0:00  
All right, I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen get ourselves all situated here. All right, thumbs up for my group. You guys can see my screen. Great, perfect. All right, yeah, our numbers did shoot up. So Jon, whenever you're ready, you can take it away.

0:24  
All right. Let's go ahead. So hey, everybody. Welcome to the present and future of live events session at generosity exchange. I'm John Bailey. I'm the National Sales Director for arts and events here at NEON one, I oversee the sales for the arts people product. I've been with arts people since before the neon acquisition. So I've actually been in this role since 2011. And I've been working in the live events slash ticketing industry for the last 25 years or so. And today, we're going to share some best practice principles and strategies that nonprofit organizations are adopting to bring community members together, we hope you walk away with some new and exciting ways to engage communities in a meaningful way at your events, and with some reminders of things that you should always consider when planning and executing live events. We'll also brainstorm new ideas for the future of events. And we'll include a live q&a session at the end. So if you have any questions, please feel free to share them in the chat. For the end of the presentation, we can go to the next slide. And you can see who's here we have Alison, Jessica and myself. So as I mentioned, I've been around here since 2011. I've worked with hundreds of arts organizations and nonprofits in that time improving their ticketing and live events protocols, Alison and Jessica are your hosts. So Alison joined me on one this summer as a product manager for our event platform, the on websites, she's working on communications, she has 10 years experience as a nonprofit professional, She's based in Tampa, Florida. The one and only Jessica Johnson is our Director of Customer Support for neon one. And she stepped into this role earlier this year, having spent the last five years in various service delivery roles at NEON, including at Arts people even pre neon acquisition. She has over 15 years experience in nonprofit marketing, development and special events. And she currently serves as the artistic director of an independent nonprofit theater in Asheville, North Carolina, the magnetic theater. It's really cool. And next slide. So please be sure to mute yourself, you can chat in the questions. And if you don't see them, we will circle back at the end. And just a reminder, there is a closed captioning button, which is available if you prefer to utilize that. And let's see here. Without any further ado, I'm going to hand this over to Jessica and Alison.

2:47  
Thanks, John. It's so great to have you all here today. Thanks for joining us. And as John mentioned, there will be sort of a q&a at the end. We hope that this session is a little bit interactive. So we will have some questions and things to share with folks as we go through our presentation today. We are planning to kind of start with some general best practices and strategies that nonprofit organizations have adopted over the last few years kind of looking at when COVID started in 2020. And and things that we've seen trending since then, and since the places that have started to open back up, and then we'll share some ways that these organizations that we work with or that we've seen, have adjusted and practices that they've kept in place since having to adjust and then we will talk about some tactics and practices that have made their way from being those adjustments to being part of regular programming and systems and then spend time as I mentioned in that q&a.

3:53  
Okay, so first, we're gonna really talk about our Connected ecosystem. Yesterday, there was a product keynote on the connected ecosystem. But we want to remind you that this is really to help your organization transform from traditional episodic interactions with customers to a more connected customer relationship more characterized by continuous low friction and personalized interactions. So talking about the connected ecosystem intelligence is basically the ability to communicate with your customers, so they can make choices faster and better. Content is where you share and drive your customer vision, where you your mission goes out to customers. And automation is what we can do to automate to make the administrative burdens and workflows easier and less manual for you. We can take the connected strategy of neon one and translate it to this discussion by focusing on the shared intelligence and content which will be used to drive the approach to events and how Want to include technological automation into some of these processes, all the while highlighting areas where you and your teams can and should automate and consider when planning and executing events. Alright, so to start, we'll look at some of the event best practices.

