Author: Lauren Bersaglio

Lauren Bersaglio is the blog manager for NetSquared Vancouver. She is also the Founder of Libero Magazine, a nonprofit online mental health magazine. She has a degree in Communications and over ten years of experience with online content writing, nonprofit management, and public speaking. You can learn more about Lauren by visiting her website laurenbersaglio.com and by connecting with her on Twitter and Instagram.

What is a New Member Worth? Calculating Customer Acquisition Cost and Lifetime Value

In this webinar, learn methods to assess and calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Lifetime Value (LTV), and more!

How much should you spend on ads or growth at your nonprofit? What is each email address worth? You need to know how to calculate customer acquisition cost and lifetime value.

In this webinar, author and University of Southern California Professor Paul Orlando gives a friendly and accessible introduction to Unit Economics.  Paul will demonstrate methods to assess and calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Lifetime Value (LTV), and more.

What You’ll Learn

  • Ways to calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV) with additions like customer segments, cohorts, retention, and more (and why they can be imperfect methods).
  • How to manage the cost of growth along with potential value generated.
  • The difference between growing and scaling a nonprofit.

Important Definitions

Customer:

Anyone who exchanges money with your nonprofit i.e. members, donors, ticket holders, corporate sponsors, etc

Lifetime Value (LTV):

“The gross profit that an organization earns over the relationship with a customer.”

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):

“Cost of getting a paying customer ‘in the door.’” (figuratively or literally)

Key Takeaways from this Webinar

  • It’s important to balance Customer Acquisition Cost and Lifetime Value with time. As Paul mentions, it’s a race, and you have to make sure you don’t run out of time!
  • There are many ways to get a customer/donor “in the door.” A variety of methods are discussed in the webinar by both the presenter and attendees.
  • Using the formulas shared in the webinar, nonprofits will be able to calculate Lifetime Value and Customer Acquisition Cost and use that data to help guide their focus.
  • Segmenting customers/donors is an important part of calculating and tracking LTV and CAC.

Bonus Q&A

Stay tuned to the end of the webinar for the Q&A and get answers to these questions:

  • Should ads be focused on the top three performing segments and consistently test for that segment using a single platform?
  • Which is better: Excel templates or online calculators? 
  • Where should you begin if you are new to Unit Economics?

Watch the recording to learn how to calculate customer acquisition cost and lifetime value!

What is a New Member Worth?

Additional Resources

About the Presenter: Paul Orlando

I build internal incubator/accelerator programs around the world (including Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Rome, and remote), getting companies to solve problems that they couldn’t in other ways. Building these programs I unlock new revenue and partnership opportunities for large organizations. These programs build autonomy and skills that keep employee retention high in an era when companies need to maintain their top talent.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

Digital Marketing Diagnostics for Nonprofits

Watch this two part webinar series to learn everything your nonprofit needs to know about digital marketing diagnostics!

In this two-part webinar series, you will learn all about digital marketing diagnostics for nonprofits. Part one focuses on how to run a “checkup” on your website to diagnose what’s working (and what isn’t). Part two dives into online advertising and how to create a marketing strategy that delivers.

Part 1: Web Analytics Checkup

In the same way that it’s considered good practice to see your doctor for a checkup every now and then, conducting a website “checkup” is important.

In part one, join digital marketing consultant Matt Whalen as he guides you through an interrogatory approach to web analytics and the role that measurement can play in your overall marketing strategy.

Part 2: Paid Media Best Practices

In Part 2, Matt Whalen will cover a few PPC (pay-per-click) advertising best practices that you can apply to your own approach to digital marketing.

If you have a limited marketing budget and want to ensure you’re deploying it effectively, this is the session for you.

Key Takeaways from this Digital Marketing Diagnostics Webinar

  • Learn what a website checkup is, how to conduct one, and why it’s important
  • Discover which measurements you should be tracking and why
  • Explore ways to avoid common issues nonprofits face with digital marketing
  • Learn how to determine if your online advertising is delivering

Key Tools for Digital Marketing Diagnostics Success

Bonus Q&A

Stay tuned to the end of the webinar for the Q&A and learn answers to these questions:

  • How can you tell if Google Analytics is properly installed on your website?
  • How can you improve bounce rate?
  • What do you do if your ROI (return on investment) isn’t sufficient?

Watch the recording to learn more about digital marketing diagnostics for nonprofits!

