OneCause Helps Nonprofits Shift to Virtual Fundraising During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 30 | 2020

April 30, 2020 — INDIANAPOLIS – OneCause, a leader in online and event fundraising, announced new resources and services to help nonprofits navigate their fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The current pandemic has accelerated the need to find new and creative ways to engage supporters, as nonprofits are being compelled to move quickly online to keep fundraising,” said Steve Johns, chief executive officer for OneCause. “We’ve been helping fundraisers expand their reach both online and in-person for over a decade. The missions that fuel each cause, need us now more than ever and our team stands ready to share strategies and resources from the front-line as we navigate these new fundraising challenges together.”

OneCause has flexible online fundraising solutions to help nonprofits continue to engage supporters in today’s social distancing climate by maximizing mobile and virtual giving opportunities including:

  • Online Auctions & Appeals to host a virtual fundraising gala with customizable donation appeals, embedded videos and livestreams, mobile bidding, and text communication.
  • Virtual Peer-to-Peer Events to easily transform an on the ground run, walk, or ride into a successful online fundraising event.
  • DIY & Challenge Campaigns to drive virtual peer-to-peer supporter engagement with contests, drawings, social integrations, leaderboards, and matching gifts.
  • Online Donations with custom forms, giving thermometers, and text-based donations to power online giving campaigns.

Additionally, OneCause recently launched new virtual fundraising services, to help organizations navigate their options and shift activities online. New services include experienced fundraising consultants and virtual event managers to support moving fundraising online with a virtual run of show, strategies for communication and promotion, and overall best practices for leveraging online tools such as microsites and livestreaming.

Virtual Fundraising Resource Center

OneCause has assembled free resources in a comprehensive COVID-19 Fundraising Resource Center to help nonprofits as they pivot to virtual fundraising. The resource center is updated daily with new guides to help ease the switch and stories from nonprofits who have successfully implemented new strategies. More than 12,000 fundraising professionals have tuned in to a new weekly webinar series tackling the tough challenges facing the nonprofit industry.

Virtual Fundraising Success During COVID-19

“We’ve been blown away by the resiliency and creativity of our nonprofit customers, transitioning quickly with new strategies to engage supporters virtually and continue fundraising during this critical spring season,” added Johns.

St. Louis University High School rallied their community for the 51st annual #Cashbah2020 Auction by encouraging virtually hosted happy hours based on table assignments, releasing pre-recorded impact videos featuring current students and families, packing the silent auction, and streaming real time fund-a-need programming on Facebook Live. The virtual event took their reach from 750 to 1,800 supporters, grossing more than $1 million in support of financial aid.

GiGi’s Playhouse just launched their Step To Accept peer-to-peer challenge campaign bringing together 60 GiGi’s Playhouse locations and startups on June 6th for a virtual run/walk/ride to take 7 million Steps to Acceptance across America. More than 800 participants have already signed up for the fundraising challenge on their way to raise $2 million to change the way the world sees Down Syndrome and send a global mission of acceptance for all.

ForKids has been working to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children in Virginia since 1988. The ForKids Children’s Art Auction has been a critical fundraiser for the organization drawing in more than 600 supporters annually. With their in-person event scheduled for the end of March, the ForKids team had to quickly pivot to a full virtual event with a livestreamed online auction, reverse auction, and raffle. The 2020 ForKids Art Auction: Abracadabra successfully brought the fun online to entertain and connect with their donors raising more than $980,000 for homeless services.

About OneCause®

OneCause creates user-friendly fundraising software that helps nonprofits engage donors, raise more money and save valuable time and resources. Our full suite of cloud-based fundraising solutions has powered 6,000 organizations, well over 20,000 fundraising events, and helped nonprofits raise more than $2 billion. OneCause has been recognized on the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Companies, is a TechPoint MIRA award winner for Mobile Technology Excellence & Innovation and is a nine-time Stevie® Award winner for excellence and innovation in Customer Service.