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“If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.” – Barbara Jordan

CCS stands in solidarity with our Black colleagues, client partners, friends, and greater society to affirm – loudly and unequivocally – that Black lives matter.

We denounce the heinous murders of far too many Black men and women at the hands of police and vigilantes, and we condemn the systemic racism that pervades our country’s institutions and has sanctioned this violence and oppression for too long. The killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the killing of Ahmaud Arbery by two civilians in Brunswick, Georgia; the killing of Breonna Taylor by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky; and the unjust treatment of Christian Cooper by an individual in Central Park in Manhattan are at the forefront of public consciousness, but these injustices represent only the latest in a long line of brutality and discrimination that are manifestations of systemic racism.

It is impossible to adequately express the outrage, the anguish, and the sadness that is felt throughout our country, especially among Black men and women who live in the constant traumatic nightmare of racial discrimination. But silence is a choice, and it is not an acceptable option. As Dr. King said: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” So we must turn our grief, our pain, and our anger into action. If we are to advance as a society, we need to come to terms with the realities of racism in our society and work ceaselessly to challenge the very structures that condone deep-seated racism and perpetuate inequity.

We do not have all the answers. But we all must do better, and we must start with ourselves. As a firm comprised of highly talented, mission-driven people, CCS commits to addressing the gross disparities in the funding of nonprofits that are led by people of color. We commit to working with even more nonprofits that offer opportunity and advancement to communities of color. We commit to leading the way in advancing professionals of color in our firm, in the nonprofit world, and the broader field of philanthropy. And we recommit to making CCS a more welcoming, diverse, and inclusive place to work.

For nearly 75 years, CCS’s mission has been to partner with nonprofit organizations for transformational change, and through this change, improve the lives of people of every race, ethnicity, and station in life. In this historic moment of challenge and uncertainty, we have never been more committed to making this change possible.

For many nonprofit organizations, events are an important way to raise funds, gather close donors, and educate the community in a unique way. Current limitations for in-person gatherings present a challenge for organizations that were planning to hold events, particularly this spring and summer. An Assess-Decide-Communicate-Execute framework offers a process to clarify your event objectives and develop a plan to achieve them in this distanced period.

First, resist the urge to jump straight into the logistics. Many organizations fall into one of two buckets: 1) immediately canceling all upcoming events as they can’t see how a successful convening could happen virtually, and they are tempted to impulsively send out cancellations before making a plan or 2) transitioning all of their events to a virtual format as they want to make it happen in any way possible.

Before sending out a cancellation notice or purchasing new virtual event software, nonprofits should take advantage of this moment to review and assess the purpose and performance of their key events. This helps clarify the best event strategy to achieve your objectives this year, and to identify opportunities to enhance these high-capacity activities well into the future.

Take this short survey to help your organization determine the best alternative avenue for engagement.

STEP 1: ASSESS

Before you make any decisions, recall what the event was intended to achieve. Were you raising funds for a certain cause? Celebrating donors at a certain level? Educating the public? Or a combination? Taking the time to understand what goals your event was aiming to achieve, and where you were in the planning stage, will inform and elevate your transition plans moving forward. Conduct an event audit to determine:

The purpose and impact of the event

In a typical year, what are the stated goals, benefits, and motivations for this event? How does the event support…
- Fundraising: Does this event produce irreplaceable funds for your program or organization?
- Engagement: Who typically attends this event, and does your organization have another way to reach them?
- Education: What important messaging does the event carry about your organization’s mission, impact, and/or people? Through what vehicle?
- Stewardship: How does this event serve as a vehicle for donor cultivation and retention? What other platforms are available to accomplish that recognition?
- Additional Benefits: What other positives have resulted from these events in the past?

What planning has already taken place

Where do you currently stand in your event preparation, and what resources are currently dedicated to this event?
- Have you already raised funds or secured commitments?
- What logistics or contracts are already committed? What are the options and risks associated with changing your plans?
- What staff are still available for event planning – in past or altered format?

