Summer is just around the corner, and it's time for some sunshine and fundraising! Many nonprofits experience a noticeable decrease in donations during the summer months. This summer brings the added complexity of coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many social distancing rules are relaxed or even eliminated, many individuals are still taking precautions, and nonprofits must find a balance to meet donors who have varying comfort levels with in-person events.
With the right strategies, you can combat the traditional "summer donation slump" and the added social distancing complexities to get your donors excited about getting involved and partnering financially this summer. Let's take a dive into some post-pandemic summer fundraising strategies and ideas!
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Hybrid Fundraising Basics for Summer Fundraising
Many organizations found hybrid fundraising events provide incredible flexibility for fundraising in the post-social-distancing era. Additionally, since many nonprofits have become adept at planning high-quality virtual fundraising events, many experts expect hybrid events to be the preferred fundraising approach going forward.
Why donors prefer hybrid fundraising events
Many people have become very accustomed to participating in events from the comfort of their own homes. Thanks to affordable and accessible technology like Zoom, this trend probably isn't going anywhere.
Donors prefer the "From-Anywhere" attendance option: Thanks to Zoom, the Cloud, laptops, and mobile devices, people are now accustomed to working, socializing, and attending events online. While the trend began before the COVID-19 pandemic, it became a primary way to stay engaged during the pandemic.
That's where hybrid events come in–all the benefits of both in-person and virtual events at the same time!
Think about it–parents of young kids who struggle to find sitters, donors who live too far away to justify traveling to an event, or other supporters who might find in-person events challenging can still engage and participate in your upcoming fundraiser when you choose to go hybrid!
Hybrid events eliminate time and travel challenges: Many of your supporters would love to participate in your upcoming fundraisers but might not be able to travel or schedule the time away. Hybrid events allow people to attend your event online from anywhere!
Hybrid events appeal to shorter attention spans: Whether we like it or not, the average attention span of our supporters is shortening. Distractions call from every direction: work, family, social media, and more! Hybrid fundraisers allow you to offer "bite-sized" content that people can easily digest rather than convincing people to commit to several hours for an in-person event.
Why nonprofits prefer hybrid fundraising events
Hybrid events give nonprofits the unique benefits that you can't get with virtual-only or in-person-only fundraisers.
Flexibility makes donor care easier: Not all supporters have the same needs, preferences, and interest levels. A hybrid fundraising event allows your supporters to tailor their experience to suit their unique preferences. This means you can attract more attendees to your event. It also offers valuable insight into what your supporters prefer, making it easier to tailor your donor care!
Reduce fundraising event overhead: Large in-person events are expensive and take a lot of time and resources to execute. Hybrid events take a large part of the event online, reducing your overhead costs and increasing your profit potential without compromising the quality of the content or experience!
Hybrid events allow you to expand your fundraising reach: A hybrid event enables you to bring together local and global supporters without costly travel expenses! Those who live too far away or whose schedules prevent in-person attendance can still fully engage with your upcoming events, expanding your fundraising potential.
Another often-overlooked benefit to hybrid events is their accessibility for people with various disabilities. Being intentional in offering a wide range of engagement opportunities creates more opportunities to cultivate a diverse community of supporters.
Hybrid events can produce quality content: From stories, videos, and videos to other digital content–even the sessions themselves–can become high-quality marketing or educational content that your nonprofit can repurpose and use repeatedly! That means one hybrid fundraising event could help you raise money for years to come.
For all these reasons–and many more–the fundraising future is definitely hybrid!
4 Summer Hybrid Fundraising Event Ideas
There are definitely some clever and effective ways to turn some of your traditional summer fundraisers into hybrid events. This might also be an excellent opportunity to add some fresh new events to your fundraising calendar!
1. Host a hybrid charity fitness challenge
Many donors appreciate the opportunity to support their favorite charity and accomplish their wellness goals at the same time! Thanks to the advancement in wearable fitness technology, it's easier than ever to turn your traditional charity 5K or other fitness fundraisers into a hybrid event that anyone can attend!
Imagine your supporters worldwide raising money and completing a virtual 5K in their own communities while you're also hosting an in-person 5K event! More people will be able to participate, and you'll expand your fundraising potential!
Offering a virtual option for your fitness fundraisers can make them more accessible to various groups of people in your audience, too. First-timers may find virtual "races" less intimidating, making them a perfect stepping stone toward an in-person event. On the other end of the spectrum, some veteran racers might prefer a flexible schedule that lets them complete the challenge when their schedules allow.
Really, adding a virtual option to your next charity fitness fundraiser helps you better monetize the in-person event. You'll be able to use all the same branding, swag, social media content, mailing lists, and other assets to get even more participants involved in the event. Everyone wins!