Digital Marketing Diagnostics Part I: Web Analytics Checkup
Digital Marketing Diagnostics Part 2: Paid Media Best Practices

Additional Resources

About the Presenter: Matt Whalen

Matt is a Halifax-based digital marketing consultant with almost 10 years of experience in marketing agencies and consultancies and has been working as an independent consultant since early 2020. He specializes in a variety of areas of digital marketing including paid digital ads, analytics, and demand generation. He has worked with a wide variety of clients including orthodontists, insurance brokers, multinational B2B software companies, Universities, major utilities, regional growth agencies and more.

Website: www.mattwhalen.com

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

Improve Your Event Marketing Strategies by Leveraging What Already Works

Watch this webinar recording to learn more about event marketing strategies and how to leverage what already works!

Not every organization is going to have success using the same event marketing strategies – which is why we don’t preach that we have the be-all, end-all of event marketing advice. Instead, in this webinar, we will provide you with tactics and guides to improve your current strategies and results, and show you how to determine what is working for your specific donors, your specific event, and your specific organization.

We will answer questions like: What if I don’t have a big email list or social media following? When and how should I use different marketing channels? And the most important question of all…How can I learn what worked and what to put more effort towards when marketing my next event?

Our session is delivered through specific tactics, clear how-tos, and real-life examples. You’ll leave with actionable takeaways to implement immediately and examples from other successful organizations to use a blueprint. Get ready to launch yourself into your organization’s event marketing hall of fame!

What You’ll Learn

  1. Specific tactics to add to your event marketing schedule (plus a schedule outline)
  2. Necessary social post elements to increase reach and conversions (plus a real life example to use as a guide)
  3. What to do if you don’t have a big email list or social media following
  4. How to leverage your event partners, sponsors, and supports to reach a wider audience
  5. How to track your efforts and use data to make smarter marketing decisions

5 Key Takeaways for Event Marketing Success

  1. Have an event marketing schedule
  2. Build click-worthy social media posts
  3. Utilize your event partners to increase reach
  4. Use data tracking to improve your marketing strategy
  5. Choose the right softrware (see the must-haves list below!)

Software Must-Haves for Event Marketing

  1. Custom checkout fields so you can get email opt-ins and ask donors questions
  2. Tools for social media posting and sharing
  3. Affiliate marketing links so you can track who is sharing your posts
  4. Event analytic tools so you can learn what worked well and what didn’t

Bonus Q&A

Stay tuned to the end of the webinar for the Q&A and learn answers to these questions:

  • How can we better engage non-techy or busy organization supporters?
  • How can we improve engagement on our social media channels?
  • What analytics should we focus on most?
  • How can we encourage early ticket sales?

Watch the recording to learn more about event marketing strategies that work!

Additional Resources

About the Presenter: Rebecca Alfred

Rebecca is part of the team at Trellis Social Enterprise Inc, supporting charitable organizations, hospital foundations, non-profits, and other organizations to find new online approaches to raising funds for the causes they care about. Coming from a diverse background including tech companies, marketing agencies, and accounting firms, she’s now settled in the social sector. Since starting at Trellis, Rebecca has supported hundreds of organizations as they run fundraisers with specialized expertise in signature fundraising events, and donor experience for virtual and hybrid fundraisers. Beyond working at Trellis, Rebecca has also worked in research for non-profit sustainability and developed social programs to meet complex challenges.

Website: Trellis.org

Twitter: @trellis_org

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

How to Facilitate In-Kind Donations this Holiday Season

Geenees is a social gifting platform based in Vancouver that connects nonprofits and families in need with in-kind donations.

A new generation of donors want to contribute, but they won’t donate cash. How can you innovate and engage them in new ways of giving? In this recorded webinar, you will learn how you can attract and engage donors by offering in-kind donations directly to your nonprofit and the people you serve.

About Genees

Geenees is a social gifting platform based in Vancouver that connects nonprofits and families in need with in-kind donations. Nonprofits choose families to create personal wishlists and donors purchase items that are delivered directly to the family or the organization.

How Geenees Facilitates In-Kind Donations

Step-by-Step

  1. Nonprofits get listed on Geenees
  2. Nonprofits and families invited by nonprofits create wishlists
  3. Donors browse wishlists by location, cause, or nonprofit
  4. Donors purchase items from the wishlist
  5. Items get delivered
  6. Thank yous go out along with tax receipts if applicable

With Geenees, nonprofits can:

  • Organize wishlists
  • List specific products
  • Fundraise for a specific cause
  • Accept second-hand products
  • Accept e-gift cards

Watch the webinar recording below to learn more about Geenees and how they facilitate in-kind donations!

