Hybrid Events Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hybrid events are here to stay. What began as a creative response to the pandemic has evolved into a powerful, flexible format for fundraising. By combining the energy of in-person events with the accessibility of virtual participation, hybrid fundraisers enable organizations to reach a wider audience and increase donor engagement.

The best part? Planning a successful hybrid event doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tools and guidance, you can create a seamless, inclusive experience that meets your fundraising goals and makes a lasting impact. Use our Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Hybrid Fundraisers to get started.

Why Host A Hybrid Event Over A Virtual Or In-Person Fundraiser?

Hybrid fundraising events have proven they’re more than just a trend—they’re a smart, strategic choice. By blending the reach of virtual engagement with the energy of in-person experiences, hybrid events enable your group to connect with a broader audience and offer flexible participation options. Whether supporters prefer to show up in person or join from home, hybrid formats meet them where they are, without sacrificing the impact of your event.

Nonprofits and event planners alike recognize hybrid fundraising as a long-term solution for accessibility, inclusivity, and increased donor engagement. Ready to take your fundraising to the next level? Here are just a few of the powerful benefits of hosting a hybrid event.

Balance of personal reduced costs and minimized stress

Hybrid fundraising is easier when people can work from any place at any time. This balance is important as it reduces personal expenses for attendees, as they don’t need to travel to a specific location to participate in the event. Reducing stress levels is another significant advantage of hybrid fundraisers. Supporters don’t have the added stress of getting to a specific venue at a set time, so they can make the fundraiser work around their schedule.

Flexibility and inclusivity

Hybrid fundraisers allow you to engage with anyone, anywhere, with no geographical restrictions. People who may not be physically able to leave their homes can participate from the comfort of their beds or sofas at a time that is convenient for them.

Increased reach and attendance

The ultimate fundraising goal is to raise more and reach a wider audience. Hybrid fundraisers encourage this idea, as global outreach and charity awareness are unlimited when it comes to sharing your story on social media.

Higher engagement

By promoting your fundraiser on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you can engage with your followers on a more personal level. Share stories, videos, and photos to engage your supporters and show the human face of the story behind the cause for which you’re raising funds and awareness.

Reduced environmental costs

By minimizing the transportation element of getting people to and from the fundraising location, your event’s carbon footprint is greatly reduced. Clean-up costs and permits for large fundraisers can also be a thing of the past with hybrid charity events.

Greater return on investment

Hybrid events save on costs as there are fewer logistics involved in working with a venue, and it’s cheaper to hire speakers or entertainment for virtual sessions. Additionally, with higher attendance, you can reach a wider audience, leading to increased ticket sales and donations.

Stay in touch with tech-trends

Although many of us enjoy seeing people face-to-face, we cannot deny the ever-present need for technology in our lives. Devices such as tablets, smartwatches, and phones are always tucked away at the top of a bag, placed in a pocket, or displayed on a table. Remember that technology simplifies the giving process for donors, as they can support your cause by simply tapping a screen to make an online donation. People can check online auction items and bid whilst having a coffee in a local café, and read recent stories and updates posted on social media about your fundraiser.

Use The Best Fundraising Software For Successful Hybrid Fundraising Campaigns

Before planning your hybrid fundraiser, select the best fundraising software to help organize your event. DoJiggy is a leading provider of affordable fundraising software solutions for nonprofits, schools, and community organizations. DoJiggy is led by a management team with significant experience in online event management, e-commerce, Internet-based business applications, and customer service. Our team has developed a suite of unique, web-based event and initiative management applications, enabling our customers to manage fundraising events and initiatives more effectively.

10 Steps To Organising A Successful Hybrid Fundraiser

The key to a successful hybrid fundraiser is fully engaging your supporters. Ensure that the online and in-person components of your fundraiser run smoothly and that everyone is satisfied by following our ten easy steps for hybrid fundraising events:

STEP 1: Decide Whether A Hybrid Event Is The Right Choice For Your Fundraiser

First things first, decide if a hybrid format is a good fit for your fundraiser. Understanding your audience and their needs and wishes is vital before steaming ahead with an event that might not be suitable for them. Here are a few positive and negative points about hybrid fundraisers to consider before making your decision:

STEP 2: Gather A Hybrid Planning Team

Any fundraiser comes with its complications, and hybrid events are no exception. Don’t try to go it alone. Ensure you gather a supportive and talented team to ensure a smooth fundraising effort. Start early and plan meetings with plenty of time to spare before the event, allowing for preparation in case of any unforeseen circumstances. With hybrid fundraisers, it’s essential to include tech-savvy individuals on your team to assist with the virtual aspects of the event. If you have the budget, you can consider hiring a full-service event production solution to manage the logistics of a dual fundraising event.