How timing considerations will make the decision for you

Does the date fall within the most up-to-date shelter-in-place restrictions for your city/state?
How many guests usually attend the event? How does this compare to capacities outlined in current social gathering limitations?
How many other events does the organization typically hold each year?
Is there an opportunity to combine this event with a future event? What challenges would arise from that option?

STEP 2: DECIDE

“To cancel or not to cancel?” is not the question. Your organization has options, and it is not best practice to go the route of wholesale cancellation of event fundraising plans. Your team may choose to postpone or make your event virtual. You can also redistribute staff efforts to build alternative strategies that advance the goals you identified in the assessment. Translate the insights from the event audit into action: develop an engaging strategy or program that achieves your original event objectives.

STEP 3: COMMUNICATE

Regardless of how you decide to move forward, stakeholders are interested in hearing from the nonprofits they support. Developing a tiered communications plan that prioritizes event volunteers, sponsors, and major prospective donors can support the messaging of your ultimate decision. Though the logistics of your plan is important, incorporating impact-oriented updates about how your organization or cause is faring and how supporters can help will be strategic during this time.

A few best practices to keep in mind:

Rethink your event name: Even if it is a close replica, a virtual event will not be the same as the original gathering. Your organization should therefore consider renaming the event to create something new (i.e., “The Pajama Ball: A Night of Giving in Your PJs”).
Facilitate connections: Consider incorporating a live Q&A session and/or allow an online “chat” function. Now more than ever, people want to connect with each other. Providing access to key executives or thought leaders can help keep your constituents connected to and excited about your organization’s work.
Generate excitement: Prominently display the event fundraising goal thermometer and donor wall throughout your event to build and maintain momentum. Brainstorm new recognition levels and benefits for virtual event donors.

STEP 4: EXECUTE

For an event planning team, this step may feel familiar. Develop the appropriate working group, action steps, and timeline to make the event a success. Though your plans have changed, you may not need to start from square one. Find ways to creatively repurpose the plans and speaking points you have already developed. This step should also include your follow-up communication and donor cultivation plan to maximize the success of your event.

A few best practices to keep in mind:

Think outside of the box: This moment creates an opportunity to think differently about execution. Your organization’s audience will likely be excited to see a unique effort being implemented on their behalf. Find out how a nonprofit recently created a new virtual event to inspire its community.
Secure sponsorships, no matter what: Focus on recruiting and retaining your sponsors regardless of your final plan. Get creative with ways to fulfill sponsor benefits. Be straight forward with your sponsors. Let them know what challenge is impeding your event and invite them to partner with you to identify the solution. Many sponsors already have their commitment set aside in their annual budget.
Expand your invitation list: Re-think your invite list. If you are transitioning to virtual, cast a wider net and expand the invite list to everyone for whom you have an email on file. Or, cut the list to only include your top prospects and donors for a more intimate gathering (either in person, or virtual).
Treat Your Event Like a Giving Day: Check out our best practices here and here.

What Can You Do Today?

The first step to initiate this 4-point plan is to meet with your staff and leadership to brainstorm ideas and solutions to obstacles. It is also useful to look at what like-minded organizations have already done. How can you set yourselves apart from the pack and create something that stands out? These are the key questions that will help initiate a thorough plan of action.

CCS Fundraising is a strategic fundraising consulting firm that partners with nonprofits for transformational change. Members of the CCS team are highly experienced and knowledgeable across sectors, disciplines, and regions. With offices throughout the United States and the world, our unique, customized approach provides each client with an embedded team member for the duration of the engagement. To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

CCS Fundraising was pleased to partner recently with AROPS – The Schools’ Alumni Association to discuss strategies for staying engaged with alumni during this extraordinary period. A recording of this discussion with accompanying slides can be accessed here.

COVID-19 has magnified the opportunity for schools and alumni associations to become the conveners of alumni engagement. People are eager for a sense of community and purpose, increasing the value and need for strategically planned engagement and authentic communication.

Actions taken now and throughout the crisis will help to define how alumni regards schools and associations in the long-term.

