How to make the most of digital events to boost your fundraising and support your communities
With the recent introduction of restrictions on social contact and the expected ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s going to be increasingly important for charities to find ways to engage with their supporters and to continue to raise funds while keeping in line with government guidelines.
Digital and virtual fundraising events have been becoming more prevalent in the charity sector in recent years. In a busy world, they are a flexible and convenient way for people to get involved with charities, as well as encouraging a broader sense of community in a world that we hear is increasingly disconnected.
On top of this, they are a cost-effective way for charities to encourage fundraising and engage with their supporters without the traditional restraints or costs of organising and facilitating in-person events.
Virtual sporting challenges
With sporting events and large gatherings postponed for the foreseeable future, many charities are facing a massive loss in sponsorship.
But although the loss of significant fundraising events like the London Marathon is a huge blow to charities, that doesn’t mean that you can’t tap into your communities’ athletic endeavours to raise funds for your charity.
Many charities have started setting up virtual races and challenges that allow participants to take part in their own time and space. These range from walking and running events to live-streamed workouts, dance-a-thons, or really any other activity you can think of. One such charity is Access Charity website platform client Ovacome, who set up a virtual walking challenge to run alongside their regular ‘Teal Walk’
Events such as these are particularly beneficial in the current climate and can encourage numerous benefits not only for the charity but for the participant too. Many people will see their usual activity routine disrupted in the coming weeks. Giving participants a challenge or goal that they can aim for within current guidelines can encourage them to continue physical activity even when large scale events aren’t there to motivate them. Exercise, even gentle exercise like walking, is proven to reduce stress, improve mood, strengthen the body and heart, all things that are particularly important in these trying times.
Online Quizzes and Games
The good old-fashioned pub quiz is another classic of the fundraising world. But just because pubs are off-limits right now doesn’t mean pub quizzes are. The premise of an online quiz is basically the same as the one you’re used to seeing in your local. Participants pay an entry fee then compete against each other to get the most amount of correct answers. Quiz participants with the highest score can be entered into a prize draw to make the event even more enticing. There’s also a bonus that you can run the quiz over several days, meaning that anyone can play along, regardless of work or home life commitments.
If coming up with questions isn’t your thing, why don’t you set up an online game tournament? This can include everything from Tetris to angry birds, to online scrabble. Get people to make a donation to enter the competition then post their high-scores or compete against each other to move up your league table, with prizes for the top achievers.
One of the more modern iterations of charity gaming you could also tap into is a live-stream charity gaming event. Events like these feature gamers live-streaming their gameplaying for a period of time while fans and donors then donate money to watch. This method has increased in popularity recently due to the growth in the video game market and the increasing popularity of professional and amateur live-stream gaming influencers.
For more information on how to set up an event like this, visit JustGiving’s ‘Gaming for Good’ hub. You can also visit the Gamer Charity Hub, which has examples of how charities have worked with the gaming community to raise funds and helps charities to connect with experienced gamers who can help you run your live streams.
Video Call Coffee Mornings
Now more than ever, isolation and loneliness are a significant challenge to our communities. People are advised to avoid café’s, community centres and other social settings at the moment. But that doesn’t mean that the traditional coffee morning can’t continue to help charities raise funds while encouraging socialisation and community spirit at a time it’s really needed.
Utilising the many different video call and chat technologies in the market, why not set up a virtual meet-up? Alternatively, set up a hashtag to allow people to join in via social media. One of the best free tools out there is Google Hangouts, allowing you to instantly set up a free channel to communicate with people
You could even encourage people to make a small donation in exchange for access to virtual space to chat over a cup of tea and (hopefully) a biscuit.
You could even share a basic recipe for biscuits that uses store cupboard essentials people likely already have in the house ahead of the event to give people something to talk about when they first join…. Or a good old debate about the best way to make a cuppa!
Online recipe or skills swaps
In the absence of your fundraisers, supporters and donors being able to partake in physical activities to raise funds for your charity, that doesn’t mean your community doesn’t have a wealth of talents you can draw on to encourage donations
With supermarket shelves bare and shopping becoming a challenge for many who are self-isolating, why not ask your community to share tasty and easy recipes that utilise basic, everyday ingredients?
Or with many people finding themselves with more time on their hands than usual, perhaps you could facilitate skill-sharing? Many skills lend themselves to virtual learning from languages to website design to art criticism; the possibilities are vast. Put a call out to your fundraisers to see what skills they could share with your community of donors.
You can then ask people to make a donation per recipe or to access a bank of recipes or for each topic they learn about from one of your fundraisers.
Wrap Up
All in all, it’s important to focus on the positives that can come from dealing with a difficult situation, for example you could stumble upon a digital fundraising idea that quickly becomes the new normal for you… long after worries about Covid-19 have dissipated.
You might not know it, but you likely already have an actively engaged audience whose daily life involves endless interactions across digital channels, so get online, get creative and carry on fundraising for your amazing causes.