Ideal Soapbox Engage Tools: Create a custom event page using the Soapbox Engage Events app so participants can get all the details and sign up for the in-person or virtual options. If you decide to turn this fundraiser into a peer-to-peer fundraising event, participants can set up their custom donations page on the Donations app and start fundraising!
2. Charity hybrid movie night and discussion
Did you know Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) offers you a way to watch movies and shows with friends online? Teleparty synchronizes video playback and adds group chat features to Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime.
Summer is an excellent opportunity to host a hybrid movie night where your supporters can gather online in groups or in person to watch a movie or show. The options are endless!
How does this become a fundraiser? Usually, you've spent at least $25 per person by the time you purchase movie tickets and snacks. With a hybrid or virtual movie night, your supporters can stay home, watch a movie with fellow supporters, and donate the cinema savings to your organization!
The Southampton Hospitals Charity in the UK used this fundraising strategy to keep their supporters engaged and the donations flowing during the pandemic lockdowns, and it was a blockbuster of a strategy!
Ideal Soapbox Engage Tools: Depending on how you decide to structure this summer fundraiser, you can use the Soapbox Engage Events app to make viewing party sign-ups a breeze. Add a custom Donations page to turn this movie event into a fundraiser.
3. Hybrid exercise classes make great fundraisers
Many people look for low-cost opportunities to stay fit and active during the summer months. Plan a series of outdoor exercise classes and offer a Zoom log-in option for virtual attendees!
Whether you want to offer yoga, HIIT classes, Zumba, or even spin classes, there are many creative ways to get people sweating–and learning–for a great cause! In fact, yoga fundraisers are becoming quite popular!
How does this become a fundraiser? You can partner with a local gym to find instructors and charge a reasonable registration fee. If you're offering a summer series, consider offering different prices for people who register for the entire series or an individual event.
These fundraisers are a great way to foster a sense of community among your donors–even virtual attendees will appreciate being part of a community with a common cause.
Ideal Soapbox Engage tools: The Classes app will make the registration process for these events a breeze and ease the administrative burden on your staff. Plus, you can charge a fee for each event, offer discounts, cap attendance, and other handy features. If you want to really get creative, you can offer some custom apparel and swag from the workout series in your online store via the Shop app!
4. Online gaming tournaments make great summer virtual fundraisers
The online gaming community is large and probably grown significantly during the pandemic. Fundraising through online gaming tournaments is definitely not a new strategy! In March of 2022, Gamers for Giving raised more than $1 million. Over 550 streamers participated in the tournament, inspiring more than 14,500 individual donations!
This is a great hybrid fundraising event because people can either gather in person or log in from the comfort of their own homes! Don't forget to offer great snacks and "gaming fuel" for your in-person gamers.
This type of fundraiser makes a great peer-to-peer event where participants raise money for your cause as they participate! You can sweeten the deal by offering prizes for the gamers who raise the most money, bring in the single largest donation, raise the most individual donations, or other creative categories to incentivize the fundraising aspect of the tournament, too.
Ideal Soapbox Engage tools: If you're hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising event, the Donations app is designed for you! With peer-to-peer needs in mind, you can have as many unique donations pages as you need! And don't forget to create a custom Events page so gamers can sign up to participate in the tournament!
There are loads of other creative and fun hybrid fundraising events that are perfect for the summer months. The key to summer fundraising is to stay flexible and remember that people's schedules might be unpredictable. Hybrid fundraising events are ideal during the summer months because people can participate in various ways.
Summer is also a great time to get creative and experiment with different fundraising ideas and strategies. Don't be afraid to try new things to see what resonates with your supporters!
Here are three more resources to help you plan your summer fundraising events.
- Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising with Soapbox Engage: Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerhouse fundraising strategy Nonprofits who use this strategy empower their supporters to become advocates and partners. The Soapbox Engage team loves P2P fundraising, and this blog outlines some basic best practices and great ways to add peer-to-peer fundraising to your calendar!
- Nonprofit Fundraising After COVID-19: Resources and Trends: COVID-19 has impacted how we think, work, adn engage with others. When leveraged correctly, the shift to remote work, virtual events, and more online communities can be a powerful asset to the ongoing fundraising effort. This blog looks at some trends that continue to enhance and impact nonprofit fundraising after the pandemic.
- Turn Your Nonprofit Social Media Followers Into Donors: Social media can be a central part of attracting and retaining current and potential donors. It's a fantastic tool for staying in touch with your supporters and developing a vibrant community around your cause. But it does take some strategy and intentionality. Even when social media engagement is high, it takes effort to lead someone from being a follower to a financial supporter. Check out this blog for some wisdom and insights on converting social media followers to donors.
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