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Aug 27, 2024
How Nonprofits Can Supercharge Summer Fundraising with Virtual Events and Consignment Items
Why Summer Fundraising Matters
Summer is here, and while it is tempting to forget about fundraising until the fall, it is a perfect opportunity for nonprofits to host fun and exciting online fundraisers that can supplement your larger, annual events.
Leveraging Virtual Events
Virtual events open up new possibilities for reaching a wider audience and for allowing nonprofits to fundraise outside of their spring or fall events.
Online-only events can be much easier and more cost-effective to set up, offering numerous benefits:
- Reduced Costs: Eliminate venue rental, catering, and other expenses associated with in-person events.
- Increased Accessibility: Enable participation from supporters across the country increasing potential donor pools.
- Scalability: Easily adjust the event size and format to match your goals and resources.
You don’t even need to worry about securing donated items. It can be a breeze to jazz up your virtual summer fundraising efforts with dream vacations, fine wine, and dazzling jewelry using the GiveSmart Item Shop!
Here’s your sunny guide to making the most of summer fundraising using consignment items from our shop, along with some creative and fun virtual fundraising ideas.
The Magic of Consignment Items in Virtual Fundraising
Consignment items are like hidden gems provided by a third party, allowing your nonprofit to auction them off without spending a dime upfront. This risk-free setup means you can offer amazing items without any financial worry. The excitement of luxurious vacations, stunning jewelry, and fine wines can boost attendance, bidding, and buying at your virtual event, leading to fantastic off-season contributions.
The cost-to-nonprofit price is listed for every item in our shop, which is the price you will pay if it is sold at your fundraiser. There are no additional fees, so the money you raise over the listed price is yours to keep. We vet the best, most trusted item providers so you can feel confident about the items you select and offer to your donors. Click here to learn more about the shop and our item providers.
Planning Your Summer Fundraiser
Set Your Goals
Kick things off by setting clear, achievable goals for your fundraiser. Decide how much you want to raise and identify the projects or programs that will benefit from the funds. If the funds raised will be unrestricted, be prepared to explain how this additional fundraiser will help you reach your yearly goal. Clear goals will help guide your planning, inspire your team, and encourage your supporters to give.
Decide Who You Want to Invite
Summer is a great time to host smaller, more targeted events for sub-groups within your audience. Identifying a few segments within your donor base will allow you to tailor your virtual event to their interests and allow them to feel special.
Segmenting your donor base allows you to:
- Tailor Events: Customize your virtual event to match donor interests, providing a unique and engaging experience.
- Enhance Engagement: Create a more personalized approach, fostering a sense of exclusivity and importance.
- Maximize Impact: Leverage specific interests to drive higher engagement and donations.
Pick a Fun Theme
A theme can make your virtual fundraiser more engaging and cohesive. Think about summer-inspired themes like "Beach Bash," "Tropical Luau," or "Summer Nights." Your theme can set the vibe for your virtual background, the type of items you feature, and the overall ambiance of the event.
Bring this theme to life on your website, social media graphics, and emails.
Need help creating professional-looking graphics for your marketing materials? Try Canva, an easy-to-use platform for creating collateral. They offer thousands of ready-to-go templates that can be easily customized for your needs. The best part is that Canva generously offers their platform free for nonprofits.
Creative and Fun Virtual Fundraising Ideas
Online Cooking Class and Silent Auction
Host a free or ticketed online cooking class and auction off food-themed travel and experience packages from around the world. There are sites where you can hire a chef in their local area. Invite the chef to support your nonprofit by hosting an online cooking event at an hourly fee that you negotiate with them. Remember, this is a great marketing opportunity for their business, so don’t be afraid to ask for a discount or for them to donate an hour or so of their time.
Either way, the money you will generate on the trips and experiences you auction to your audience will be worth a small fee to secure a professional chef who can help create buzz, interest, and attendance from your audience.
Promote your event weeks in advance on social media with enticing images of the trips that will be auctioned, as well as information on the chef and the food items they will learn how to cook. Food and wine packages are some of the most popular, so this virtual option through GiveSmart might be a winner for your organization.
Buy-It-Now “Vacation-For-A-Cause”
Make vacations the star of the show! Bidders can purchase luxurious experiences that they might not typically splurge on or have access to anywhere else. With a buy-it-now fundraiser, you can name your price and build in the margin you would like for each trip.
