I’ve been shocked this year by how many times I’ve heard event committees tell me that they are worried about holding a virtual gala because virtual galas “are boring.”
“Really?” I always ask, “what virtual galas have you been watching?” And when they say, “All of them” I understand.
If you don’t care about the organization, virtual galas are boring.
If you have no direct connection to the cause, virtual galas are boring.
If you don’t know any of the names of the people who are bidding or making pledges in the fund-a-need, virtual galas are boring.
And especially if you are watching on your phone while doing other things, virtual galas are boring.
At its core, a virtual gala is the opportunity for a community of supporters to come together and make great things happen for the cause they believe in – just like an in-person gala. Have you ever found yourself at a gala for a cause you didn’t know? Sitting at an empty table, listening to speeches by people you don’t know? Sounds boring, right?
A fundraising gala, virtual or otherwise, is a communal celebration. Most virtual galas have an extremely focused target market. Yes, we are trying to make them entertaining and engaging – but for believers or those who have been invited by a believer to attend.
Which is why whenever I encourage clients to watch any of the events I’ve done, I tell them to turn down the sound and skip through the program. I want them to get an idea of what sort of look and feel works for them, not get bogged down in content. Because if you don’t care about the content, watching anything will get boring.
We were working on a virtual gala for a non-profit this year, and the board insisted that the event be no more than 45-minutes long. They were worried about it being boring. So we trimmed the program down, cut out a bunch of great content, and brought the gala in on-time.
When it was over, the overwhelming feedback from the board was, “Wow, that was great! Why did you make it so short?”
Have some faith in your message and your supporters. Your virtual gala won’t be boring. Your crowd won’t be bored by helping you to change the world. They never are.