STEP 3: Assess Technical Needs and Determine Your Budget

Determining a clear budget and assessing tech needs from the start is essential to keeping your hybrid fundraising events on track. Factors to consider for hybrid events include:

• It is essential to understand your audience, their needs, and financial capabilities. Are you planning a corporate hybrid fundraiser, which involves a larger budget, or will it be a crowdfunding event where individuals solicit donations from family and friends?
• Understand that not all participants have access to technology or the internet. Ensure they are included, either in person or suggest a virtual meeting so that no one is excluded.
• If you are planning a dual fundraiser (combining live events with virtual activities), consider the total cost of both events.
• Travel accessibility is a crucial consideration in your budget – how will participants, volunteers, and staff travel to and from the event, and what will that cost?
• Be clear about your goals and set an event budget that includes tech support, organization and development costs, event staffing, and any technology requests from remote participants.
• The timeline is crucial to a successful and fluid hybrid event. Consider the optimal time to suit the most attendees.  Hybrids don’t have to be a one-day event, so if you think it best suits your supporters’ needs, extend the duration so nobody misses out. Ensure you close your fundraiser properly and avoid losing vital engagement with your participants.
• If you are organizing a hybrid fundraiser with an online auction or charity raffle, ensure that you set a budget for prizes and tickets. Try to obtain as many donated items as possible to reduce costs. Take a look at our best raffle fundraising prize ideas and learn how to get them donated.

STEP 4: Choose The Best Virtual Fundraising Platform And Plan Your Virtual Engagement

Once you have set your budget and assessed the technical requirements of your hybrid fundraiser, make sure to choose the best virtual fundraising platform to host it. DoJiggy offers cutting-edge software to cover all your needs for a successful hybrid event. Our hybrid fundraising platform offers the perfect way to maximize donations by providing silent auctions and support for multiple fundraising opportunities, ranging from golf events to raffles and e-commerce stores.

Prioritize planning your virtual engagement, as many participants will likely participate online. It’s crucial to ensure that online supporters feel as involved in the fundraiser as the attendees at the in-person live event. To achieve this, here are a few ideas:

• Livestream the event to connect your virtual supporters with the in-person attendees and provide ways for them to support your organization.
• How about getting a virtual host to elevate engagement for the virtual participants? This means that the online attendees will receive that personal touch, which is often lost through the screen. Also, with someone taking responsibility for the virtual supporters, your in-person team can focus on the live event, eliminating high levels of stress.
• Pre-record videos and content to show to online participants, so you have some extra breathing room when the hybrid event is live. You can screen these videos at the event so both the virtual and in-person attendees can enjoy them together. Also, by offering these videos and content pieces on demand, you add a high level of flexibility, allowing your supporters to stream them in their own time, reach a wider audience, and obtain more donations.
• Why not set up a personalized music playlist to make everyone feel involved and united as they participate and listen to the same songs?

STEP 5: Allow Plenty of Time to Promote Your Fundraising Event

It’s vital to start promoting your hybrid fundraiser long before the actual event takes place. Your supporters (virtual and in person), need to know how to participate in your hybrid event and what website to join to obtain their toolkit and all the relevant information of your campaign.

Don’t forget the power of social media when promoting your hybrid fundraiser. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are just a few platforms that allow you to engage with your supporters, both new and recurrent. Storytelling is key to engaging with your donors, giving your fundraiser a personal touch, whilst informing them about the background of your charity.