5:24  
So as we mentioned, we'll start with sort of these best practices, principles to follow things that may seem like they're common sense or like you've been practicing for quite a while, but that are important to mention. As we go forward and talk about looking ahead, these are sort of things that we've identified that you definitely don't want to gloss over or skip in your planning and execution of events, whether they be a performance related event, gala meeting, a fundraiser, any of those types of things. And so we will start to these are in no particular order of priority, necessarily. But we'll start with planning ahead. Of course, when you're working on planning an event, you want to look at things like when you want the event to be and we always recommend sort of working backwards, so you have the event date, and then work backwards from there to current and present day and what you what you want to accomplish in that time. But also to include looking past that event and making sure that you're planning for post event, follow up, clean up, thank you notes, all that kind of thing, if it is relevant for you. And then next we have follow up. So again, once that event is over, you want to make sure to send out the thank you notes to anybody that has donated supported your organization. They can be also emails to meet for coffee or follow up with folks that you've met at maybe a networking event that you've posted, something like that, where you just want to build relationships with your community, with the attendees and the supporters that you have. And to also follow up with people that maybe didn't attend, or that were invited specifically and weren't there so that they're not forgotten, and that they know that they're still on your mind. And that they are included and will be included in the future. Number three, we have to think outside the box. So I think that's something especially in the arts world are in the sort of like gala fundraising world that we're all trying to do all of the time coming up with sort of unique and different ways to present the same types of programming or events. But with this, we do like to recommend to, you know, revisit those annual events, revisit the periodic things that you have happen. And, and just because you've done the same gala for 10 years, for example, doesn't mean that you have to do it the same in the 11th year. So there's always room for minor changes, things to adjust, moving sort of with your new, maybe community as it grows older or changes, that kind of thing. And so while you can still be having those annual and regular sessions and events, you might want to think about ways to adjust them out of the normal. We've had, for example, clients do things like stay at home Gallus. So you buy a ticket, and you literally get to stay home in your PJs. But you know, there's, there's lots of different ways to kind of have those events and not have them be sort of the same old, same old routine. Number four is be on the move. So we've seen over and over in the last few years venues having to close rents increasing spaces being taken or moved or reallocated and and so there's there's not necessarily as much dedication to a specific location for a lot of our clients that we work with, again, whether it's a performing arts organization, or a venue or somebody's having a gala fundraiser. And so we've seen a lot of organizations where, you know, maybe you'll have a regular board meeting that turns into like a coffee walk, for example. So kind of thinking about ways to keep folks engaged without having that same structure, four walls surrounding them all the time. Number five we have here is consider your participants. So we're going to probably repeat this quite a bit throughout this presentation. But we do like to make sure that when things are being planned and executed, that we are considering not only who our intended audience are but who our staff and attendees, performers, speakers hosts, you know, things like what our target audience is the staff time that will be involved in creating this event. And then also things like do our performers and speakers feel safe and heard and that they're feeling like their wishes are being met when they're trying to present something to you Maybe a roomful of folks. And finally looking at hosts and trying to make sure that we are creating a positive and long lasting relationship with them. You know, if we've got a small house party and a kind of donor who has lent their their space to us that we are making sure that they are heard ahead of time that we follow any requests that they have, if it's, you know, shoes off event, then it's the shoes off event. And then afterwards, that we're following up to make sure that we followed everything that they asked, and that if there's anything, we could do better that we do it in the future.