About the Presenter: Libi Berenson

Libi Berenson, Geenees’s co-founder and CEO, an immigrant woman from BC on a mission to impact families in the community, is here to share the best practices of how to prepare for the holiday season in a remote, virtual world. 

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

The 25% of Google Analytics Nonprofits Need to Know

Google Analytics is a household name, but many nonprofits don’t really know what to do with it. This means critical data goes unnoticed, leading to inaccurate (or bad!) decisions.

Does your nonprofit use Google Analytics to its fullest potential?

Google Analytics is a household name, but many nonprofits don’t really know what to do with it. This means critical data goes unnoticed, leading to inaccurate (or bad!) decisions.

In this recorded webinar, web consultant and analytics pro Alison Knott shares the most important parts of Google’s Analytics dashboard that every nonprofit needs to know about.

8 Key Things You’ll Learn in this Video about Google Analytics:

  1. Getting to know the basics of Google Analytics
  2. The best places to start with Google Analytics and where to find key data (such as Audience, Acquisition, and Referrals)
  3. How to set goals and track their success
  4. Key measurements and how to track them (including pageviews, sessions, conversions, and bounces)
  5. Tracking your most popular pages, their referral paths, and what actions (if any) Users take after viewing them
  6. How to export reports and set a recurring schedule for automatic reports
  7. How to use Secondary Dimensions to dive deeper
  8. Setting goals and tracking their success

You’ll also learn:

  • How to filter out yourself and known spam bots from your traffic reports
  • How to link your Google Search Console
  • How to track popular terms Users search for on your site
  • How to find your site’s most popular landing pages
  • How to filter results for location-based data

Watch the webinar on the 25% of Google Analytics nonprofits need to know:

Additional resources and notes from the presenter on Google Analytics for Nonprofits:

Google Analytics Cheat Sheet: https://alisonkconsulting.com/25-ga-nonprofit/

Download Slides from this presentation: https://alisonkconsulting.com/25-ga-nonprofit/

About the Presenter: Alison Knott

Alison K (Alison Knott) is an international tech speaker who’s passionate about the intersection of web, creativity and business. A proud woman in tech, Alison produced Atlantic Canada’s first WordPress conference and Meetup, mentors emerging female designers and entertains business owners with nerdy facts. Her main mandate: to raise web literacy for small business and entrepreneurs.

Her presentations are an unusual blend of high-octane enthusiasm and actionable lessons. Boring tech jargon has no place in her talks!

Alison aims to engage audiences at the highest level. Action plans, workshop sessions and giving out candy are just a few examples. Whatever it takes to have people leave inspired, she’s onboard.

In addition to public speaking, Alison has held teaching positions at NSCAD University and NSCC IT Campus, mentoring hundreds of students about design and the web.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

The Future of Fundraising Events

What is the future of fundraising events? This webinar discusses key trends, insights, and strategies that you need to know.

In this session, we’ll unpack what modern charities are doing with their fundraising events to move forward into the “new normal.”

Rebecca Alfred (from Trellis.org) shares new ideas based on over 200 virtual, hybrid, and in-person events to increase fundraising potential and donor engagement, and discusses what it takes to be an organization that is leading the way with online fundraising.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to plan successful fundraising events in 2022 and beyond
  • How to enhance donor engagement with your fundraising events
  • How to implement a winning annual fundraising strategy for your organization

Watch the webinar on the future of fundraising events:

3 Reasons you should watch this video on the future of fundraising:

  1. 64% of nonprofits did not meet their 2020 fundraising goals
  2. 92% of those surveyed think virtual events are worth keeping
  3. 76% of donors expect to attend at least one virtual event in 2022

The Benefits of Virtual Events

  1. Cost and time savings to organizations and donors
  2. Donors can attend from the comfort of their homes
  3. Increased geographical reach
  4. Ease of execution and less manpower (volunteers/staff) required
  5. Increased fundraising elements (online raffles, silent auctions, online donations and ticket sales, etc)

The Benefits of In-Person Events

  1. Better engagement with attendees
  2. Connecting face-to-face with donors
  3. Networking opportunities

The Future: Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are the future because they allow organizations to get the best of both world.

