Hosting Virtual Fundraising Events

The connection between donors and the mission is crucial for fundraising campaigns. Imagine your donor, with a morning coffee in hand, sitting at the kitchen table, not just reading about your cause but becoming an active part of it. Here's how to transform your donors from passive contributors to active participants: 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐬 & 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬: Include a survey in your mailings to gather their opinions and preferences. This simple step shows donors that their input is valuable, making them feel heard and respected. 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Encourage them to sign a petition related to your cause. It’s more than just adding their name; it’s taking a stand. This shared action binds them more closely to your mission. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 & 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: Give them the opportunity to send a personal message to someone benefiting from their support. This direct interaction creates meaningful connections, making the impact of their donation deeply personal. These strategies are more than just fundraising techniques; they are powerful engagement tools that transform the act of giving into a participatory experience. When donors are actively involved, they not only contribute more, but also become long-term advocates for your cause.

Nonprofits relying on the same old “Donate Now” button are getting left behind. Why? Because donor behavior has changed. People don’t just give anymore. They engage, compete, stream, and share. And the smartest fundraisers are meeting them where they are. What’s In? Live-Stream Fundraising Donors spend three times more time watching live videos than pre-recorded ones. Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, if you’re not streaming, you’re invisible. Peer-to-Peer Campaigns Sixty-four percent of donors say they’re more likely to give if a friend asks. Smart organizations empower their supporters to fundraise for them, on social, email, and beyond. Gamification and Challenges Fundraisers using leaderboards, milestones, or team challenges see fifty percent higher participation. People love a little competition, so why not turn giving into a game? What’s Out? Boring Email Appeals – If your donor emails feel like homework, they won’t get read. Include interaction within the email. Static Fundraising Pages – If your donation page looks the same as it did in 2019, you’re losing donors at checkout. One-and-Done Fundraising – If your donors only hear from you when you need money, don’t be surprised when they disappear. The Takeaway Digital fundraising is all about creating experiences. Engage first. Make giving fun. Watch retention and donations skyrocket. Who’s doing this right in 2025? Drop your thoughts below. With purpose and impact, Mario

How I raised engagement by 50% at my client’s marketing/corporate events. By the way, this all happened BEFORE THE EVENT 1. Enhanced Communication Channels We streamlined communication by promptly addressing inquiries on social media, sending regular email updates, and offering clear instructions for registrations. 2. Leveraged Social Media Platforms By creating dedicated event pages and sharing engaging content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses and high-quality videos, we sparked conversations and heightened interest among potential attendees. 3. Implemented Countdown Campaigns We built anticipation through countdown campaigns, emphasizing unique event features and exclusive experiences, which motivated prompt registrations. 4. Personalized Invitations Sending personalized video invitations made attendees feel uniquely valued, fostering a sense of connection and commitment to the event. 5. Pre-Event Surveys and Polls We gathered insights into attendee preferences through pre-event surveys, allowing us to tailor content and activities to their interests, enhancing relevance and engagement. By integrating these strategies, we not only increased engagement but also created a more personalized and memorable experience for attendees. Your engagement plan starts BEFORE the event. Set the standard from the start! #EventPlanning #CorporateEvents #EventStrategy #marketingevents #eventmarketing #eventproduction #houstontx #houstontexas #houstonbusiness #executiveassistants

We’ve managed $100k+ ad budgets promoting online and in-person events and here’s what we’ve learned: 1. Timing matters. The majority of ticket sales or registrations happen in the weeks leading up to the event. We account for this by allocating the majority of the spend closer to the day of the event. 2. Social proof converts. For one client, we searched LinkedIn for anyone who posted about the event after the fact and ranked them by engagement. We then promoted those posts as thought leader ads in anticipation of the next event. 3. Promote transparency. If you are at liberty to do so, why not give away the attendee list? If you have a high value audience and have your targeting dialed in, try a campaign where you gate the attendee list. We’ve seen this tactic promote great conversations that directly lead to ticket sales. 4. Ads that feature as many speakers as possible tend to perform the best. Generally we see ads with faces perform well, so try combining all the speakers into one post. You can then split those ads up into individual speaker ads, use them in carousels, etc. Above all, we’ve learned that preparation is key to promoting these events. For one client, we put together a schedule of ads that would go out as we got closer to the day of the event. This included “countdown” ads where we’d say “the event is 1 month out!” etc. as we built a sense of urgency. Because we put together this plan we were able to get creative requests to our designers early. We had all the creatives ready to go months out from the event and had all the campaigns built and scheduled so that they would pause and activate as the countdown got closer. We’re always testing new strategies to promote these events and it’s impossible to fit all of our experiments into one post. For example, LinkedIn has built in event ads which allow people to register for a LinkedIn event directly from the ad. The key to improving performance for that ad unit is to build up as many organic registrations as possible. Since you can see how many people registered directly on the ad, we’ve seen that a higher number of organic registrations directly impacts the conversion rate on the paid side. Interested in hearing more about how we promote events via ads? Feel free to reach out. We have a ton more ideas we’re looking to test. 🧑🔬

