How to Digitally Transform Your Fundraising Event With Classy Live

A successful fundraising event in today’s world offers any attendee, anywhere, an experience they won’t forget. Classy Live helps organizations like yours bring their ideas for physical, virtual, and hybrid events to life. Our online event venue is home to your stand-apart experience in today’s landscape.

Whether you’re a new or existing Classy Live user, we’ve detailed how you can plan a fundraising event to remember. You might be looking to bring together a worldwide virtual audience or enhance your in-person event with technology. Either way, we’ve covered the next steps to make it a reality.

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The State of Fundraising Events 2022

The past two years taught us that change is the only constant in fundraising events. We continue to see fluctuating trends, regulations, safety preferences, and donor behavior. Luckily, nonprofit event platforms are more nimble than ever. Leaning on the right technology can mean the difference between seeing a sub-par turnout and offering an accessible, remarkable event experience that keeps donors coming back. 

Fundraising events will continue to be a pathway to unlock generosity worldwide. Their evolution in the past couple of years, however, now demands the marriage of virtual and in-person attendee experiences. Thankfully, there are tools available for nonprofits to not only achieve this, but to capitalize on the endless opportunities to improve these experiences and thereby maximize fundraising results.    

Classy Live sets nonprofits up for success in whichever venue they host. We continue to see users gain back time and ease in the event planning and day-of experience. Our goal is to continue helping organizations like yours see that same value.

More on Pro-Choice Washington’s Classy Live Experience

Host a Seamless 100% Virtual Event

Classy Live gives you a robust virtual event venue to engage attendees with a meaningful and connected experience. Let’s dive into how this technology can boost your virtual event experience.

Establish Your Event Ticketing and Registration Process

Get set up through a Classy-powered ticketed or registration with fundraising campaign where you can:

• Create your event branding and details
• Display a variety of ticket types (e.g. early bird, general admissions, VIP)
• Give supporters the ability to donate directly to your cause
• Enable promotional codes to drive registrations

All registrations will sync from Classy to Classy Live and its associated mobile app. Event admins can track registrations and personalize welcome emails. 

Include peer-to-peer fundraising as part of the registration process: Classy’s registration with fundraising event type makes it easy for attendees to create a personalized fundraising page. Registrants can even join a team to help you raise more funds leading up to and during your event. Individual and team fundraising leaderboards sync to Classy Live to keep the friendly competition going during your event. 

Build Your Virtual Classy Live Experience

Build Your Classy Live Virtual Venue Experience 

Drive attendee engagement within your virtual venue to fuel more day-of-event transactions. 

Classy Live features that will set your virtual event apart

• Agenda: Add multiple sessions, highlight speakers, promote an auction, or drive specified networking periods for attendees.
• Breakout rooms: Host smaller, more intimate conversations about specific topics like program updates or a story share from a beneficiary, or gather teams to cheer each other on as they cross their virtual finish lines.
• Auction: Host a virtual silent auction, drive direct donations by displaying fund-a-need items, and even sell fixed-price items or merchandise to drive more fundraising revenue.
• Campaign progress bar: Enable the campaign progress bar to be ever-present during your virtual event to show the total amount your community has raised. 
• Sponsor recognition: Display your partners on your event page, recognize speaking sessions they’ve sponsored, and give them virtual booths where attendees can participate in digital Q&A directly with sponsors.
• Livestreaming: Classy Live has native livestreaming, or you can stream from your preferred technology, including Zoom, YouTube Live, StreamYard, and OBS, to easily broadcast your event content with your audience.
• Attendee profiles and speed networking: Get to know attendees better by prompting them to create a profile when they enter your virtual venue. Our AI-powered technology will pair them for a quick conversation with individuals with similar interests if they participate in speed networking, creating that desired connective experience.
• Event Content: Upload event resources and content like your annual report, a letter from someone you’ve helped, or instructions to participate that your attendees can access at any time. 

Enhance a 100% In-Person Event

Whether your events have always been in person, or you’re transitioning from virtual back to in-person, save time in your planning and processes with Classy Live. Simplify your registration, event management, and day-of experience, so both your staff and attendees can focus on the event instead of timely logistics. 

Bring Your Event Ticketing and Registration Process Online

Kick-off your event with a smooth online registration process: The overall value of your in-person event can skyrocket when you implement a virtual venue that makes the attendee experience feel modern. All of the functionality we walked through above for totally-virtual events is at your disposal, but below are some particular use cases to elevate your in-person event. 

