Livestreaming has emerged as one of the best ways to keep people connected with so much closed down due to the ongoing pandemic. Nonprofit groups have had to get very creative this year in order to keep up their charitable work, much of it needed more than ever. Though the typical fundraising gala is impossible, getting donations is still vital. Lots of nonprofits have turned to hosting livestream events.
Tons of people tuned in to the livestream St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital held on YouTube on GivingTuesday. They partnered with several popular YouTube channels to increase awareness. The goal was to raise at least $1 million, and they ended up raising over $3 million.
Advertise Your Livestream Fundraiser With Shareable Eye Candy Graphics
The St. Jude’s fundraiser has several important take-aways for other nonprofits. First, there was a lot of press in the days leading up to the event. Secondly, St. Jude partnered with well-known YouTube streamers to increase their audience. Not every group can take over the YouTube masthead, but anyone can and should leverage the online community they already have.
Email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can all be used to advertise. Create an eye-catching graphic with all the important details that followers can easily share with their friends. Boost the message about 10 days before the event, then a couple of days before, then an hour before.
Before the livestream, make sure you’ve tested all your equipment and have good lighting. You can film yourself or have a run-through with your team. Decide on what you want to talk about. Make notes or a script so you don’t forget anything vital.
Plan to go live for at least seven minutes to get the most engagement. You can also think about whether you can offer incentives for donations. Or you can tease a big reveal in your advertising to create interest among your followers.
On the day of the livestream, have a link in the description of the livestream so people can easily donate. Having multiple platforms encourages people to give in the way that’s easiest for them. You can also set up a text-to-donate option. Invite people to participate with questions and comments to keep the momentum going.
Once the livestream is over, embed a link to the video in your website, send it to your followers in an email, and pin it on social media. This gives people who couldn’t attend the live event an opportunity to see what you’re doing and make a donation.