Fundraising Events for the Modern Nonprofit

Today, an effective online charity platform like the one provided by PayBee can make setting up, marketing, managing, and following up on your fundraising events a lot easier. PayBee software actually automates much of the process, taking the burden off of your event team and leaving them free to focus on your guests.

To use your online charity platform effectively, however, you’ll want to learn what tools to focus on during your planning phase, event management stage, and follow-up period. In this article, we’ll cover all the features you’ll want to know about when hosting a modern in-person fundraising event.

Before Your Event

Before your actual event, you’ll need to promote your fundraiser and its activities in a way that attracts a lot of attention. Prospective guests need to know where to go to buy tickets and learn more about your event. Likewise, you’ll need a way to share your upcoming event across multiple social media channels. Here’s how PayBee can help.

Event Page

Even when you’re hosting an in-person event, a website is essential for keeping your guests informed. To make the process easier, PayBee automatically generates an event landing page for every one of your fundraising events.

This event page will provide dates and times for your fundraising gala. Guests can easily visit the registration page with a single click and purchase tickets. Page themes are also customizable, letting you promote big activities (like silent auctions) and offer a place to promote your sponsors.

Social Sharing Buttons

These days, an active social media presence is key to generating interest in an event. PayBee offers built in social sharing links that let you share your event registration page on all the major social media outlets. From Facebook to Twitter, you’ll be able to publicize your fundraising event wherever your audience likes to get their information.

Ticketing Systems

Start generating revenue immediately with PayBee’s ticketing system. Our online charity platform makes it simple to create any type of ticketing campaign you might require — from event tickets to more specific dinner tickets (complete with multiple meal options). Plus, Paybee’s automatically generated event landing page makes it easy for visitors to purchase tickets and commit to attending your charity gala.

Guest Management Software

Managing all of your guest information is essential to running a successful fundraising event. PayBee’s online charity platform makes it easy to not only collect relevant information such as guest contact information, ticket status, table assignment, and bid paddle numbers, but also arranges all of this information in an easy-to-comprehend format on our backend interface. You’ll be able to know at a glance who your guests are and how to manage them.

During Your Event

Successfully managing in-person fundraisers can be challenging. To make sure your event team receives full support, PayBee’s online charity platform provides you with an array of tools for every stage of your event. Here are the ones you want to focus on:

Check-In Tools

Checking in your guests can be a hassle, and you want to avoid keeping your guests in long lines. To save you from this trouble, the PayBee mobile app offers a one-click check-in-button that lets any of your volunteers check-in guests at any time from any place in your event venue.

Odds are you’ll also have check-in materials for your guests — like bid paddles or table assignment cards. PayBee’s backend system automatically generates check-in PDF print ready files, complete with unique numbers and QR codes. All of your materials will be ready for your guests to pick up easily from your check-in table.

Silent Auction

Silent auctions are excellent fundraising activities that enable you to raise funds even before your main gala even starts. To make your silent auction easier for you to host, we offer:

• Online Bidding: Our online silent auction interface allows anyone with a smart phone to place bids from anywhere in your venue. We’ll also display the top bidder at all times, letting guests know the current status of desired auction items.
• Automatic Bid Sheets: Whether you prefer to generate traditional bid sheets that let guests manually write their bids on auction items or offer QR codes guests can use to bid directly on your online silent auction page, PayBee can accommodate you.
• Text Notifications: Your bidders will receive live SMS updates on the auction, along with convenient links to place counter bids (and raise more funds for your charity).

Pledge Drive

The easier you make it for your guests to donate, the more funds you’ll be able to raise. Here’s how PayBee helps you increase your revenue.

• Donation QR Codes: QR Codes can be displayed anywhere at your event and provide your guests with a simple way to visit your online donation page using their smartphones. From there, they can immediately make their donations.
• Add Multiple Pledges Option: During live pledge drives, it’s ideal for pledges to come in fast. However, this can cause problems in adding each pledge to the correct donor’s cart. To counteract this, the PayBee system offers an “Add Multiple Pledges” option that enables you to enter bidder numbers quickly into the PayBee system, allowing each pledge to be assigned correctly. You can even use this same feature to quickly enter bids for any other fundraising campaign, increasing accuracy and improving revenue collection.

Live Auctions

Live auctions are energetic events that can raise a lot of money for your programs. To ensure your live auction runs smoothly, PayBee offers the following features.

• Bid by Paddle Raise: Being able to raise physical paddles during a live auction encourages bidding — but PayBee’s Magic Paddles offer something more. Thanks to the QR codes on each paddle, guests can donate easier, and the data is quickly recorded by one of your volunteers using the PayBee App where the pledged amount is added to the donor’s cart for checkout.
• Event Activity Monitor: Keep all your participants in the action using the event activity monitor. This feature lets you display all donations and bids processed through the PayBee platform through any monitor of your choosing. This is a great way to help guests follow along the events of a live fundraising campaign.