STEP 6: Execute Your Hybrid Fundraiser

Finally, the big event arrives, and you want it to run as smoothly and successfully as possible. In order to make this happen, make sure you:

• Send out a short training video before your hybrid fundraiser to help the participants get familiar with the platform before the big day.
• Create an FAQ page for before and during the event to reduce stress levels.
• Don’t forget to have staff or volunteers at hand to help with any on-site or virtual questions. This will help your supporters feel at ease and allow them to focus on the main fundraising event instead of worrying about technical difficulties, safety concerns, and in-person logistics.
• If you are using tickets as part of your hybrid fundraiser, be sure to stop selling them once your event has started. Post on your fundraising website and social media a clear cut-off date and time to buy tickets.
• Think about promoting pre-bidding, possibly a week before the event, in the case of a silent auction. This will eliminate an influx of bids, will give people more time to search for the items they are interested in, and can maximize profitability, as more time can result in more bids and more money raised.
• Make the timeline and format of your hybrid event clear to both in-person and virtual participants. It is vital that they understand what is happening at what time and how, in order to run a successful and enjoyable fundraiser.
• Keep your supporters, in person and online, engaged through gamification. Using fundraising thermometers and leaderboards, along with offering great prizes for top fundraisers, will motivate your participants to succeed.
• Keep updating your donors on the progress and timeline of your hybrid fundraiser during the event. Remind them about mobile donations, auction and raffle items, and how close they are to completing their goals.

STEP 7: Be Sure to Have a Contingency Plan

Back-up plans are essential for any fundraising event, especially in our uncertain times. Be sure to have a contingency plan in place, just in case you need it. Here are a few things to consider:

• Virtual fundraisers are a handy solution for ongoing safety concerns related to in-person events. This is great for hybrid events, as a big part of your fundraiser will be online. Be prepared to transition to a virtual format in the event of having to cancel your in-person component, and also have a backup plan in place for any online issues that may arise.
• Make sure to sell hybrid event tickets to include both the in-person and virtual components. This way, no one will be left out. If the in-person event is postponed or canceled, your donors can attend the virtual activity.
• If part of your hybrid fundraiser includes renting a venue, speakers, or special equipment, be sure to look for flexible cancellation and refund policies.

STEP 8: Complete Your Hybrid Fundraiser

A great way to continue engagement with your donors after the hybrid fundraiser is by offering a closing ceremony with awards and certificates. Giving your supporters something memorable offers a personal touch and may encourage them to participate in future fundraisers. Why not give away some prizes or customized merchandise to the top fundraisers? Ensure that every participant is included by thanking them and sending certificates that recognize their participation and achievements.

STEP 9: Thank Your Donors And Secure Future Engagements

Thanking your donors isn’t simply good manners; it’s a crucial step to building relationships and securing future engagements. Keep in touch with participants, organizers, and supporters before, during, and after the event. Show gratitude by sending out emails and creating a blast thank you note on social media to recognize the achievements of your attendees.

If you have received donation prizes for your charity raffle, remember to thank them for their generosity. See our sample thank you letter for raffle prize donations. Remember, if your raffle sponsors are happy with the results, they will likely want to sponsor another fundraising campaign. This is a great opportunity to form strong links to local businesses and maximize your charitable donations and outreach.

For large donors and event sponsors, be sure to make personal calls and messages. Consider sending a small thank-you gift basket or a customized product to show your appreciation. Ensure that their logos and names are clearly visible on any social media or communication platform so that even after your hybrid fundraiser, you are publicly recognizing their support.

STEP 10: Debrief and Analyze Feedback And Data

Following up with sponsors after the event is vital. Share facts and figures, such as event attendance, money raised, website traffic, and media coverage.

Financial tracking is essential for achieving fundraising goals and effectively managing a fundraising event. DoJiggy’s reports provide you with the data you need to accomplish this. Donor data can be exported to your CRM or integrated directly to other platforms with Zapier.

When preparing your debriefs and data analysis, consider these four main questions:

1. Did we meet our fundraising goals?
2. What could we change to improve our next hybrid fundraiser?
3. What factors of the event were the most successful and unsuccessful?
4. Which component (virtual or in-person) was more successful, considering fundraising and participation performance?

Be sure to collect all information and analysis while it’s still fresh in mind. Important data can be lost or forgotten, so record it as soon as it happens or immediately after the event.