We are now seeing peer-to-peer fundraising races or runathons that allow participants to both fundraise virtually and run virtually with technology like Strava. In many ways, these traditional peer-to-peer events are a type of hybrid fundraising because you are raising money and fundraising online leading up to the day of the in-person event. Historically, peer-to-peer fundraising events generally focused on events like walkathons or bikeathons. Now that you understand the concept of hybrid events let’s get into hybrid peer-to-peer fundraising event basics. Looking to Plan an Entirely Virtual VIP Dinner Party?
There are many ways to get virtual participants involved throughout the evening with components like gamification, live streaming, social media event pages or groups, and video conversations. People should be as motivated to participate virtually as they would be for an in-person event. Like any dinner party, you must decide on the location, the guest list, entertainment or activities, and communications like invitations and thank yous.Ī hybrid fundraising event would include all of the elements of an in-person event, but with additional virtual components like a virtual location or event platform, logistics around delivering food to virtual attendees, and entertainment and activities that can be done online. Suppose you are planning a dinner party or gala fundraiser. To better understand hybrid fundraising, let’s share an example.
There are also a variety of online platforms that allow people to connect virtually like never before. Hybrid fundraising allows you to meet up with members of your local community while still reaching those that are not geographically close to you. What is a Hybrid Fundraising Event?Ī hybrid fundraising event combines a smaller in-person event with a virtual component like a live stream, allowing people to participate in your event in-person or online.Įven before COVID-19, hybrid fundraising events were on the rise. Let’s clarify exactly what that means and the steps you can take to incorporate both in-person and virtual components in your next fundraising campaign. Virtual events work and should continue to be a fundraising medium for nonprofits.ĭue to its success, many nonprofit experts predict that the future of fundraising is hybrid. The study shows that 44% of nonprofits actually received more donations in 2020 than in 2019. Did this switch from in-person to virtual hurt fundraising numbers? In NonProfit PRO’s recent 2021 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study, 48% of participating nonprofits said they moved all of their in-person events virtual in 2020. When everything shut down in 2020, nonprofits had no choice but to cancel their in-person fundraising events and pivot to virtual or cancel events altogether. With many states beginning to loosen COVID-19 restrictions and many businesses opening back up in-person, it’s time to talk about the ever-growing hybrid event fundraising opportunities.