Any fundraiser that combines in-person and online elements is a “hybrid event.” These event formats are probably familiar to you:

• LIVE AUCTION with REMOTE BIDDING: A live fundraising gala where guests can preview auction items before the event begins and place their initial bids. Most fundraisers that utilize mobile bidding also allow bidders who aren’t physically present to participate in the auction, allowing even more competition for auction items—and driving higher fundraising.
• PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISING leading up to an “A-THON”: In an “a-thon” style fundraiser, participants fundraise for the cause on their own—usually with an online donation page—leading up to a run, walk, or other outdoor event. When the participant successfully completes the course, their collected funds are donated to the nonprofit, encouraging friendly competition among the fundraisers and giving all the participants a personal stake in fundraising.

Now, nonprofits have discovered dozens of exciting new ways to engage guests from near and far. They are getting more creative than ever, combining elements of traditional and virtual events to suit their audience and specific fundraising needs.

To help nonprofit organizations design their own perfect hybrid event, we’ve put together a few event formats that can be tailored and adjusted to your needs, audience, and technological capabilities!

1. ONLINE AUCTION featuring a LIVE-STREAMED PROGRAM:
This format has plenty of flexibility to include any proportion of in-person guests and online guests. It is truly accessible to everyone, because remote attendees can participate in the auction, donate in the live appeal, and watch the same show over the stream as live attendees are seeing. It’s perfect for audiences who aren’t quite ready to assemble in person in large groups, but allows VIPs, major donors, and other guests who are comfortable to get together and socialize during the show.


2. INTIMATE LIVE EVENT and a CAPITAL CAMPAIGN.
A capital campaign is the perfect fundraiser because it can be customized for any organization, any time frame, and any cause. Typically, a capital campaign focuses on a single, tangible goal, such as funding a new addition or program, and runs over a period from a few months to a few years.

Pair your capital campaign with an in-person launch event to celebrate your major donors, and secure their commitments to the campaign. Alternatively, bring everyone together at the end of a successful capital campaign to honor those who participated and donated, and show off successfully reaching your fundraising goal.


3. SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETITION and WINNER DINNER.
With so many causes competing for donors’ attention, how can you make yours stand out and really engage your supporter base?

Design and run a social media contest built around fun! People love to compete, almost as much as they love to win, and doing it over social media means more eyes on your nonprofit. Base the competition around peer-to-peer fundraising, or a non-monetary metric that directly involves your cause. A dog shelter could run a “feed a dog for a week” drive, where supporters compete to see who can raise the most money from their Facebook friends—and whoever feed the most dogs wins.

To really incentivize the competition, cap your social media campaign with an exclusive in-person dinner event for the winners!


4. OUTDOOR GOLF TOURNAMENT with a simultaneous ONLINE AUCTION.
The golf tournament is a perfect summer option for socially-distanced fundraising! Display your auction items in a tent where everyone participating in the tournament can check them out, then bid from their mobile devices as they play through the course.

Open your auction to remote guests who can’t attend the event for even more bids! This type of event typically doesn’t call for a broadcast or livestream, as there isn’t a formal program, and works great for mostly in-person guests—with room for guests of guests and remote bidders to participate in the auction.

Substitute golf with any other outdoor event! Try hosting a garden party, a rodeo, a carnival, or a chili cook-off to accompany your auction.