To maximise the success of your engagement plans, CCS recommends focusing on the following five areas:

1. Objectives

Assess:
- what you would like your alumni programme to accomplish
- whether there are clearly defined benefits for the school community – alumni, pupils, parents, and friends
- by which simple metrics you will measure progress

2. Constituents

Segmentation of your database is part and parcel of everyday alumni engagement – consider how you might adjust segmentation through a COVID-19 lens
Tailor outreach and communications channels to alumni subsets based on their needs and preferences

3. Resources

Identify new tools and resources available, especially if staff numbers and budget have decreased
Utilise existing volunteer groups
Recruit the support of new volunteers – this is an opportunity to develop your network and identify some of your greatest advocates

4. Initiatives
Communications

Update your website with information on COVID-19 impact and response – virtual teaching, online resources, examinations
Increase the number of bulletins/e-newsletters sent
Ensure frequent social media posts
Begin highlighting plans for a gradual return to new normal
Share news on future-focused projects (where appropriate)Activities

Facilitate online gatheringsg. reunions – coach alumni on use of platforms and/or allow use of school technology
Set up special briefings (webinars/podcasts) by alumni experts (e.g. medics, data scientists, economists, politicians) on the crisis and its implications or managing its impact
Deliver scheduled events and activities online (graduation ceremonies, Church services, speech day)

Calls to Action

Recruit volunteers to assist in checking in with self-isolating alumni
Ask alumni to dedicate some of their time at home to looking for old photographs/sharing uplifting or ‘memory lane’ stories
Actively seek feedback
Survey alumni to determine their needs, interests, and their feedback on how you are doing
Request financial support from alumni (where appropriate) to:
Provide for pupils whose parents are in financial difficulty
Set up bursaries that encourage international applications
Continue planned upgrades to ensure financial health into the future

5. Timeline

Create a calendar of touchpoints and activities for the next two to three months
Monitor progress weekly
Be flexible – government guidance will determine what people are interested in/concerned about

Many individuals working with alumni have wondered whether this is an appropriate time to reach out to their constituents. The answer is a resounding “yes” – in many ways, the work of alumni associations and in-school professionals is more relevant now than ever.

Authentic communication and engagement are the foundation for long-term relationships. And remember, those who truly feel part of the school community give back to it, financially and as volunteers and ambassadors.

National moments—such as elections, natural disasters, and the current COVID-19 crisis—tend to propel certain nonprofits to the forefront of philanthropic attention. In these moments, new audiences and a larger spotlight create an immediate need for a ramped-up communications program as scrutiny around deliverables and actions heightens.

Stephen Peeler, Executive Director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation, is presently navigating this exact situation for the organization and its 20,000 members. In an exclusive interview conducted by Luke Driscoll, Managing Director at CCS Fundraising, Stephen discusses what it’s like to fundraise while supporting those on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. In this chat, he also expands on the creative ways the Foundation is communicating with donors as well as their wider new audience.

This video is the third installment of a mini webinar series, 5 Leaders | 5 Questions, where leaders at CCS Fundraising sit down with executives of leading nonprofits to discuss and reflect on fundraising in challenging times. In this series, the firm’s experts will explore each executive’s experience navigating fundraising in times of crisis, including the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession, natural disasters, as well as what they are seeing and doing amid today’s pandemic.

For more up-to-date information, visit ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

Healthcare institutions around the world are currently doing everything they can to combat the COVID-19 crisis, and they are doing so while also ensuring that other essential programs, such as cancer research, rare disease prevention/treatment, and other lifesaving services remain active for the sake of all of their patients. Many healthcare organizations are therefore asking how to best communicate the continued importance of these programs during this pandemic.

Advocates and friends of these programs – as well as nonprofit organizations and philanthropists dedicated to providing healthcare for all of those in need – can fill the funding gap and ensure treatment for those whose lives depend on it by executing on tried and true practices.

