Fundraising events can improve your nonprofit’s financial baseline and provide marketing opportunities that help your cause reach new audiences. However, if some supporters can’t participate due to physical, digital, or financial barriers, you might hinder the guest experience and miss out on key donations.
Accessible fundraising events expand your reach to the largest possible audience and ensure that every supporter can participate. This post explores strategies for event planning to improve the guest experience at your next event.
1. Host events with online options
Technology allows your organization to bring more people together. Online and hybrid event options remove geographic and mobility barriers for supporters who can’t attend your fundraising event in person. This expands your reach from your local community to any supporter invested in your mission.
Here are some ways you can incorporate virtual offerings into an otherwise in-person fundraising event:
- Include virtual attendance options: Design your event to support hybrid or virtual attendance. If you’re hosting a panel discussion or lecture, consider livestreaming it to a broader audience, with comments enabled so participants can still ask questions. You can also record your event so participants can watch it later.
- Digitally track your funds: A fundraising leaderboard or countdown generates excitement for your cause and lets participants track how close you are to your goal from anywhere in the world.
- Include a discussion board or community forum:Provide a chat channel where online guests can interact with each other and with your program. This maintains the community aspect of an in-person fundraiser without requiring travel.
- Host an online silent auction: Mobile bidding apps and auction websites enable remote participants to activelybid and win prizes from the comfort of their homes.
Build a user-friendly digital hub for your event’s registration and payment pages to centralize the online experience. Follow Kanopi’s principles of nonprofit web design, including clear calls to action, simple donation payment forms, and mobile compatibility, to improve the user experience.
2. Follow event space accessibility best practices
Creating an inclusive fundraising event requires both intentional physical and digital design. Ensuring that every participant can comfortably engage with your program maximizes participation and reinforces your commitment to accessibility. Key best practices include:
- Include live captions on broadcasts: Provide real-time captioning or CART services for all livestreamed sessions, presentations, and speeches so deaf and hard-of-hearing remote attendees can follow along seamlessly.
- Use large, readable bid screens: Display auction bidding information, leaders, and donation tallies on high-contrast, large-format screens with clear typography so guests can easily read details from anywhere in the room.
- Offer accessible seating options: Design venue seating arrangements with dedicated, integrated space for wheelchair users and individuals with mobility devices, ensuring options are distributed across different viewing areas rather than isolated.
- Maintain clear sightlines: Keep pathways, stage views, and key visual displays unobstructed by equipment, signage, or high decor to ensure all guests have an uninterrupted view of speakers and presentations.
- Provide an accessibility contact on registration pages: Feature a dedicated contact email or phone number on your event registration page so attendees can proactively request accommodations or ask specific accessibility questions beforehand.
By combining thoughtful physical navigation with inclusive digital strategies, your organization can foster a welcoming atmosphere where every guest feels valued and fully empowered to participate in your mission.
3. Share event updates across channels
To successfully raise funds, your attendees must understand your mission and how their participation makes an impact. Handbid recommends using a blend of compelling storytelling, accessible infographics, and frequent reminders to excite potential attendees, encourage donations, and keep supporters up to date on the fundraiser’s impact, no matter which channels they use.
Use these strategies to improve your event communications:
- Send automated reminders: A few days before your event, send an SMS message with parking instructions, additional event details, and a brief run-of-show to remind attendees of their commitment and provide guidance on what to expect. Make sure to include accessibility instructions, such as the location of handicapped parking spots and wheelchair access points.
- Encourage giving: Throughout your event, sendmultimedia message updates with photos of your attendees, fundraising reports, and project updates. These updates generate excitement for your initiative and can encourage more contributions. Clear graphics and video reports break complicated fundraising data into a digestible format for all donors.
- Send a last call: Towards the end of your event, send out a last call for donations to attendees and donors. This last call may remind individuals who have yet to contribute to donate or motivate an additional gift.
- Promote special offers: If your event includes special donation options, such as an hour in which every donation will be matched by a corporate sponsor, advertise these prime giving opportunities through a quick message push. This notifies your attendees of time windows when their contributions will have the most impact.
- Provide text updates: Text message updates can quickly alert guests to schedule changes, share helpful parking details, or provide links to your mobile bidding platform. These updates can help you maintain a smooth run of show and a positive attendee experience.
- Include a monitored communication line:Provide a way for guests to quickly contact your team with questions or accessibility needs. A 24/7 fundraising help line gives your attendees peace of mind and lets your team address any urgent requests in a timely manner.
Include diverse outreach channels in your communication strategy. Some supporters may check their email regularly, while others respond only to text messages. Send all event details through both email and SMS so attendees can receive communications in their preferred format. If you’re hosting an in-person event, include a verbal announcement of significant changes and major fundraising milestones to keep guests informed.
4. Provide flexible payment options with kiosks and online platforms
Limited payment methods act as a significant barrier for on-site attendees who are ready to give. Backend payment processors (like Stripe) and flexible payment options support a constant, secure flow of funds throughout your event.
Modernize your donation methods by:
- Offering diverse payment options. Make sure your fundraising platform can accept a variety of payment options, including ACH payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.
- Creating an accessible payment portal.Supporters should be able to identify your payment portal’s affiliation with your organization. Use targeted branding throughout your website, and include a confirmation receipt to assure donors that their payment has been received.
- Including options to pay on the spot. At in-person events, provide payment kiosks that allow patrons to give in a moment of inspiration. These kiosks should upload donor data directly to your database so your team can accurately track the funds raised.
When designing your event’s donation system, make sure to spread out your payment stations. Alternate donation kiosks and scannable QR codes to prevent long lines and frustrating payment experiences. Throughout your event, have representatives and beneficiaries of your cause remind attendees to donate. You can even distribute a donation flyer at the start of your fundraiser so supporters can give after the event concludes.
5. Assess what worked best to iterate on your process
True accessibility is not a one-off achievement. Use your past fundraisers’ successes and challenges to adapt your event management strategies to your attendees’ needs. Proactive, honest communication with your supporters can help your team identify areas for improvement in your fundraising process.
Specifically, use the following to improve your fundraising strategy:
- Post-event feedback: Distribute surveys asking attendees about their comfort, navigation, and ease with the donation process. This can help your team identify areas to improve in the future.
- Donation metrics: Assess your giving platforms, whether kiosks, auction software, or payment stations, to see which method received the most use and generated the most donations.
- Engagement data: Evaluate event attendance, auction participation, the total percentage of guests who donated, and no-shows. This can help your team gain a comprehensive understanding of how your participants engaged in your event, so you know what worked well.
Actively incorporate any feedback you receive to improve future events’ accessibility. When supporters see you accept and incorporate their feedback, it shows that you care about their experience and builds trust.
Intentionally designing events with accessibility at the forefront not only creates a more welcoming environment but also maximizes your events’ revenue potential. When all of your supporters are able to attend your fundraising events comfortably, it incentivizes giving and reiterates that they are welcome in your community. Use event management software to help you design and budget for creative fundraising events that align with your mission and are accessible to returning supporters and new donors alike.