Overcoming Obstacles #4: COVID-19

During the pandemic, several things have changed due to measures such as social distancing and having to stay at home. As we are all aware, these are some of the many measures that have been taken up across the globe to help reduce the risk of infection by COVID-19 and to increase our safety. However, with these new measures, the process of hosting a fundraiser has become a different process, to say the least. This post will explore how to overcome our 4th and final obstacle: the pandemic.

1. Marketing

Since seeing other people has become much more complicated than previously so, people have had to come up with more unique ways to market. Rather than the conventional posters/signs, many organizations have had to change their approach when it comes to marketing. As such it’s important for your team to continue to effectively market events in spite of the added challenges. This is where social media comes into play, marketing can be very effective online as well, it is a matter of ensuring that online presence is prevalent. Here are some tips with regards to marketing online:

Have multiple platforms. This will help your fundraiser reach a greater number of people. Platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn are a great place to start.
Post consistently. This ensures that people are reminded of your organization and demonstrates that your team actively works towards their goals.
Include fundraiser details on your post to garner excitement. Examples include when the event will take place, how much money was fundraised at an event, milestone markers, and so on.

2. Working towards an event

There are often several components to running events and it can often be difficult to plan and organize things with your team. Here are some suggestions on how to continue to communicate and work collaboratively in an online setting:

Set up virtual meetings with your team to discuss your projects/initiatives- whether it be on Zoom, Google Meet, etc...
Share plans and work documents via an online platform so that team members can contribute remotely. This can be done via email, shared documents, etc...
Make arrangements and prepare events in advance. It takes planning to set up a successful event online. In essence, work out all logistics and online resources needed for the event prior to the event date. For instance, having a plan in the case the host’s wifi disconnects or deciding how to make the event more engaging (eg. breakout rooms, Q and A, and so forth).

Fundraiser events from Home

With social gatherings being difficult to host, the conventional ideas for fundraising (eg. bake sale, fundraiser dinner, etc...) are currently unavailable. Fortunately, there are several other ideas for fundraising that don't involve in-person gatherings, such as running your campaign on social media. There are many organizations that raise money for a good cause (eg. UNICEF) and holding a campaign through social media and encouraging people to donate is one way that you can host a fundraiser on a virtual platform.

Another way to fundraise virtually would be running a fundraiser on Zoom, although a Zoom meeting is not the same as hosting an actual fundraiser in-person, it is both a convenient and workable alternative. For example, if your team decides to host a meeting on Zoom, one can still have guest speakers among other engaging activities and presentations regarding your team’s initiative.

That wraps up our final post on overcoming obstacles! Thank you for reading and check back next week for our next blog post. Finally, remember to follow us @youthbeheardcanada on Instagram and check out the website for more information and resources on running fundraisers.