Communicate about the disruption

This is a critical time for healthcare organizations to communicate their needs to donors and prospects. Don’t be surprised if their response is more positive than anticipated. The current health crisis and its economic impact have been so disruptive to our daily lives that many philanthropists want to understand the entirety of its effects on their community’s nonprofits. Sometimes organizations intuitively feel the need to postpone communications while they resolve the uncertainty that affects their work. Yet it is exactly in times like these that need more information is needed, not less.

Communication will help individuals to understand how they can continue to be a part of the organization. Provide regular updates. Help the broader community understand how they can do more in this period. Invite them to respond creatively, to serve as advocates and fundraisers when armed with updated information about your organization. Use these advocates and volunteers to tell stories that demonstrate how you continue to deliver on your mission by repositioning services in the current environment. Share how some patients are still being helped. Explain what it means for individuals who can’t receive a critical healthcare service and how their world is different because of the suspension or shortfall of lifesaving healthcare service.

Articulate the impact through numbers and narrative

Help potential donors understand how the current disruption will affect the budget of the specific program in question. Provide updated fundraising forecasts as soon as possible. Events are being postponed every day. Embrace that and share what you are doing to replace the lost revenue. If major gift requests have been postponed, project the impact the delay will cause and when solicitation of prospects in the pipeline will resume. But don’t just message a general need for money. Address the costs required to maintain services, the investment made to pivot to an online model, explain ways in which you have reduced expenses, and articulate your vision for the short and long term.

Cast the net wider and innovate

With so many organizations depending on fundraising events for annual revenue, their wholesale cancellation presents multiple challenges. It causes a shortfall in relationship building, enhancing public awareness, stewarding donors and volunteers, and fundraising for crucial revenue needs. Yet, the current crisis offers other healthcare programs a unique opportunity to rethink their fundraising model. Consider other ways to strengthen relationships, thank valued members of the community, increase visibility, and raise funds:

You may be able to hold an annual event virtually.
Perhaps you can conduct an awareness drive to educate the broader community about the program and the unique challenges the current environment presents.
Set aside dedicated time for one-on-one conversations with prospective donors and ask them for a special gift, above and beyond their normal giving, to support the cause during these challenging times.
Encourage volunteers to reach out to their networks and identify potential new donors.
Consider reaching deeper into the organization’s database to connect with past donors who haven’t been heard from in a while. Are they open to returning as a donor given the unique situation?
Let people who have given in the past understand what challenges you face now. It might be that a family impacted by an illness in the past understand might be receptive to making a special gift during these unusual times.

Does your organization need assistance with ensuring fundraising support for all of your programs? Contact CCS today.

Most nonprofits have moved forward with major fundraising efforts—with appropriate modifications—despite the impact of the current global health pandemic, according to a new CCS Fundraising study of 1,183 professionals representing nonprofit organizations across all major philanthropic sectors. Only 9 respondents (less than 1%) noted campaign cancellations.

This news comes as nonprofits prepare for a downward trend in fundraising results throughout the remainder of the year. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported a decline in fundraising since the start of the pandemic, with over three-quarters expecting a drop in results through 2020.

CCS launched this broad scale fundraising survey, conducted between April 20—May 1, to better understand the immediate philanthropic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits. The study addresses the behaviors, progress, and challenges faced by organizations in the first two months since the crisis began.

Among the key findings, slightly more than half of respondents say their organizations have launched special appeals during the crisis, and most organizations continue to prioritize outreach to donors at all levels.

“We believe the size of the data set and the timeliness of these responses provide an illuminating picture of the depth and the scale of the initial impact,” says CCS Chairman, Robert Kissane.

CCS will continue to roll out new installments of this survey in the coming months, in addition to offering insights on how the data should inform short- and long-term fundraising plans. Contact CCS today to discuss your strategy.

During this challenging time, we are continuing to offer our perspectives and lessons learned from over seven decades of nonprofit advisory leadership. Click here to access our Strategies During COVID-19 page. Here you will find resources that provide best practices and optimal strategies to help your organization build a path through this crisis and beyond.

