Hybrid fundraisers combine the advantages of both types of fundraising into a single solution. Virtual audiences can watch the same event in real-time with in-person participants and even participate in activities like live and silent auctions, raffles, and luncheons thanks to the proper live streaming technology and hybrid fundraising platform.
Hybrid fundraising events allow more people to attend or participate in the event because they include a virtual element. This provides your nonprofit greater flexibility and accessibility, which frequently results in a boost in funds collected.
If you're planning to livestream, you'll need to decide on a few technology tools first. Start with a live streaming platform, popular choices include Youtube, Twitch and Facebook live. To do more with your livestream, such as incorporating images, countdowns and screen splitting, there are extra software tools available to manage your stream. Popular choices include OBS, Streamyard and Wirecast.
It's also useful to have a large monitor or projector on display in front of the room where in-person guests can keep track of the event activity feed which includes all real-time bidding activity.
After you've selected your software, you should do a practice run to ensure everything is working as you had envisioned. If you're planning an online auction, there are software tools that allow your guests to bid from their own homes.
For the rest of the setup, approach it as you would any other in-person event. Just be sure to consider audio/video concerns from your livestream area as well as a strong internet connection to the computer used to produce the virtual component of your event.
Almost all of the typical fundraising event formats we love can be made into a hybrid event by adding a virtual component. To broadcast live from your event, all that is needed for a minimal setup is a video camera and internet connection, a pre-recorded setup is even simpler.
Virtual fundraising solutions are here to stay. As technology continues to improve, the experience will become more and more immersive. Additionally, as technology becomes more embedded in everything we do, the setup for these types of events will be less involved. The future includes a scenario where most fundraising events will involve a virtual component, making the standard for fundraising events hybrid.