Nobody wants to go to a boring webinar. I personally don’t have the attention span for that and you probably don’t either. Earlier this year, we hosted a virtual event at Exit Five that brought in 3,300 registrants, a 40% attendance rate, over 4,000 live chat messages, and 6+ hours of content we’re still repurposing months later. Safe to say most people didn’t think it was boring! Here are four things that made it work: 1. Make registration a no-brainer We treated the registration page like a product landing page - clear value prop front and center, short and simple form, real speaker photos and bios, a detailed agenda, and an FAQ to answer common questions. No fluff, no vague promises. Just straight to what’s in it for attendees. 2. Make it feel like an experience It’s not a meeting - it’s a show. We prepped with speakers ahead of time to keep the pace tight, transitions smooth, intros short, and get straight to the content. We left space for live Q&A, used interactive features like polls and giveaways, and kept the chat active the entire time so keep attendees engaged. 3. Build for repurposing Every session became content fuel for weeks and months ahead. Full recordings went to our podcast over the next few months. We pulled clips for social and gave speakers assets to use on their own channels. 4. Use a tool that helps you move fast We use Zuddl. Their event platform helped us build branded landing pages, manage invites and reminders, track promo performance, review post-event data, and host an event that ran smoothly from start to finish. So, the difference between forgettable virtual events and memorable ones isn’t budget or big-name speakers - it’s treating the whole thing like a real experience that’s actually worth people’s time. Make attendees excited for the next one before this one even ends. P.S - Zuddl is a sponsor of Exit Five and our Email Teardown (but we genuinely love the product and recommend it). We also wrote an article with more detail on how we pulled off this event - check it out below.

Maximizing event ticket sales starts long before the tickets go live. Too often, event organizers focus solely on the promotion post-ticket release. However, the magic lies in pre-event hype and engagement. Imagine drumming up anticipation so intense that your audience is poised to pounce on tickets the moment they're available. Successful events are a symphony of anticipation, experience, and reflection. To supercharge your next event's ticket sales: 1. Utilize teasers across social platforms to build curiosity. 2. Engage with your audience through interactive content, asking them what they’d love to see. 3. Partner with influencers who resonate with your target demographic for authentic endorsements. By flipping the script from simply selling to creating an immersive journey leading up to the event day, you create a wave of excitement that can significantly lift your ticket sales. Remember: The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing; it feels like you’re sharing something remarkable. Why push when you can compel? Let's discuss how we can transform potential into attendance for our next big event! How do you plan to elevate your game? 🚀🎟️✨

What are some engaging ways to show donors the impact of their support? First, use storytelling to bring their contributions to life. Share heartfelt stories and testimonials from the people who benefit directly from their generosity. Whether it’s a video of a community member whose life has been transformed or a written story with powerful images, make sure it’s personal and emotional. Show specific examples of how donations have been used, like funding a new program, purchasing essential equipment, or providing scholarships. These stories not only highlight the impact but also create an emotional connection between your donors and your cause. Next, invite your donors to experience the impact firsthand. Host virtual or in-person tours of your facilities, arrange meet-and-greets with beneficiaries, or create interactive webinars where donors can ask questions and hear from program leaders. Provide regular updates through engaging newsletters, personalized videos, impact reports, or social media posts that showcase milestones and successes made possible by their support. Use infographics to visually represent the data and make it easy to digest. Remember, the goal is to make your donors feel like they are an integral part of your mission’s success, reinforcing their decision to continue supporting your work.