Let’s face it, 2020 has been more than a little challenging. Businesses have temporarily closed, employees are working from home, Facebook became a trusted news source … and murder hornets!
Amid the turmoil, many nonprofit organizations postponed or canceled their events and that could have unintentional, long-lasting effects. Here are three reasons nonprofits should still be planning events in 2020 …
1. PR and Awareness – Losing one year of progress is bad but consider diminished participation for several years to come as your volunteers and donors attention is diverted. Social media posts and mailed flyers aren’t enough to stay relevant in the crowded nonprofit space anymore. All events, even small ones, generate buzz and maintain Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA) that’s critical in our current state of information overload.
Additional Resource: 5 Unconventional PR Tactics for Nonprofits by Elizabeth Chung, Classy
2. Cross Promotional Potential – Everyone that canceled their 2020 events is struggling to find means of communicating in a unique way and reach a broader audience. Now is a great time to cross promote your event with other like-minded organizations. An example of cross promotion would be a lizard pitching auto insurance (you know the one) talking about unsafe driving situations while on the stunt set of an upcoming movie. Auto insurance and movie trailers are totally unrelated but this approach leverages the attention of both audiences. Cross promotional opportunities for your event might include sponsors, donors, and even other nonprofit groups. Be creative and have fun with this idea!
3. You Can Still Raise Money – Just because your huge in-person event isn’t possible doesn’t mean all hope of fundraising is lost. Since a lot of charitable budgets were allocated in 2019, it’s very possible your sponsors and donors have a piggy bank waiting to be cracked. Smaller, intimate in-person events or personalized, curated virtual experiences are great ways to earn donations. Remember, charitable giving budgets are often based upon the prior year so don’t write-off 2020 too quickly.
These are just a few reasons you should plan an event before year-end. A little creativity can avoid rebuilding your brand in the future, helps develop new partnerships, and might even fill the coffers in an otherwise difficult year.
At Encompass, we have unique backgrounds that situate us perfectly to produce high end and complex offerings. We’ve worked in broadcast television, touring entertainment, live sporting events, and countless convention facilities across the country.
We have technical design experience and a disciplined process in place that allows us to easily scale events and shift from in-person to virtual without angst. There isn’t much that’s beyond our scope and we love the intensity of putting on events!
If you’re a planner working to create an event, seeking help with virtual event technology, or simply want to learn more … we can help! Sign up below to receive our updates (we promise to keep your contact information secure and won’t “overshare”).