Girls Inc. of New Hampshire has spent the last 45 years inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold. They provide girls throughout New Hampshire with life-changing experiences and real solutions to the problems they face. This attitude of boldly confronting challenges surely played a large role in their ability to rapidly adapt to a changing fundraising market and the huge amount of uncertainty COVID-19 has created. Below, see the key measures they implemented to ensure a successful virtual gala and fundraising auction.
Background
Online auctions and mobile bidding have been gaining in popularity for over a decade. Most nonprofits, including Girls Inc., have used it to improve an event's experience, but have stopped short of actually holding their entire gala virtually. However, the spread of COVID-19 has forced many nonprofits to confront the challenge of hosting virtual events much sooner than one might have expected.
It can be hard to adapt to change and nonprofit organizations often deal with circumstances that make change especially difficult. Large changes require time and money, two things that are often lacking at nonprofit organizations.
Girls Inc. of New Hampshire was able to overcome these challenges and used Panorama by FrontStream™ live streaming on Facebook and YouTube to create a well-rounded virtual annual gala experience and ensure their fundraising success. FrontStream spoke with their staff to learn about their thirteen key steps to fundraising success.
Going Virtual
In early March 2020 the staff at Girls Inc. of New Hampshire started to sense that COVID-19 might affect their annual gala. It was still early on in the pandemic, but they had a feeling that they may not be able to hold their traditional in person event. The CEO and staff started to research additional options, including hosting a livestream video event. A few weeks later, New Hampshire issued an official stay-at-home order. Girls Inc. was going virtual.
Create a comprehensive event experience The staff quickly decided that hosting an online auction wasn't enough. They wanted to mimic sense of community present at their traditional in person event. They chose to gather all their supporters in one place, at one time (virtually) to create excitement and draw attention to their mission. The staff chose to record a live taping of the auction and gala program and stream it on Facebook and YouTube using their free streaming services.
The staff hadn't hosted an event like this before, so they knew they would need help to ensure it was professional and engaging for their supporters.
Engage the expertsOne of the staff's next moves was engaging a professional TV studio to film and live stream their event on Facebook. They worked with a local studio Events United in Derry who handled all the logistics of taping and streaming the video. Hiring these experts allowed them to focus on the program and maximizing their fundraising.
Invest in your eventThere is, of course, a cost to working with a professional studio. While some nonprofits are hesitant to incur new costs, the Girls Inc. of New Hampshire staff looked at their budget and realized the cost would actually be significantly lower since they wouldn't be spending money in other areas. In fact, the cost was about 13% of the amount they normally spent on costs like their venue, food and beverage, signage, and postage. These savings in costs meant that even if they raised less money overall, they still had a very good chance of reaching their net fundraising goal.
Engage a dynamic hostThe live streamed program was about an hour long, so the staff knew they'd need to make the event exciting and engaging. They chose to make the CEO of Girls Inc. New Hampshire, Sharron McCarthy and professional auctioneer Mark Federo co-hosts. Sharron was able to start the event by talking about the history of the organization and the work the organization does with over 2,000 local girls. She emphasized how vital their programming is during the COVID-19 pandemic and created a sense of urgency for donors. Mark was able to provide the comic relief and help to highlight the auction items. This created a great balance between being mission focused and creating some fun.
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Hire a talented auctioneerWhile they can be costly, professional auctioneers have the specific experience needed to maximize bids and engage bidders at a special event. Girls Inc. knew it would be especially vital to have the right auctioneer for a live stream. They worked with the auctioneer they had already contracted- Mark Federo- for the in person event. He was a bit concerned initially that he wouldn't have his normal interaction with the crowd to work off of. Ultimately there was no need to worry as the auctioneer was dynamic, funny and made sure to keep it interesting.
Another key step was a run through of the script and a rehearsal to work out the logistics of the program. Sharron and Mark considered ways to change the program to be better suited to a live stream and keep things light and fun. Since the auctioneer was a professional with lots of experience, he was able to adapt and improvise once they went live.
Create an engaging event programIn addition to sharing mission information and highlighting auction items, Girls Inc. knew they needed to provide some entertainment during the program. Most special events feature some sort of entertainment like a singer, band, or performance.
The theme of their 2020 gala was: "Fuel Her Fire and She Will Change the World" so they asked local singer Tanya Myrick to sing a very appropriate song: "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. Her performance was not only incredible, but also emotional and inspiring.
