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Inside: Why Hybrid Events Will Remain Relevant, 3 Types of Hybrid Events to Host, Hybrid Event Checklist
COVID changed the face of fundraising—and we’re not just talking about wearing masks. The pandemic has spurred a huge number of disruptions and innovations within the nonprofit space.
In particular, hybrid fundraising events are revolutionizing the ways that nonprofits raise money and engage with donors, both in-person and online.
Events have been a key component of just about every fundraising plan written over the last century. But COVID postponed auctions, rescheduled fundraisers and canceled galas in record numbers. To get through the shutdown, many nonprofits turned to virtual fundraising software that allowed them to continue to capture gifts via Text-to-Give and online donations.
Now, as we begin to emerge from social distancing, supporters are craving connection, community and new experiences like never before. That’s the beauty of hybrid fundraising events.
Hybrid events are fundraising experiences that combine the excitement of in-person events with convenience of online access. They’re proving to be reliable and effective ways to hit fundraising goals and connect with supporters. (Check out our downloadable Hybrid Fundraising Events: The Complete Guide for even more details on what makes hybrid events unique.)
The Benefits of Hybrid Fundraising Events
It’s easy to see why hybrid fundraising events are gaining popularity, as they can help nonprofits and churches achieve the sort of success metrics that virtually every organization is aiming for. That’s because hybrid events take a live, interactive event and make it available to a larger audience, regardless of their physical location. Not limiting an event to one place (or even time) means that organizations can:
- Engage more supporters, regardless of someone’s ability or desire to travel to a physical location.
- Lengthen the fundraising window by extending a campaign or auction to days or weeks, rather than a single day or night.
- Raise more money through wider participation via ticket sales, donations and auction bids.
- Cut costs on overhead with smaller venues, fewer party rentals, and decreased food and beverage demands.
- Offer a better donor experience with a higher-quality, VIP-like experience for the in-person attendees, as well as the chance for bigger headlining presenters and entertainment.
- Capture more donor data because participants and behaviors can be tracked more easily when they interact with your event digitally.
Be sure to download Hybrid Fundraising Events: The Complete Guide for more information on how hybrid events can help your organization reach its goals!
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Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.
Snowball Hybrid Event Tools
Staging a successful hybrid fundraising event doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the right hybrid event tools can help you streamline and organize events that used to be labor-intensive and unpredictable. Here at Snowball, we offer smart solutions for a range of hybrid fundraising events and initiatives, including:
- Auctions – In-person or online supporters can browse your catalog of unlimited auction items and photos, filter by categories, and then easily bid on their mobile phones (no paper and pen here!) with Text-to-Bid technology. They’ll receive notifications every time they’re outbid, sparking friendly bidding wars. Checkout carts make payment simple.
- Campaigns – Snowball campaigns secure more repeat donations than traditional fundraising drives, with 4 out 5 Snowball donors leaving their cards on file for future giving. We also capture donor data sooner than in-person campaigns or online donation forms, decreasing donor abandonment.
- Ticketed Events & Registration – The days of making attendees line up at a cash box are over! Register attendees, sell tickets or cap maximum attendance conveniently online. Add custom fields and flexible ticket types to support any kind of hybrid event.
- Text-to-Give – Snowball Text-to-Give makes engaging in hybrid auctions, campaigns and ticketed events as easy as texting a trigger word from a mobile phone. Snowball offers more customization options than any other text donation provider, including unlimited trigger words for every hybrid event that you host.
- Outbound Texts and Emails – Our outbound text and email tools make it easy to promote hybrid events right from your Snowball platform. Then follow up your hybrid events with segmented messages delivered to different levels of supporters who attended, donated or bid.
Remember, you can customize any Snowball hybrid fundraising experience with your own branding and designs. And built-in QR code technology allows your supporters to scan their way into your hybrid fundraising campaign from anywhere!
What Is a Hybrid
Fundraising Event?
The Basics + Checklist