For more up-to-date information, visit www.ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

This month, we spoke to Aíne Gibbons, Director of Development at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences based in Dublin. RCSI is currently running the RCSI_TOMORROW campaign, the most ambitious philanthropic initiative in the institution’s history.

“Like all charitable organisations, Covid-19 has presented unprecedented challenges for RCSI but it has also brought the opportunity to engage with our community in a different way and unite under a common experience.

Early on in the crisis we sought to define our ‘voice’ to ensure a consistent tone across all of our communications. We took inspiration from the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar whilst he addressed the nation upon lockdown “let them say of us, when things were at our worst, we were at our best.” It was a statement that embodied how we wanted to act; with a recognition for the challenge but a collective resilience to be part of the solution.

From there we were able to adapt the message for our various audiences and develop the #RCSItogether communication campaign. By creating an inclusive message we could engage with our community and open a dialogue with them to understand their role in fighting the pandemic across the world. We didn’t want people to merely read what we were saying but to take part in it.

My advice to organisations regardless of the sector is to identify your tone and ensure that this remains consistent throughout your communications. Think about the reader and ask yourself ‘what will people say about our organisation when this is all over?’ I wish all of you the very best of luck in your endeavours.”

Before joining RCSI, Aíne Gibbons led significant campaigns for University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, and previously worked in fundraising for the NSPCC.

Innovative solutions for engaging nonprofit supporters have emerged as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused organizations to reevaluate and revise their fundraising strategies, particularly those halted by social distancing practices. For nonprofits across sectors, it will take some trial and error to determine which solutions are most effective, and perhaps, worth integrating into long-term toolkits for raising funds in a post-pandemic world.

One area that is currently being tested is virtual fundraising events. A recent CCS blog post offered advice for transitioning in-person events to online, assisting those organizations unable to cancel and forgo a significant source of annual revenue. With many nonprofits embarking on this uncharted path during this health crisis, several recipes for success have since come to light.

In this post, Tracy Conte, Vice President of Development and Community Engagement at Ability Beyond, a nonprofit that serves over 3,000 people with disabilities in Connecticut and New York, offers insights on their first No Go Gala held on April 25. We spoke to Tracy about how this event was created and implemented.

Why did you decide to plan a virtual fundraising event rather than cancel the event?

Our team knew it was important to move forward and raise awareness and critical funds for the people we serve. In ordinary times, Ability Beyond serves some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and our annual gala raises essential support for programs and services including housing, employment opportunities, and social connection. During the COVID-19 state of emergency, our people – from consumers to frontline caregivers – have been deeply affected, and we face mounting costs and lost revenue due to the pandemic. We needed to proceed with the gala to ensure the well-being of our people and the stability of the organization.

What was the format for the virtual fundraising event?

Our No Go Gala consisted of a special print and email appeal, dedicated event webpage accepting donations from April 1 through May 1, and a live one-hour giving hour on April 25 – the date of our original gala.

The live giving hour was heavily promoted in advance, streamed on our website and open to all. Comedian Christine O’Leary, who is a favorite past-host at our in-person gala, led the program from the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, CT, our long-time venue partner. The program included video messages from Ability Beyond team members and sponsors, special stories from clients and staff, communication on the impact of COVID-19 to the organization, and a live lend-a-hand pledge. We received surprise call-in donations and shared these exciting moments with our online guests.

How did you measure success?

We are extremely proud of the way our community came together to support the No Go Gala. The virtual event raised over $465,000, surpassing our goal of $400,000. Beyond funds raised, more than 1,200 members of our community joined us for the live webcast to show their support for our clients and staff.

What key strategies led to your success?

There are a few factors that stand out:

We were able to secure early leadership commitments. Many of these commitments came through early solicitations before we transitioned to a virtual event, as part of ongoing major gift work. When we chose to move our event online, we communicated our plans to current and prospective donors, explained how the virtual event will help address existing and new needs related to COVID-19, and asked donors to consider sustaining or increasing their support. We were largely met with generosity and praise for quickly pivoting.

