Virtual Fundraiser Strategy for Nonprofit

Overview

The Craft Council of BC (CCBC) is a nonprofit arts organization that represents craft artists and makers in British Columbia. They provide an outlet to help promote and sell crafts, while also fulfilling an educational mandate. As a registered charity, the CCBC relies on several grants and donations, as well as fundraising from the community to continue their mission to support the craft community. Due to the circumstances of COVID-19 in 2020, the CCBC came to us for a virtual fundraiser strategy to make the most out of their digital platforms and ecommerce.

The CCBC invested in transform their events to digital marketing to give additional opportunities for artists to sell and produce art through their subscription box program. It also facilitated the development of active communities around craft by organizing touring exhibitions and shifting educational programs for youth and adults online. 2020 was a unique opportunity to transition the CCBC events to a digital platform as e-commerce was booming. Pace Creative developed a virtual fundraiser strategy and planned the execution and marketing of one of their first virtual event in 2020.

100%

increase in fundraising

1200%

increase in participants

3128%

increase in website traffic

Challenge

The CCBC’s first virtual fundraiser was the Earring and Mystery Mugs Show. This event aimed to provide opportunities for artists to exhibit and sell their work – from the CCBC Gallery and their ecommerce store. However, the CCBC had no defined event, marketing, nor outreach strategy. They also had an outdated brochure-style website and were struggling to take advantage of digital outlets to drive revenue from craft sales, donations, and event fundraisers.

How to apply a virtual fundraiser strategy to this unique, local niche?
What event concept to use to make sure it is engaging, memorable, and encourages purchase?
How to promote the event to CCBC’s audiences?
How to build an e-commerce platform, such as WooCommerce and Shopify, into CCBC’s existing website?

Solution

Virtual Fundraiser Strategy

The CCBC needed to find new opportunities for hosts, guests and artists to network, build relationships and contribute to the craft community.

To ensure the event would be a success, we started by putting together a strategy for the virtual event based on research and data. We mapped out the customer journey to identify what content and marketing channel we should use to make the virtual fundraising event a success.

Virtual Event Campaign

Pace Creative went with a Sip & Shop event concept to allow us to take a break from our busy days working from home to take a drink and meet new people!

We created an editorial calendar for promotional activities. We drafted a social media engagement playbook for the craft community to promote the event organically via emailers, newsletters, radio shows and social media.

Promoting the Virtual Event

Drive traffic to the earring show online to get artists to participate. A total of 58 artists sending their work to get curated by a jury – to ensure that each piece meets the CCBC quality standards.

We develop marketing materials for online, print, digital and social, to promote each artist profile and earring description combined with professional photography. The team meticulously integrated all the marketing materials on the ecommerce website prior to the event.

During and after the event, we put together a playbook to promote the virtual event to its audiences: board, employees, volunteers, members and artists in a way that everyone can strategically contribute to the promotion of the event.

We continued promoting the event and the fundraising 1 month after the event to keep fundraising for the artists and the CCBC.

Overseeing Event Logistics

Since the CCBC has very limited resources in place and is run with mainly volunteers, Pace Creative put together an activation plan with role definition. We then created SOPs to help list responsibilities to manage the logistics of the event, from start to finish.

Receiving earrings from artists was a challenge as mailing and delivery schedules were delayed due to COVID. There were 61 participating artists but only 58 artists were able to get their work on time for the Craft Council jury to review.

At each stage of the planning, Pace Creative will provide guidance, training and coaching to help forecast any technical, logistics or unforeseeable issue – ensuring each team member is set to success in their respective roles to make the event memorable.

Making the Website User-Centric

The CCBC needed to find new opportunities for hosts, guests and artists to network, build relationships, add new revenue opportunities to contribute to the craft community. The Craft Council’s new website now has an e-commerce platform to sell their crafts and track inventory online.

Result

Turned a local fundraising into a global event using virtual fundraiser strategy.
Created an ecommerce platform to drive a new revenue stream to the CCBC and artists during COVID and after.
Amplified the earing show from a local show promoting local artists living in BC, to a global show representing BC artist living around the world.
Share our winning fundraising strategy with other councils across Canada.
See the event video below!

Virtual Fundraiser Strategy for Nonprofit Craft Council of British Columbia (CCBC)