Invite everyone. And we mean EVERYONE!One of the best parts of a virtual event is that anyone can attend. Instead of being limited to those that can afford to purchase a ticket and attend a gala, the staff offered the live stream free of charge to their entire network. They also secured online marketing and local coverage of the event, including this article from the Nashua Telegraph.
The reach of the event was wide- with over 2,000 individuals tuning in during the stream.
Invite your supporters to speakThe Girls Inc. staff invited their program attendees to create videos talking about what they miss about attending Girls Inc. centers. The videos were edited into one piece and played as part of the program. This added to the experience of the overall program and really drove home where the funds raised go.
They also invited their high profile supporters to film a short video for the program. Former MLB pitcher Lenny DiNardo recorded a video with his daughters.
Governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu and Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan and other community leaders also contributed their support and video messages.
Create an Actionable Mission AskPart of the program featured a mission ask. "Fund Her Need" raises funds that go toward serving girls in New Hampshire with their unique programs, their two program centers, summers camps and Young Women’s Leadership programs. Having a mission ask gives attendees the option of making a direct donation instead (or in addition to) bidding on an auction item. Plus, these donations are 100% deductible as the donor receives no goods or services in exchange for their donation.
Despite the fact that some of their programming is not feasible with social distancing, the staff has been able to keep in regular contact with parents and girls. They offer virtual mentoring, daily virtual programming and help girls adapt to online learning. They have also been able to implement "curbside pickup" of food and prepared dinners to ensure their girls and families are safe and cared for during the pandemic. Highlighting the ways your organization is still fulfilling your mission during COVID-19 helps to keep donations flowing.
Use every tool in your toolboxThe Girls Inc. staff was thankful that they were already using BiddingForGood- the online auction platform in Panorama by FrontStream. That meant that when they made the decision to go completely virtual, they already had the online auction set up. As they have used the software since 2008, they were comfortable with the tools and features in Panorama and the online bidding marketplace BiddingForGood provides.
During the stream, they used BiddingForGood to promote auction items, engage virtual participants to encourage mobile bidding and display leaderboards.
Empower attendees with education and best practicesSince this was a brand new type of fundraiser, the staff sent emails and an instruction sheet about mobile bidding to their constituents. They also hosted a hotline for attendees having any issues with mobile bidding.
| Bidding Tips | Email to Constituents |
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Don't Forget Your SponsorsIn addition to supporting a great cause, many sponsors look at an in person gala as a publicity tool. It's great to be in a room of like minded people and make connections. However, this is still 100% possible with a virtual event. Sharron made sure to thank the event sponsors early and often, and the staff created an online program of the auction items that highlighted sponsors. You can also create new opportunities to replace the signage, logo placement and other traditional sponsor benefits. Don't forget to promote your sponsors on social media and in your event emails.
A great point to make with any sponsor that may be hesitant to engage with a virtual event is that the reach of virtual events can be exceptionally larger. You're no longer limited to the people in the room. For example, a traditional gala normally has between 300-500 guests. Girls Inc. of New Hampshire had over 2,000 attendees that tuned in for the livestream.
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| Acknowledge Sponsors During LiveStream | Thank Sponsors in Event Emails |
Stay focused on your goalOverall the event raised $175,000 for Girls Inc. of New Hampshire. Despite the challenges they faced they remained focused on their goal and their mission of helping girls. The event was so successful that they are strongly considering keeping it a completely virtual event in 2021!
If you'd like to see the entire live stream of the event, you can visit the Girls Inc. Facebook page here.
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GIRLS INC. INSPIRES ALL GIRLS TO BE STRONG, SMART, AND BOLD
For nearly 45 years, Girls Inc. of New Hampshire has inspired girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold. We provide girls throughout New Hampshire with life-changing experiences and real solutions to the unique issues girls face. Girls Inc. gives girls the tools and support they need to succeed, including trained professionals who mentor and guide them in a safe, girls-only environment; peers who share their drive and aspirations; and research-based programming.
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FrontStream is a leader in the nonprofit fundraising industry and makers of the Panorama by FrontStream- your all -in-one digital fundraising platform.With over 20 years of experience in the fundraising software industry, our FrontStream team is mission-focused on helping nonprofits and socially responsible corporations raise more funds to do more good. Through our innovative and secure fundraising solutions, we help organizations reach their goals and effect positive change in the world.
Additional resources:
Auctions with Panorama by FrontStream
Blog Post: 10 Simple Steps to Host an Online Auction During COVID-19
Blog Post: Nonprofit Fundraising for the Digital Age
FrontStream Knowledge Base: How to Embed a Video on your Auction Homepage
Case Study: Jacksonville Humane Society