10:34  
Nice. So our number six, best principle is, can you should you, so ask yourself, can you safely run this event? And just because you can, that doesn't automatically mean you should? If there's a safety concern, whether it's an illness concern, or a weather concern, anything like that, if that exists in the community, then you should ask the question, Can I safely run this event? If the answer's no, consider what changes need to be made? Do you have to reschedule? But if the answer is yes, can I run this event? Yes. Then the next question you should ask is, Should I run the event? Is it physically safe? Is it emotionally safe? Is there a chance of spreading illness? Or is there a weather concern? Natural disaster here in Florida, we just went through Hurricane and many events canceled and rescheduled and pushed back until it's safe to move through the community? Is there a snow situation? So the answer should you run the event might end up being No, and maybe that's in the community's best interest. So think about that, as you're going through and planning your events. The next one is keep it clean. We're in a perpetual state of wanting to gather and wanting to keep people healthy. So coming into flu season, COVID Season allergy season, there's a variety of health conditions. And we're constantly reminded to be vigilant in terms of keeping public spaces as clean as possible. So there's standards like providing hand sanitizing station, wiping down surfaces, even putting out wipes so that others can help you. But also think about your H vac system. And right now, you know, there's a lot of heating systems coming on in air filtration systems. When was the last time they were maintained or cleaned? Even changing your filter can help filter out a lot of diseases and a lot of airborne illnesses. How many folks that have a cluttered closet or a dusty shelf? How many are you meaning to get to our facilities have the same thing. Now's the time to do some deep cleaning, make a to do list and keep it up there. All right. Number eight safety. So safety is key. This item is really closely related to keep it clean. But safety is really a bigger focus now for event participation for performers, speakers, as well as attendees. And this also means physical safety as well as health safety. So keeping a clean space, yes. But also, you know, in terms of spacing, make sure you're not overcrowding, do you have hired security do they have what they need to keep your space safe and secure? It are their needs being met at the front. These are often kind of smaller things that can get overlooked, but they're really just as important. And always make sure you know where the first aid fire extinguishers fire exits are, have you conducted a fire drill recently? consider something like that, especially if there's youth and kids in your building, making sure people know where to go in terms of a drill is really important. Find out who in the room has medical knowledge? Do people have first aid? Do people have CPR? Are there certifications? It's also easy to contact your local fire department and find out where to get those certifications. Can you get fire extinguisher training, it's really surprising how many folks don't know how to use one and including myself. I've been trained on how to use when and there's different types for different types of fires. It's just a really good idea to be aware of that especially if you have a physical building. And oftentimes these departments will come out and do it for free too. So also be sure to know where your restrooms are. Are they clearly marked for those who need are they clearly marked for those who need a certain type of restroom or don't? Do they have all the necessary supplies in them? No rather doors are locked from the outside. That's this is a safety thing regardless of whether or not you have children in the building what doors can lock from the inside or the outside. In a nonprofit that I used to work in we had a childcare facility isn't visible from the street Eat what is visible from the street? What can someone from the outside see if they're walking by? So, think about your parking lot. Consider the time of day. Do you need ushers who have flashlights to help people get to and from their cars, what is well lit, what could be better lit, things like that, that helps with all sorts of safety and physical safety. Many in the community, many communities, your local police department will come out and conduct a free safety audit. So this is you can call your local police department, they'll come out they will audit your building your parking lot your facilities, and they'll give you their feedback and review. But if you do choose to do this, keep in mind that sometimes there's some members of your community who may not feel safer in the presence of the police department. So please keep that in mind when you do that as well. All right, number nine, visible and invisible awareness. So there's new ways to accommodate people both with visible and invisible abilities, disabilities, consider your physical space. Is it accessible? We just talked about lighting, some people have visual impairments or audio hearing impairments. If mobility is difficult for community members, can they easily get to their seats? Can they easily identify a bathroom? Is it close by you know, within an acceptable proximity to someone with mobility issues? Think about your audience members who have disabilities do you offer the ability, the availability of hearing devices? I just heard in the news this week, some are now available over the counter in pharmacies, can you pick up some of those for your facilities? Are family events open to those with sensory issues? Sometimes, especially with smaller children, we can have certain sensory events galahs performing arts performances, can children with sensory issues come to those. So be open to suggestions from your community, improve the ways that people can increase accessibility and increase awareness. All right, our last principle is modernize. So right now, technology is constantly evolving and updating, so pay attention to new and emerging trends and communications. As I just mentioned, this week alone, there's been new technology with audio improvements. There's new ways to engage audiences, new theories out there and new ideas, new practices, really clue into those. And listen to your constituents, they really have good ideas. And that is listening to your own community, connect with them. Find new ways of connecting with them, see if you can add them to your social media that helps in terms of getting to know your audience. Speaking of which, that is where we're going next.