We galvanized our community. From the start of the pandemic, we increased our communications and focused on what is happening at Ability Beyond and how people can help support us – financially, with in kind donations, and through volunteer efforts. We consistently underscored the importance of our mission and the role of philanthropy. As we made plans for the virtual event, we included updates in our regular communications. We leaned on our community – board members, committee volunteers, families, and friends – to participate, provide financial support, and invite others in their network to join us. After becoming aware of Ability Beyond’s situation and needs, they rose to the occasion to help.

Timing played an important role. The idea of a virtual event came up in early March as social distancing was beginning to hit Connecticut and New York, and we closed our day programs for the safety of our clients and staff. With some support for an in-person gala already committed and an invitation ready to send, we quickly redirected our efforts to planning this virtual event. Immediately, our development and communications team worked to determine logistics, developed a communication strategy, and reached out to sponsors and donors. Coupled with news of Ablity Beyond’s needs and a rising interest in helping essential human service nonprofits like ours, the novel idea of a virtual event resonated as a method to help our community through these trying times.

Ability Beyond’s No Go Gala offers a model for other organizations conducting a virtual fundraising event, and we are already seeing more examples of successful pivots to online events. While nonprofits continue to explore and adapt, perhaps the biggest lesson to learn from Ability Beyond is to leverage proven, relationship-based fundraising strategies and to not be afraid to try something new.

Planning a Virtual Fundraising Event: How to Begin

Engage your leadership team and top donors. Deploy your development staff and volunteers to personally call your most supportive leaders and donors. Share your plans, seek advice, and ask for early commitments.

Increase communications to your greater community. Ensure your community is aware of your organization’s needs, the impact COVID-19 is having on your programs and services, and ways to help. These updates may be through increased online and email communications, as well as new tactics like webinars or group calls. As your virtual event takes shape, you can communicate plans and ask for support from an already captive audience.

Consider what makes your in-person gala unique and adapt to an online format. Are there annual performances or entertainers willing to help? Are there mission-focused highlights of students, patients, or other people served? Are there awards and recognition opportunities that inspire and motivate others. Integrate the elements that make your fundraising event special into your online program.

A common principle that has emerged in nonprofit fundraising through times of crisis and economic uncertainty is that the organizations who continue major fundraising efforts are much better positioned for success over those that pause activity.

A shining example of this lesson is St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, VA, which maintained a successful capital campaign through the Great Recession while several like-minded organizations in its area held back. In this exclusive video, Luke Driscoll, Managing Director at CCS Fundraising, chats with Kathleen Barrett, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa, to discuss lessons learned from the 2008 campaign and how those takeaways are influencing the organization’s current fundraising strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were able to find so many new donors during the 2008 Recession simply by reaching out and communicating immediately, and ultimately delivering on our promises,” says Kathleen.

St. Joseph’s Villa is a nonprofit dedicated to creating brighter futures for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds faced with developmental disabilities, diverse learning styles, mental health issues, and homelessness, among other challenges. Kathleen has been at the helm of St. Joseph’s since 2006, but the organization has survived countless times of crisis since opening its doors in 1834.

“We have applied the same strategies during this crisis that we always have. We simply buckle down and show everyone that we are the strength in the storm,” says Kathleen.

This video is the second installment of a mini webinar series, 5 Leaders | 5 Questions, where leaders at CCS Fundraising sit down with executives of leading nonprofits to discuss and reflect on fundraising in challenging times. In this series, the firm’s experts will explore each executive’s experience navigating fundraising in times of crisis including the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession, natural disasters, as well as what they are seeing and doing amid today’s pandemic.

For more up-to-date information, visit ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

As COVID-19 presents challenges to fundraising activity, we are all the while uncovering new opportunities to exercise creativity in continuing to meet our transformational goals.

This post is devoted to one possible solution: a virtual tour of your organization during a video meeting with a donor. While, of course, nothing compares with the live experience of your programs or services, there are simple and elegant ways of conveying your organization’s story, delivering mission moments, and setting the stage for your case for support all on an online platform. The following is intended to help you consider how a virtual tour might be useful to your donors, how to create one that captures your unique mission and vision, and what key considerations to keep in mind.

