Live Streaming Makes Fundraising Events Easier

3 Reasons Why Live Streaming is a Friend to Nonprofit Fundraisers

As we all know, this past year kept everyone guessing; especially people who were trying to plan events. Between April 2019 and April 2020, the live streaming market experienced a 99% boost in hours watched—our own Livestream Studio was a part of this collective pivot, bringing an elevated level of professionalism, accessibility, and engagement to the live stream space. 

For nonprofit events specifically, we don’t take the task of amplifying our community lightly; here are three reasons why live streaming makes fundraising events easier: 

(1) Easily Record for Later 

Perhaps the likeliest reason to live stream your nonprofit fundraiser: you can easily record it, with all the set-up already done for you. Content marketing is important not only for traditional businesses, but also for nonprofit organizations—so much so that our client, QLaw Foundation of Washington, received many donations from the recording alone: 

Case Study: QLaw Foundation of Washington 

The QLaw Foundation of Washington had fully intended on their annual Falltacular fundraiser being in-person, but COVD had other plans. When it became clear that their Falltacular would have to transition to a hybrid event, they enlisted the help of Live Oak AV through Kristen at Jubilee Event Engineers and Finnavair at Finn Events. During the planning process, Live Oak AV helped transition the event to being fully virtual.

We also helped to stream entertainment in between segments and record the event to use in the future to fundraise and give to sponsors. For Falltacular, QLaw had more than twice as many attendees as the year prior which had been one of their biggest events to date. They nearly tripled the amount of money they raised at their event from 2020. Ten percent of that money came in after the event from people who were sent a recording of the event—which goes to show how impactful virtual events can be, even after the live stream is over. 

(2) Include Features for Greater Engagement 

What creates a good in-person event? Personalization, connection, and an all-around thoughtful attendee experience. The same goes for a virtual event. Using the existing technology you’d already use to live stream to at-home attendees, you can take the professionalism (and fun) up a notch. 

If you’re using a platform like Zoom anyway, leverage the features for higher engagement: 

• Zoom chat on-screen
• Contests with white board feature 
• Sharing emojis/reactions 

(3) Create an Elevated Experience for Attendees and Sponsors 

Instead of the virtual background or a view of your living room, our Livestream Studio has a stage that can be personalized and decorated with custom background images and décor. We’ve even partnered with a décor company to be able to customize the look and feel of your event. 

The studio has monitors and sound so that the people on stage can actually see and hear meeting attendees. It also has teleprompters to support a TV-like experience for speakers and guests. Additionally, the studio is set up with reliable high-speed internet for the broadcast, ensuring that your stream never cuts out. We are also able to incorporate pre-recorded video content into the live stream, making it truly a one-of-a-kind experience. For an example of how this looks, take a peek at our replay of the Holy Family Bilingual School 2021 Auction. 

You can also give donors a peek behind the curtain in your space, when held on-site; for example, you can show places of your nonprofit organization at work that others may not see often, if ever. Our client Aurora Commons was able to give a look inside clinic rooms at their nonprofit fundraising event, and the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project showed off the adorable kittens’ room at their annual spay and neuter event. 

We’re here to support you. Our motto is AV uncomplicated. We make it easy to plan and execute any type of event you need whether it’s virtual, hybrid, or in-person. 

Ready to book your next nonprofit fundraiser or community event? Contact us today.