Here are some examples of hybrid fundraising events and their benefits:

In-person with virtual fundraising options

  • Silent auction and/or raffle tickets available online ahead of time
  • Online ticket purchasing and donating
  • Combining the convenience of online platforms with the engagement of in-person events

In-person with a small livestream audience

  • Increased geographical reach
  • Ease of participation leading up to the event through online ticket purchases, donations, raffles, auctions, etc
  • In-person engagement and connection
  • Appeal to a wider donor base
  • Can be made more affordable for live stream audience through reduced ticket prices

Virtual event with a VIP in-person audience

  • Increased geographical reach
  • Appeal to a wider donor base
  • Great donor experience for both in-person VIP attendees and live stream viewers
  • More affordable for the virtual audience through non-VIP ticket option
  • Connection and networking opportunities for in-person guests

Key Takeaways for Success:

  1. Create a seamless donor experience
  2. Give donors both virtual and in-person options
  3. Add additional online fundraising elements to your existing fundraising strategy

Additional resources and notes from the presenter:

Download the Future of Fundraising Report: http://bit.ly/trellis_report

Fundraising Resources from Trellis: https://trellis.org/guides/ 

About Trellis

Trellis is an all-in-one fundraising platform. They help foundations, charities, and nonprofits with their virtual and in-person fundraising.

About the Presenter: Rebecca Alfred

Rebecca is part of the team at Trellis Social Enterprise Inc, supporting charitable organizations, hospital foundations, non-profits, and other organizations to find new online approaches to raising funds for the causes they care about. Coming from a diverse background including tech companies, marketing agencies, and accounting firms, she’s now settled in the social sector. Since starting at Trellis, Rebecca has supported hundreds of organizations as they run fundraisers with specialized expertise in signature fundraising events, and donor experience for virtual and hybrid fundraisers. Beyond working at Trellis, Rebecca has also worked in research for non-profit sustainability and developed social programs to meet complex challenges.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

The Easy Guide to Data Storytelling using Google DataStudio with Michael Despotovic

Using Google’s free DataStudio tool, you can plug in your website, socials, email, and excel sheets in order to visualize what matters most to you, your boss, your board or any other stakeholders.

Gather insights, share stories, and build trust over the common language of data. Using Google’s free DataStudio tool, you can plug in your website, socials, email, and excel sheets in order to visualize what matters most to you, your boss, your board or any other stakeholders.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to visualize data in 5 minutes using any DataStudio template
  • How to make your report/dashboard make sense to “non-techy” people
  • How to share your data to foster trust and secure relationships with those that matter most

Watch the webinar on Data Storytelling using Google DataStudio:

“You have to contextualize data.”

-Michael Despotovic

Michael offers a step-by-step guide for using Google DataStudio. His demo includes:

  • Editing text and adding sections
  • Customizing your theme and layout or using prebuilt templates
  • Using charts to pull insights
  • Telling a story with scorecards
  • Utilizing funnels
  • Adding filters
  • Blending data
  • Creating various charts including line and bar graphs
  • Creating more complex accumulative charts
  • Adding and customizing spreadsheet tables
  • Developing audience charts
  • Integrating services such as Facebook and Twitter using APIs

Additional resources and notes from the presenter:

You can access the main DataStudio workshop report template here: https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/15b06422-80b5-413c-83b4-de515609272f

Instructions on how to use the template:

  1. Click the link
  2. Find the 3 dots icon next to the “share” button, click it and click “make a copy”
  3. DataStudio will ask you to pick new data sources, but you can do that later. Just click “copy report”
  4. You’ll be taken to your own, personal copy of this data report, located at datastudio.google.com, similar to a google doc.
  5. Edit your copied report and be sure to add your own data sources into it.

A note from Michael:

I would love for everyone to take 5 minutes and see what my amazing team and I do at A & O. Check out this link: http://bit.ly/aoanalytics. We are eager and interested to help all the nonprofits with whatever digital marketing support they need, whether that’s analysis, strategy, or execution. We’re very affordable!

About the Presenter: Michael Despotovic of Apples & Oranges Analytics and Marketing

Michael Despotovic is the Co-Director of Apples & Oranges Analytics and Marketing (A & O) based out of Vancouver, BC. Learn more about A & O at http://bit.ly/aoanalytics. Michael has a Master’s in Publishing from SFU and is continuously involved in various arts, culture, and faith-based organizations around town. He’s also really into co-operatives!

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

Graphic Recording: Building Equity & Community in a Virtual Age with Maggie Miland

In this webinar, Maggie Miland uses her skills as a graphic recorder to capture stories and reveal sustainable solutions to our community’s most pressing challenges.