Here are a few benefits of using Classy to power your registration process:

• Ticketing: Sell full tables or individual tickets through the same registration page for more significant events and galas 

• Fundraising commitments: Allow registrants to commit to specific fundraising amounts to participate in events, such as endurance challenges and races

Send personalized welcome emails right from the platform: Give your attendees all the information they need. Include details to help attendees prepare for the event and a QR code for simple check-in at the door. Prepare attendees with directions to download your mobile app through Google Pay or App store to fully experience the event’s features through their phone. Admins can use the Classy Live mobile app to check attendees in through their QR code, name, or email address at the event.

Make Your Event Stand Out

Build Your Classy Live In-Person Experience 

Bring the event to the palms of your attendees’ hands with the Classy Live mobile app.

Grant all registrants access to the app ahead of time, where they will be able to:

• Participate in auctions and bid on items conveniently 
• Purchase any merchandise or fixed-price items you’re promoting
• Have a constant view of what you’re broadcasting live
• Access event content such as resources, assets, and sponsor materials
• Communicate with other attendees and staff through chat

Streamline Your Event Logistics 

Get ahead of table and seating management: With Classy Live, you can visually represent your seating assignments ahead of your event. Easily assign table numbers, highlight sponsors or table captains, and drag-and-drop attendees to tables. Auto-seating allows event admins to fill the floor plan automatically and move guests around as needed. You can add merge tags to SMS and emails you send to attendees to share their table numbers.

Introduce simple event check-in and registration: With the Classy Live mobile app, event admins can quickly check attendees in at the door via first name, last name, email, or by scanning their QR code. If you get walk-up guests who haven’t yet registered, you can easily register them at the door. 

Inform guests with text and email communications: You can easily text event reminders and updates to attendees via text message or email with built-in communication tools. 

Create a digital display to showcase fundraising progress: Highlight specific auction items or text-to-donate progress on screen at the in-person event. Introduce live thermometers to showcase overall donation activity to encourage more direct donations.

Build More Opportunity for Donations 

Present auctions and mobile bidding: Upload all of your auction items (silent and live) to Classy Live to promote ahead of your physical event. During the event, attendees can:

• Bid on silent auction items through the event mobile app
• Receive automatic outbid notifications
• Continue to bid until your auction closes

If you’re hosting a live auction, you can easily add the winner’s information, trigger an email to check out, and quickly gather the winner’s payment information.

Host fund-a-need or paddle raises: Suppose you’re driving direct donations to a specific need during your event. In that case, you can utilize the fund-a-need item in Classy Live to promote that specific program or initiative and add preset donation amounts for attendees to commit to. On the day of the event, you can rapidly record bidder numbers of attendees who are committing individual donation amounts. This “quick add” mode allows you to easily track donation commitments and send automated emails to enable attendees to pay quickly. 

Use text-to-donate throughout the event: Gather instant donations at specific moments within the day’s agenda. Through Classy Live, you can create a keyword specific to your event and promote it through printed materials at your event. Attendees can text your keyword to the phone number provided to donate directly to your need or cause easily. These donations will appear in your fundraising total. 

Sell fixed-price items or merchandise: Now you can allow both in-person attendees and those who couldn’t make it to purchase event swag. Add fixed-price items that attendees can access via the event app. 

Host an In-Person Event That Welcomes Virtual Attendees

Many nonprofits won’t want to choose between their virtual or in-person attendees. Luckily, hybrid event models are becoming more of a norm in 2022 and beyond. Classy Live makes it easy to establish connected experiences for in-person and virtual attendees. 

Use your preferred mix of features and functionality from in-person and virtual experiences to establish your unique hybrid event model.

Bring Your Hybrid Event to Life on Classy Live

Some of the specific ways nonprofits use Classy Live for their hybrid event experiences include:

• The Classy Live mobile app enables in-person attendees to be able to communicate and engage with virtual attendees through chat and networking
• Enabling breakout rooms allows virtual attendees to participate in their virtual tables and still engage with other attendees 
• Enable virtual attendees to bid on silent auction items, purchase fixed-price items, and promote a virtual fund-a-need initiative
• Livestream portions of your physical event like an opening ceremony or a live performance to share in real-time with virtual attendees who can experience it all from home

Try Out Your Event on Classy Live

Your nonprofit event idea deserves the best chance of being a hit. We’re here to help you accomplish that. Make it engaging and accessible for any passionate supporter who wants to attend, and make your life easier in the process.

Explore how Classy Live can power your next event and fuel your long-term mission.