We know you want to have a successful event that is both enjoyable to your guests and ultimately raises revenue for your nonprofit. 

Like other industries, incorporating technology into your events is a proven way to ensure that your event is generating as much money as it can. However, knowing what the right technology is and how to use it can be intimidating. 

In this blog, we’re breaking down 5 ways technology like auction software and fundraising platforms can help you host more engaging events. Technology can improve every element of your nonprofit’s events – from marketing the event to payment processing and all of the donor engagement opportunities in between. Let’s dive in!

1. Level-up event promotion

The average person sees up to 10,000 commercial messages each day, so it is extremely important that you promote your event in a creative way. You need to cut through the noise and stand out amongst funny dog videos, the 24-7 news cycle, and text threads that you just can’t leave. 

The solution is simple. You can level up your event invitations with eCard software. With this technology, you can quickly and easily design digital invitations, brand them to your nonprofit, and personalize them with individual messages. 

By leveraging email automation, you’re able to easily personalize messages by connecting attendee details from your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool, such as their communication preferences and list of past events they attended. The bonus of the eCard is they can’t lose it or spill coffee on it – it’s searchable in their inbox, which is likely where they’re spending a lot of their working hours anyway. 

Video editing platforms are helpful in creating social media content. Most people need to see a message at least seven times before they remember it or “get it,” so the more you can appear to your audience, the better. And mixing it up by appearing on different platforms is a proven way to make sure your message lands with your audience. Email them and appear on their social media timelines, and you can watch your RSVPs come in. 

Get creative by posting multiple different kinds of videos. Here are some that you could try: 

• Post a “sizzle reel” of last year’s events with some clear information about this year’s event. This helps your audience see what they can expect and even get an idea of the dress code. 
• Post a “talking head” video of your founder or another leader sharing about the event and why it’s important to the community. 
• Post some behind-the-scenes clips of your team getting ready – this could be anything like packing swag bags, gathering the auction items, and decorating the day of. Your audience likes to feel part of something bigger than themselves, and if they feel like they have an inside scoop on your event, they’re more likely to attend. 
• If appropriate, post some heartfelt thank you messages from the people your nonprofit benefits. Imagine how inspiring it would be for your donors to see directly who their gift benefits. 

Even your post-event communications can be greatly improved with technology. Quickly select those who attended and those who donated and send them personalized notes.

2. Add gamification elements

With the help of technology, nonprofits have plenty of opportunities to host fun, creative events like video game fundraisers.

But you don’t have to host a video game fundraiser to make your event more fun for guests. You can excite attendees at any event by adding gamified elements, such as:

• Fundraising challenges: We’ve seen time and time again how a little friendly competition makes fundraisers more interesting and can boost revenue. For example, you could see which bidder can place the most bids, tracking this with a leaderboard on the wall. You could also use your auction software to track the most revenue per bidder, most revenue per table, or the last person to bid.  
• Leaderboards: When using mobile auction software, instead of tracking bids on paper, you’re able to have guests track real-time auction activity. Many platforms include real-time leaderboards that you can display at events, so this is a great way to keep guests engaged and participating in the action – even if they’re not actively bidding.  
• Live fundraising thermometers: You won’t need your red Sharpie for this fundraising thermometer. You’ll be able to see the real-time progress as you raise funds through the auction as the digital bar fills when funds come in through the app. We’ve seen this really help inspire guests to give generously in order to get the satisfaction of seeing the bar close in on the goal. 

Most nonprofits are doing very serious, sobering work in the community. But when you can bring in an element of light-hearted fun with gamification, people will cut loose a little bit and be inspired to “play” for a good cause. 

3. Make silent auctions more fast-paced

Leveling up with technology in the form of auction software helps liven up your fundraising event by making it more fast-paced. 

For example, mobile bidding and outbid notifications generate excitement and can start fast-paced bidding wars. Imagine this – Charlie places a bid and then walks across the room to chat with an old friend. His phone dings with a notification telling him that someone named Anthony just outbid him! Now his friend is paying attention and is suddenly emotionally invested in Charlie winning this bid. Charlie fires back a new bid and gets back to his conversation. 

Without the outbid notifications, Charlie may have talked to his friend for another 20 minutes and the item would have stayed at the last bid. But when bidders are able to respond in real-time, the prices for the items are driven upwards, raising more revenue for the organization. Guests are able to engage from anywhere in the room and stay up to date on their bids.

4. Engage with remote attendees through livestream

Virtual and hybrid events (half virtual, half in-person) are more common now than ever before. They offer plenty of benefits for your nonprofit. One of the biggest challenges, however, is engaging the virtual attendees on the same level as your in-person guests. 

And that’s right, technology is here to help solve this challenge. 

For one, your event software can help build relationships with donors by personally connecting with your virtual attendees over livestream. Depending on the software you use, different platforms come with different capabilities. Check to see if yours includes a chat function or a way to make frequent announcements to your virtual guests during the livestream. 

For example, if you’re hosting a hybrid silent auction, you will want to make sure that virtual guests are getting open/close notifications as well as any outbid notifications you wish to send to help increase the revenue on the bids.  

Plus, event software helps you send virtual attendees personalized thank-you emails, conveying your appreciation and the impact that their gift will have on the community you serve. In-person gatherings are fun, but you’ll never be able to recreate that level of detailed follow-up without holding people at the door and asking them some awkward follow-up questions.

5. Improve accessibility with technology

With virtual and hybrid events hosted via online event platforms, anyone can participate from home. The most obvious benefit is that this option makes the event accessible for everyone who wants to attend, regardless of their ability to travel to attend in person. 

In addition, with event livestreams, you’re able to auto-generate captions and let virtual guests adjust their systems to accommodate their preferences and abilities. Online donation platforms also accept multiple payment types to level the playing field for donations, such as credit, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. 

When events are more accessible, more people are able to attend, therefore improving supporter relationships and increasing revenue generated.

The benefits of embracing technology

While it may feel intimidating to learn and implement new technology for your next nonprofit event, it’s worth the effort because it will simplify your life as the event organizer and your volunteers' lives. And, most importantly, leveraging technology will help you focus on what matters so that you can help better serve those who benefit from your organization. 

As time goes on and more technologies emerge, we hope that you’ll use the spirit of innovation and these ideas included here to inspire new ways to improve events in the future.