What is a Virtual Tour?

An in-person tour allows you to show the donor exactly where you are and where you’re headed. By allowing them to feel the mission and experience your organization firsthand, you are able to create a deep connection between the donor and your institution. They are often key components of cultivation, briefing, and request conversations. So how do you replicate these highly effective meetings during this crisis or when a donor isn’t able to meet you in person?

In this online landscape, consider a highly visual 20-minute slide deck summary on your organization that brings the mission to life, articulates key program areas, and sets the stage for upcoming funding opportunities to unlock the greatest impact. The tour should be engaging, informative, and should inspire the donor to visit in person when it is safe to do so. As you invite donors to participate in virtual meetings, set expectations and share what will be included during your time together.

When putting together a virtual tour, consider the following:

Process

With the key objectives established, begin preparing your virtual tour with your team. This could be a strategic set of photographs, quotes, organizational stats, or some combination that are visually compelling and contain concise but powerful pieces of information. Keep the following in mind as you get to work:

Consider the “user journey.” Replicating your in-person tour begins with thinking about how the tour typically begins and ends. Where do you take them throughout the tour? Do you have visuals each step of the way? Consider piecing together a storyboard for how this journey can be translated to the online audience. Build the slide deck around your story, keeping key transitions in mind. For example, are there key points you always hope to cover in the opening minutes of your tour? Include them in your opening slide.
Show don’t tell. Work with your team to gather all the best pieces you have on hand from your stockpile of images, infographics, testimonials, and renderings. Consider how you can show your story with the greatest impact for your donor. When possible, use high-resolution images for maximum effect. If you don’t have images for a certain moment, look into using stock imagery.
Design for the format. Consider how long you’d like to spend on each slide and prepare the visuals and information to be easily digestible in that time. Remember that your deck will be seen through a computer screen so craft your slides in widescreen format.
- Consider the prospective donor. What does your donor already know about the organization? How will your presentation build on that knowledge? Which aspects of the mission have they responded to previously? Are there updates or programs that should be prominently highlighted?
Plot your narrative. What must be established about the organization yesterday and today before launching into your vision for tomorrow? How do you plan to navigate those transitions? Prepare speaking notes to accompany your presentation that add to—rather than reiterate—what is shown on screen.
Maintain participant energy. Develop guiding questions to pose throughout the visit that will engage your donors in conversation, gain their insights, and better understand their interests.
Test and adjust. Share with the donor that this is a new format. Invite their feedback and suggestions to strengthen the experience. Throughout the meeting, make note of instances where adjustments can be made in advance of the next meeting.

Challenges to Overcome

Technical difficulties. Always have a backup plan and additional platforms to use should you experience any issues. Be sure to run through the slides and practice sharing your screen with internal participants well in advance and adjust as necessary. Avoid sharing video files unless you know they will present well to your external audience on your platform of choice. See our recent post on video conferencing for donor meetings for more tips and tricks to keep things running smoothly.
Reading people through the screen. Make sure to allow time for feedback. Call on participants by name to keep the conversation going and do your best to prevent people from speaking over one another.
Going over on time. Add less to the agenda than you typically would so that any unforeseen technical difficulties do not detract from the critical content. For time purposes, get the donors up to speed before the meeting begins by preparing a clear agenda and notes in advance, and encourage speakers to keep them handy and open on their screens.

Follow-up

In addition to your case for support or other key materials, send the virtual tour to the donor following your meeting for their reference or as a stand-alone piece to share with any decision makers who were unable to join you online. When it is safe to do so, invite the donor to visit in person to build on the virtual tour and to complete their experience of your organization.

Beyond this specific moment, a virtual tour deck could be used to engage far-flung alumni, prospective donors with limited mobility, and snowbirds whose availability to meet is so often seasonal. A thoughtful and well-designed virtual tour is a wonderful tool to have in your fundraiser toolbox during these days of global pandemic and certainly beyond.