One of the biggest joys we have throughout the year is helping some of the amazing nonprofits we have here in our local communities. This year though has been incredibly tough to watch as the postponements and cancellation emails have come in for the all the galas and events planned for 2020 due to the health crisis. Not just because we love a good party, but because we have really come to understand the impact these nonprofits have on our community through the programs and services they provide and the people and families they reach.
We began brainstorming how nonprofits can continue their missions in the COVID-19 era, and more importantly raise much needed funds to continue to provide invaluable resources. We looked for inspiration in the past with an innovative approach.
We all grew up watching Telethons on TV, be it local or national, or even parodies on Parks and Recreation. In the past, these were out of reach for many smaller organizations due to their high production costs, studio space needed and intense organizational requirements, but the advent of social media has brought those production costs way down and with an experienced partner, a canceled gala leaves some overhead costs that could be redirected to raise even more money online.
Packages range from a prerecorded hour of music, keynotes and inspirational content to a full day of entertainment. Your organization can take pledges, sell packages, and take live donations through YouTube/Facebook and your website. You can reach a new audience with your social media pages, align with key supporters, entertain and raise money. And the lift can be made easy with an experienced partner who can handle it all, from guest outreach, host coordination, online auction, production planning, production and streaming.
But as with any telethon, it will only be successful if people know about it. Baker Public Relations can not only assist with production and event logistics, but promoting the event using our nationally-recognized public relations tools and tactics. We can provide traditional media relations, public relations and social media promotion in advance of your event. These events have seen success lately, with a captive at-home audience.
Here are some recent news clips mentioning the resurgence across the country that Baker Public Relations can model off of:
- https://www.news10.com/news/celebrity-telethon-raises-115m-for-new-yorkers-impacted-by-covid-19/
- https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-coronavirus-orlando-arts-telethons-20200424-vxc2rrvn3fcbjdq34ouf6d2ohu-story.html
The possibilities for a virtual webinar truly are endless, and for an organization looking to increase their fundraising during the pandemic, reaching a new audience at home could be key. Contact us today to see what a custom virtual event package could look like! We are here to help.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://bakerprdev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/BakerPR_nonprofit-virtual-event_073120.pdf” title=”BakerPR_nonprofit virtual event_073120″]