Piloting the Pivot to a Virtual Fundraiser

Many of you know that I am on the Board of Directors at Candlelight Ranch and for the past few years have served on the steering committee of Light A Path, the Ranch's largest annual fundraiser. What you may not realize is that Light A Path 2020 was held virtually last month, and it was a roaring success —blowing expectations out of the water.

The success was by no means assured, and there were unprecedented hurdles to overcome along the way. For starters, it took time to persuade key stakeholders to pivot from a traditional, in-person gala to supporting a virtual fundraiser. As the final figures reveal, however, the effort paid off.

In my estimation, there is not a more perfect, textbook example than this year's Light A Path to illustrate the initial hesitation, challenges, and ultimate success of a virtual fundraising event —which is why, for this week's post, I am very excited to share an excerpt from a Q + A with Jenn Hartner, Candlelight Ranch's Executive Director. As you'll read below, Jenn sheds invaluable insights on the pivot and planning process.

Jennifer Blackman: Starting off on a personal note, what were your initial reservations about switching to an online format?

Jenn Hartner: Back in March when events started going virtual I didn’t feel like we needed to react right away and shift directions as we were all trying to figure out how to navigate a pandemic. With so many initial unknowns, I didn’t want to throw another iron in the fire until we had a better understanding of what was happening. Also, I wanted to learn from others who had switched to an online format before moving in that direction. Our event went through three different iterations —our original ballroom-style event; an event on our 40-acre ranch; until ultimately in mid-August we decided to switch to 100% virtual.

JB: What helped you come around?

JH: Listening and learning from other organizations, listening and talking with our board members and stakeholders, and ultimately talking with the county fire marshal and commissioner about the likelihood of an in-person event in October. Once there was a clear line that an event, even with COVID-19 numbers low, would not happen, it made the decision to move virtual more straightforward.

JB: How were you able to persuade other stakeholders, skeptical about an online event, of the value of a virtual one?

JH: The key to our success was our relationships with our supporters. We spent a lot of time on the phone thanking folks for past support and talking about the new format. We spent the spring cultivating and checking in with supporters so that in the fall, when we had to go virtual, people had enough time to warm up to the idea. We also were clear about the way we continued to serve during COVID-19 and could paint a very clear picture of the increased need for our services during this time. By September, most of our supporters understood the reason for a virtual event and either made pledges or bought tickets and participated in the virtual event.

JB: In terms of the actual event planning, what were some significant differences you encountered while preparing an online experience?

JH: We spent a lot more time in the edit room on the program. The “live program” needed to be clear, concise, and engaging without taking up too much time. To achieve this, we started with the scripting process – making sure to add key transitions and to capture necessary video footage that we could edit down into segments. We managed the flow and content by breaking the program into a pre-show, main course, and dessert course, allowing the viewer to tune in when they could, but being clear that the main course was the suggested watch time. Our auctioneer also did a great job keeping paddles up fun, engaging, and quick. The moving pieces of this event were actually fewer than an in-person event – set up and clean up were much easier. We needed to expand our communication with guests for curbside pickup, mobile bidding, and how to watch the virtual program. We purchased a new event management software for ticket sales, mobile bidding, and paddles up. The new platform exceeded our expectations and allowed us to utilize technology in the planning process for guests. Sponsors were a lot harder to secure this year. Many corporations eliminated this type of spending or did not want to support a virtual experience. This challenged us to make up the lost revenue with ticket sales and individual pledges.

JB: Tell us about the remarkable results.

JH: Our silent auction did amazing, bringing in 114% of the FMV! Curbside meal pickup was great and allowed us the opportunity to say hi and thank you to our supporters. The live program was seamless, and paddles up generated over $100,000. Our expenses were under $7,000, and our total amount raised was over $205,000.

JB: What surprised you most about the overall experience?

JH: We received such positive feedback from our board, advisors, and supporters. Even though we couldn’t all be together, it was still fun, heartfelt, and engaging. We exceeded our goal, people had fun, and learned about our mission. If we have to do a virtual event in the future, we have a great template to build off of, and I am confident we can do it again!

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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