Checkout

Collecting all the donations from your fundraiser can be a challenge, especially near the end of your fundraising event. To make the process smoother and faster, take advantage of these PayBee features:

• Swipe Checkout: Process payments at any time, anywhere in your venue, and any item using the PayBee volunteer app. You can link the PayBee App to card readers, allowing them to process any major credit card.
• Multiple Payment Options: Your guests will be able to pay using credit card, cash, ACH, and Apple Pay.
• Multi-Purpose App: Available on both Android and IOS devices, the PayBee app lets your in-person event staff record bids, accept donations, check in guests, and more via their smartphones.

After Your Event

Your fundraiser doesn’t end after your main event concludes. Your event team still needs to review the data from your event and collect any outstanding pledges. Here’s how PayBee’s online charity platform can help.  

Follow Up Reports

Our robust backend reporting system provides you with a detailed breakdown of all donations and attendees, making it easier to keep track of your donors and event financials. You’ll also be able to sort through our system with a comprehensive set of custom parameters, allowing you to report on and track all relevant donation data.

Pledge Follow-Ups

Sometimes, not all of your guests manage to complete their donations during your event. Fortunately, the PayBee system automatically tracks any outstanding bids or pledges and lets you follow-up with your guests with a single click. You’ll be able to send automatic payment reminders with direct pay links, making it easy for donors to checkout and for you to collect all your revenue.  

Account Setup

Creating fundraising campaigns is easy once you create a PayBee account. You’ll be able to do everything from setup a variety of events to sending invites to marketing your fundraiser. Our versatile online charity platform supports all major campaign types, including:

• Live and Silent Auctions
• Donation Buttons
• Pledge Drives
• Fundraising Games

Learn just how easy setting up your PayBee account is by signing up for a free demo of PayBee’s system and asking your questions directly to our experts.

Using PayBee’s Online Charity Platform to Go Hybrid

Hybrid fundraisers are getting much more attention now that in-person events are returning. Hybrid galas combine features of virtual fundraisers with traditional in-person galas, granting you a more affordable and lucrative fundraising event. Here are just some of the PayBee features that can facilitate your hybrid fundraising event.

Recording Hardware

Whether you’re creating a basic virtual fundraising event with your office laptops or an advanced hybrid fundraiser with a professional crew, you’ll need an online charity platform that’s compatible with a variety of setups. Fortunately, PayBee’s system is more than up for the challenge.

Our online fundraising platform has been used by nonprofits and charities who’ve hired professional camera crews to record and livestream their galas. But we’ve also supported smaller ventures by charity organizations that just use basic video/audio recording devices and an Internet connection. Plus, we’re prepared to offer you the tech support needed to ensure your hybrid, virtual, or in-person event goes off without a hitch when you livestream your gala to the Internet.  

Video Stream

Speaking of live streaming, we’re aware that your nonprofit has plenty of live streaming options to choose from. Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch all offer ways to connect with vast audiences depending on the type of communities you want to reach. And the best part? PayBee’s online charity platform will work with any video stream provider that allows embedding.

This gives you a great edge in your virtual and hybrid fundraisers and also opens up the option to offer both pre recorded video as well as livestreaming in your events. As both options help you grow your following and make your fundraising events run more smoothly, working with PayBee’s support staff to incorporate these video options is a must.

Additional PayBee Features

Whether you’re hosting a live auction or a virtual concert, any fundraising event can benefit from extra support. And when you use the PayBee online charity platform, you’ll gain access to a wide network of professionals and in-house experts ready to help you meet any of your fundraising goals. Here are just some of the ways we can help:

Extra Services

Want to get higher bids during your live auctions? A professional auctioneer can maintain a high level of activity among your bidders, encouraging larger donations. Need to make the people at home feel like they’re in the middle of your fundraising gala? Professional video and sound engineers allow you to make your virtual or hybrid event a truly immersive experience.

So, where can you get in touch with these experts? PayBee grants you full access to a vast network of professionals who have enhanced a number of fundraising events. Just search for the expertise you need and you’ll enjoy all the attention and support you need.

Support

Sometimes, help comes from the people closest to you. And that’s definitely true when you use PayBee’s services and get a complimentary on boarding call and production call. Plus, if you need help at any stage of your event planning journey, our staff can always be reached via chat or email to make sure everything from your account to your event campaigns are set up properly.

Got a question? Send it to us at contact@paybee.io.

Moving Forward

Modern nonprofit fundraisers are exciting events that can reach thousands of people around the world and enhance your nonprofit or charity’s brand in ways you could once only dream about. However, using the online charity platform and virtual tools needed to make your in-person, virtual, or hybrid fundraiser a success can intimidate people who are new to this type of fundraising.

Fortunately, PayBee is prepared to help. Just sign up for a free demo of our online fundraising platform and experience first hand what it means to raise money with modern online tools. You’ll be able to take part in a mock online auction and ask all of your questions to our team of experts. The future of your fundraising efforts is literally lying at your fingertips, so sign up for a free demo today!

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