Now that it’s heading into springtime, a lot of nonprofits are wondering, how do we replace our typical spring gala or charity auction? The pandemic has caught a lot of nonprofits flat footed with their fundraising strategy -- engaging a donor community virtually looks extremely different from how a nonprofit would typically raise money and its forced event planners to think creatively. 

Here at Bar None Games, we’ve helped countless nonprofits host exciting game events for their organizations that have raised tens of thousands of dollars. Instead of feeling like this is a lost fundraising season, we see it a bit differently - this is a great opportunity for your organization to hold a fun event at a time when many are sitting at home looking for interesting activities to do virtually! Even more so, everyone has friends who are also looking for virtual events to attend and it’s easier than before to gather a group together, as there are very few conflicting plans.

Below are a few of our learnings from all of the virtual fundraisers we’ve hosted, so you too can meet your fundraising goals.

Create opportunities for attendees to bring their friends

These days, everyone is eager for a new way to gather their friends and family together for something meaningful. Fill that gap by creating an event where you can encourage your community to invite their friends and family to both support a good cause while also hanging out with their smaller group. While not all events are designed to support smaller group breakouts, virtual games where you compete against other teams are perfect for it. We use breakout rooms for every single one of our events, so your attendees can both have the excitement of a larger group, while also having the fun of hanging out with their smaller group of friends. Even better, it also creates a natural opportunity to sell bigger ticket prices by having groups buy in as a team, instead of selling individual tickets. It’s almost like how galas sell full tables! 

Give live fundraising updates and continue to hype up fundraising efforts during the event 

In between the event’s activities, amp up the excitement by giving live fundraising updates so the group can feel the impact that they’re having together. We’ve seen some organizations enable donations to be made throughout the event with an open donation link, on top of the price of the event ticket. You can make the competitive spirit even fiercer by encouraging teams to compete against each other with dollar amounts raised. Your organization’s representative can give live updates on the progress as the event continues, and your attendees will be at the edge of their seats to know how they’re doing. Our games are formatted perfectly for this, with natural cadences where announcements can be made. 

Remind people why they’re there by making the event themed around what the organization stands for 

With any nonprofit organization, the mission is a key driving force behind why everyone is gathered. A fun way to tie in the mission with the event is to have trivia that is customized for the organization or the cause. You can write trivia specifically about your organization, or have more general trivia that is themed around your nonprofit’s cause. We have 125+ rounds of trivia in our trivia bank, including categories such as food, international regions, animals, and more. If none of our current trivia in our trivia bank matches up with your organization’s area, we can also custom write a round for you for a fee. It’s a fun way to tie in the purpose and mission of the organization with the activities of the event. 

Give big donors the honor they deserve by creating images to screen share and calling them out in the announcements

Pre-pandemic, one of the best ways that nonprofits honored their big donors was by creating physical assets that would be shown during the event, whether it was leaflets or boards on stands. The virtual version of that for a virtual event is to make an image that highlights the organization with all of the amazing large donors. Our host can screen share the image as people are joining on, and it has a similar effect of thanking the donors publicly. Additionally, your organization’s representative can also call out the big donors in an announcement. There’s a lot of creative ways to encourage big donors to continue giving, even when events aren’t in person anymore! 

Host your unforgettable fundraising event with Bar None Games

Looking to host a fundraising event with Bar None Games? Contact us here about it. We can talk to you about your vision for the event and make sure that it is a success for your organization. We also have special nonprofit pricing to help make sure you meet your goals. We love working with nonprofits and helping to make sure that the giving continues, even in today’s virtual world.