We typically recommend a 30% mark-up on buy-it-now travel and experience packages over the cost-to-nonprofit price.
You might choose a theme for a vacation fundraiser, such as exotic destinations, adventure getaways, or city escapes. Some of the more popular vacation categories include beach getaways and trips in the great outdoors.
Virtual Wine Pairing Workshop Fundraiser
Wine is a classic fundraising item that appeals to a wide audience. To build out your virtual fundraiser workshop, offer a local restaurant the opportunity to have its sommelier lead the event. The pairings can be wines and food items sold at their establishment, making the virtual experience a free marketing opportunity for them and a fundraising win for you!
Promote the event as a free experience to our donors, emphasizing the fantastic wine-themed packages that will be auctioned or sold off during the event, such as trips to Napa, Tuscany, and Australia.
For the wine collector, include a few rare wine packages.
Virtual Shopping Fundraiser
Opening a shop and encouraging early holiday or birthday shopping can be a difference maker for your fundraising goals. You can offer swag from your nonprofit or a hodge podge of previously donated items that didn’t package well together, such as gift cards or coolers or another items.
Another option is an online jewelry store. Jewels With a Purpose has been designing beautiful pieces and collections exclusively for nonprofit fundraising for over twenty years. And, after your event, Jewels With A Purpose will ship the items free to your buyers.
With a buy-it-now format, you can price items in your shop at or near its retail value, bringing a healthy profit margin for your mission.
Family-Friendly Travel Auction
From family-friendly beach vacations to eco-glamping and Disney, our shop has a variety of packages to thrill and delight the family. These allow your donors the opportunity to create new, unforgettable memories that ultimately support your cause.
Online Golf-Themed Raffles
An online Golf Raffle Fundraiser is a way to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences at some of the world's most renowned golf courses. Whether a seasoned pro or novice, our shop has a travel experience for everyone. Sell tickets to win a trip and include a few additional trips that can be auctioned off or purchased as well.
Promoting Your Virtual Event
We are inundated with media and messaging all day long. Garnering your donors' attention is harder than ever before. By leveraging multiple marketing channels, you increase the chances that your messages will be seen and acted upon by your donors.
Text Messaging
With an impressive 98% open rate, text messaging ensures direct communication with your supporters. By using text messages, your organization significantly increases the chances of your messages being seen and seen quickly.
With 33+ million texts sent by fundraising organizations in 2023 via GiveSmart, this is a channel your organization should use to promote your upcoming events.
Social Media
Share updates, sneak peeks of consignment items, and engaging content on social media to create buzz around your event. Use targeted ads to reach a broader audience and encourage shares to maximize visibility.
Create engaging graphic images on a platform like Canva to put your most professional foot forward. Remember to post a variety of graphics that highlight different aspects of your event as well as the items that will be offered. Promoting regularly will help garner your donor's attention and convert interest to attendance at your event.
Email Marketing
Send personalized and engaging emails to the groups or segments invited to your special virtual event. The emphasis is on personalized and engaging because generic, mass e-mails rarely move the needle.
Include details about the event, highlight the featured consignment items, and explain how you will use the funds. Also, include a personal, sincere thank you for their previous support and give specific examples if you can. This may take more time than a generic e-mail, but this investment in your time will likely yield a profitable return for your organization.
Collaborate with Influencers
If possible, partner with local influencers and celebrities to promote your virtual event to their audience. Their endorsement can significantly boost attendance and credibility and expose your nonprofit to new potential supporters.
Post-Event Follow-Up
Acknowledge Contributions
To acknowledge their contributions and share the impact of the funds raised, send personalized thank-you emails to all attendees, donors, and sponsors.
Share Success Stories
Highlight the success of your fundraiser on social media and your website. Share photos, videos, and testimonials to keep the momentum going and build anticipation for future events.
Hosting a virtual summer fundraiser with consignment vacations, wine, and jewelry from GiveSmart Item Shop can be a highly successful experience that ultimately helps you achieve your fundraising goals. With careful planning, effective promotion, and engaging execution, you can create a memorable event that resonates with your donors and supports your cause. Embrace the virtual format and watch your fundraising flourish!
If you're ready to learn more, visit the GiveSmart Item Shop.
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