The most common question we’re asked about DonorDrive’s Live Fundraising™ is: “We’re not going to start a gaming marathon, so how else can our fundraisers use livestream fundraising?” Streamers can broadcast anything and while they do it they can be actively fundraising for your cause. Here are eight new ways your supporters can use livestream fundraising:
1. Stream training sessions
Supporters fundraising for runs and endurance events can stream their training progress on their fundraising page. Encourage them to stream a live video daily or weekly leading up to the event.
Tip: They’ll need compelling content to give them something to talk about over the weeks, so make sure you provide them with that.
2. Stream the finish line
Your supporters can stream the start and finish of their run, walk, or ride on their fundraising page. The participant might be motivated to ask someone to watch the stream of their accomplishment who couldn’t be there physically. This adds a sense of immediacy to event day and helps land more day-of donations.
3. Showcase your cause
Use livestreaming to show your impact. For example, if you have an animal rescue, encourage your supporters to stream themselves telling stories and showing off their new pet or foster on their fundraising page. If you’re seeking funds to finish building a shelter, ask supporters to stream building progress.
4. Show your success
Streaming audiences love success stories. People who have overcome a debilitating condition can stream themselves doing a task they couldn’t before they got help. Medical organizations should encourage supporters to stream themselves or their family coming home from the hospital. Cancer patients can broadcast a celebration of their last treatment. A livestream showing off victories from your organization’s efforts not only creates an opportunity for viewers to give, its social media gold.
5. Basement broadcasting
The savvy streamers among your supporters are probably already doing near-professional-quality broadcasts on their streaming channels. In the spirit of the TV telethon, encourage them to create their own fundraising events for their audiences. We’ve even seen popular streamers get celebrities to join them in their basement for these events. Find out who these influencers are and ask them to set up their own DIY campaign to stream from.
6. Bucket-list broadcast
There are many events that fundraisers do for the thrill of it, like jumping into a nearly-frozen river on January 1st or climbing a mountain. If your event attracts supporters looking to check an item off their bucket list, you have ideal streaming opportunities. Have these supporters stream in anticipation of their challenge and stream live coverage of them conquering it.
7. Request line
Find the musical artists among your supporters and encourage them to fundraise by taking requests in exchange for for donations on their stream. You likely have many musicians among your supporters who would love to be part of a Special Request Day the week before your event.
8. Get your game on
Streaming was born among video gamers, but you don’t need to set up an entire gaming fundraising program to involve your supporters who game. When gamers are participating in your run or walk, they can game, stream, and fundraise on their page leading up to event day. This can also introduce your nonprofit and event to an entirely new audience.
One example we did at this year’s P2P Professional Forum Conference in New Orleans was demonstrating DonorDrive’s Live Fundraising™ with the Louisiana SPCA. We set up our booth event as Live Fundraising with Puppies and streamed the dogs, Griffin, Tika and Smurf greeting and receiving belly rubs from conference goers. The puppies and Live Fundraising were both huge hits with the nonprofit staff at the conference.
This barely scratches the surface of what can be done. Livestream fundraising is breaking out from its original base of gamers. Now is the time for nonprofits and their supporters to use it to add a new level of excitement to events and helping to raise more.