As a community builder, has this past year left you feeling disconnected and Zoomed out? What if there was something that could help us reconnect in a meaningful way? Graphic recording, or visual notetaking, is a powerful tool that puts people and their voices at the center of every conversation.

In this webinar, Maggie Miland uses her skills as a graphic recorder to capture stories and reveal sustainable solutions to our community’s most pressing challenges. She shares her unique approach to community development through her work with refugee youth, women seeking liberation from domestic violence, and communities addressing systemic racism.

Watch the video below to learn how graphic recording enables you to make the people you serve a leading role in the story!

What You’ll Learn

  • What graphic recording is and why it’s important
  • How you can use graphic recording within your own organization
  • Valuable tools to get started

Watch the webinar on building equity and community in a virtual age with graphic recording:

What is Graphic Recording?

When faced with complexity, draw it out. -Maggie Miland

Graphic facilitation (or “Recording”) is the use of large scale imagery to lead groups and individuals towards a goal. The method is used in various processes such as meetings, seminars, workshops and conferences. This visual process is conducted by a graphic facilitator.” (source: Wikipedia)

Why is it Important?

Maggie cites a study that found users retain only 10-20% of written or spoken information compared to 65% retention if the information is visual. Moreover, it’s estimated that 6 out of 10 people identify as visual thinkers.

Four reasons graphic recording is a powerful tool:

  1. It prioritizes accessibility
  2. It fosters trust
  3. It builds collective ownership
  4. It promotes a deeper understanding resulting in long-lasting change

6 Ways You Can Use Graphic Recording

1. Impact reports: Create a graphic that shares the story of what you do and how you did.

2. Feedback sessions: Involve more people by sharing visuals and allowing interactive engagement in developing the graphics.

3. Workshops: Create a graphic that recaps the highlights of an event. You can even share your screen or a time-lapse recording so viewers can see the progression of the graphic being made!

4. Strategic planning sessions: Create a visual that brings up statistics, feedback, representation, etc and shows people what you’re working towards.

5. Grant applications: Use graphics in your grant applications to bring them to life.

6. Stakeholder recognition: Use graphics for stakeholder recognition by combining them with impact reports or by showcasing your appreciation for their support.

Helpful Tools

  1. Colour palette generator: coolors.co
  2. Contrast Checker: webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker
  3. Ipad Pro + Apple Pencil
  4. Procreate App (for iPad)
  5. Other apps: Fresco, Illustrator for iPad
  6. Innovation Hour by Realize Strategies: https://realizestrategies.ca/innovation-hour-graphic-recording
  7. Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Jossey-bass Business & Management Series) 3rd Edition
  8. Neuland Markers (made in Germany) or other water-soluble markers
  9. Collaborative whiteboards/tools: Miro.com and jamboard.google.com and mural.co
  10. Graphic design software for beginners: Canva.com

About the Presenter: Maggie Miland of Realize Strategies

Maggie Miland uses her skills as a graphic recorder to capture stories and reveal sustainable solutions to our community’s most pressing challenges.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

Virtual Galas: Engage More People While Raising More Money with Sara Hoshooley and Ine Van Aken

Using best practices and learning from past virtual and live Galas, this webinar provides info nonprofits can use for virtual gala planning.

Using best practices and learning from past virtual and live galas, this webinar hosted by Sara Hoshooley (Charity Shift Consulting) with special guest Ine Van Aken (One Girl Can) provides tangible takeaways nonprofits can implement within their 2021 virtual gala planning.

Learn from a recent case study where a charity raised 230% over their fundraising goal and had more attendees than ever before! In addition, hear from the Executive Director of an organization that was one of the first Lower Mainland organizations to successfully move their in-person gala to a virtual one in April 2020.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to prepare for your Gala
  • How to ensure the maximum number of attendees and donors
  • How to create an effective, fun, and engaging event that your guests will love!

Watch the webinar on engaging more people and raising more money with virtual galas:

Introduction

Virtual galas are not the “new” normal, according to Sara Hoshooley, they’re the “next” normal. She predicts virtual galas will continue through 2021 and beyond.

Key Takeaways

“Virtual” does not equal “boring.” Find ways to engage your audience and keep your event short (one-hour maximum) and story-driven.

Opportunities for sponsorships are larger for virtual events than in-person events. Find creative ways to feature your event’s sponsor(s) and even get your audience involved (example shared: virtual wine and cheese tasting).

Maximize your fundraising by having donors pre-commit to donations before the event, coordinating donation matching, providing multiple ways for donors to give, and having tangible asks.

Pro Tips:

  • Help people navigate your online platform and give a tech how-to (don’t forget to show attendees how to connect their laptop to their TV for better viewing!)
  • Host a pre-event to help attendees sort out technical issues before the event officially starts. Make sure you have IT support available. 
  • Make your audience feel like they’re “part of the show” and not just disengaged spectators.
  • Don’t just think about who has attended in the past; think about who could attend now and in the future.
  • Consider tiered ticketing options (or by minimum donation), to make the event more accessible.
  • Keep your event short. Share your most important content in the first 35-40 minutes and have everything finished in an hour.
  • At the end, of the virtual event (before attendees sign off), announce your donations raised so far and choose an end date for online donations so donors know they can continue giving after the event.

Planning Your Virtual Gala Timeline

3-6 Months Prior

  • Choose a theme
  • Book your emcee
  • Choose your technology
  • Send save the dates messages
  • Confirm fundraising channels (website, text, auction)

1-2 months 

  • Send invitations
  • Develop a solicitation plan
  • Put together your staff and volunteer schedule
  • Create your event program

1-3 weeks

  • Have a tech/dress rehearsal
  • Follow up with key donors
  • Review details with vendors
  • Finalize all the content for your virtual gala

Event Day

  • Review all the details
  • Check that all technology is set up and working
  • Have a way to communicate with team/volunteers

Post event

  • Send out thank-yous, share reports and recordings
  • Remind donors that donations are still being accepted until your chosen end date
  • Debrief with your team

Don’t forget to have fun!

About the Presenter: Sara Hoshooley of Charity Shift Consulting

Charity Shift helps charities and non-profit organizations raise more money using best practices and proven fundraising strategies. Based in Vancouver BC, Charity Shift is led by Sara Hoshooley who has helped organizations raise millions of dollars to further their programs and causes.

About the Panelist: Ine Van Aken of One Girl Can

Ine Van Aken is the Executive Director of One Girl Can – a Canadian and Kenyan registered charitable organization on a mission to break the cycle of poverty and achieve gender equality through education and mentorship. Their unique holistic model empowers girls from the time they leave primary school until they gain meaningful employment. They do this through three pillars: building and renovating school structures, providing educational scholarships, and mentorship for long-term success in their chosen field of study.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!

Website Traffic Growth for Nonprofits with Alison Knott

In this webinar, web and brand consultant Alison Knott shares tips and resources for nonprofits wanting to grow their website traffic.

In this webinar, web and brand consultant Alison Knott shares tips and resources for nonprofits wanting to grow their website traffic.

Alison covers eight steps to website traffic growth, conducts live keyword searches based on audience suggestions, goes through a simple SEO checklist, and shares four steps to measuring your website traffic success.

Alison also shares valuable tools that can help your nonprofit increase website traffic, which you will find at the bottom of this post.

Watch the Webinar on Website Traffic Growth for Nonprofits with Alison Knott

The 8 Step Website Traffic Growth Approach for Nonprofits by Alison Knott

  1. Choose a Topic
  2. Perform an SEO Checklist
  3. Create a Newsletter Opt-In
  4. Create a Newsletter Sequence
  5. Create Newsletter Sign-up Locations
  6. Promote on Social Media
  7. Grow an Online Community
  8. Measure Success

Download the 8 step worksheet with more information and tips here: bit.ly/net2vn

Tools and Resources Mentioned in the Webinar

  • DripScripts: email sequence templates you can drag and drop into your mailing list platform of choice
  • Buffer and Hootsuite: social media management tools
  • SparkToro: search top hashtags and accounts based on your chosen topics
  • Google Analytics: website analytics, including referral traffic
  • Google Search Console: check indexing status and optimize visibility of websites
  • Yoast SEO: Wodpress plugin for search engine optimization
  • Customer Camp: deeply understand your customers and audience

About the Presenter: Alison Knott of Alison K Consulting

Alison K Consulting provides rebranding and website consulting for service-based businesses and organizations.

Join the TechSoup Connect British Columbia Community!

TechSoup Connect British Columbia hosts online and in-person tech-for-good events that bring nonprofits together. We help you build communities, share resources, and discover new opportunities for social impact.

We welcome nonprofits, consultants, technologists, funders, and everyone else passionate about using technology for good. 

Check us out: https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-connect-british-columbia-chapter/

Sponsors

A HUGE thanks to our amazing community partners and sponsors. Give them love! Spend 💵with them!