18:03  
So knowing your audience, and engaging your community are one in the same for us here. And while we've just talked about some things that you want to do in preparation, or as you're preparing to have an event, certainly, regardless of the type of event that you have, you'll want to, you know, know who you're inviting, or know the general type of audience, you're looking for your target audience. And then to engage with them. We've had a couple of years where, you know, there was a lot of virtual performances, virtual meetings, things that were not face to face. And so as things are now open back up, and you are able to be in person, getting that face to face time in has been really valuable for a lot of our organizations that we work with. And one of the sort of points of that is that it doesn't just have to be, you know, one or two people who are on staff, for example, who are getting those moments in, it can certainly be a collaborative effort. You can have staff members, board members, even longtime supporters join you to meet with folks to greet them at the door if maybe you have a live performance or to socialize with them at a gala or other fundraising event. And really, you know, the kind of goal here is that we definitely want to get familiar with the people that are already in our doors, right? So they're there for a reason. And hopefully we can turn them from maybe attendees into longer time supporters or take those folks that have been supporting us long time and develop a closer relationship with them to see where their interests lie in their support. It might be that they are interested in joining the board or that they have a collection of I don't know antique cars that they want to donate to you or museum, you know, that kind of thing. And so after such a long time where we kind of were more virtual, having that actual in person interaction leaves a great impression with our audiences, our attendees and event participants. And then as you're building those face to face interactions, it helps them connect to your organization, of course, because they are connecting sort of an individual or a conversation they had with a positive experience. Next, looking at expanding your reach so you know, you've you've had those kind of live conversations interactions, the hellos goodbyes, the thank you so much for Cummings, whatever it might be in real kind of real time with an individual. And now we're looking at sort of going digital and maximizing those options post event. So these these touches don't necessarily have to be disconnected, they don't have to be separated, they can certainly be personalized touch points, if you're sending a follow up email, you know, address it to the individual sending things like, Hey, we've got this event playlist that we've created, please, you know, take a listen, and using your social media and other sort of digital options to add another personalized touch as opposed to just sending like a mass communication afterwards. You can also use your digital platforms, things like a CRM system or database or other, you know, Google Spreadsheets, sort of however you do it to keep track of those shared communications and to also help your team stay informed. So if you've had that in person connection with somebody, you learn that their birthday is next month, and you want to follow up to thank them for attending your event, you can then also note that their birthday is coming up on sort of a shared CRM or other technology platform and follow up with them a month later to also wish them happy birthday. So you're creating those moments of communication and reminding them that, you know, they like your organization, they're supporting you, and following up to kind of give them a personalized connection there. And then our third sort of point with engaging your community, you know, you've you've gotten the conversations, you've had genuine interactions with them. And now, something that we always say is be open to feedback. There are certainly times when you might have a feedback session where you generally find that an individual or a group sort of misses the mark in terms of the goals you have for that event. Or maybe it's the same person who regularly says, Hey, it'd be great if you did this, or I'd like to see that. But genuinely listening to them, thanking them for their feedback. And then giving them sort of a free space to share those thoughts, really gives them that sort of positive experience that they're looking for, and lets them feel heard and feel more connected to your organization, which can then lead to a longer relationship with them. And so we do kind of talk about these different like feedback modes and ways to track your digital communications and even your live communications as often as you can and in various ways. And so part of what we're hoping to hear today from you all, once we're through this next couple of slides is for you to share with us some of the your preferred methods of collecting feedback or or tracking communication, we'd love to hear some of your thoughts in the ways that you do that at your organization.

23:52  
Okay, so now let's talk about looking ahead. So here's some ideas that we've thought of for the future. And these are just for small ideas. There's really endless numbers. So think in terms of small group events. Think beyond your traditional four walls. Can you use possibly neighborhood green spaces? Is there a local community spot where you could host your performance? Can you host a gala your gala and local community spots? Is there somewhere to get out of the building? If you have one, to be in a new place? Small groups are really getting more creative with their physical locations. Can you first host a fundraiser or cocktail hour maybe in a gastropub? Wouldn't that be interesting? Being in a new place allows you to connect to your audience in a new way, just by the nature of being in a new place allows for new conversation, new relationships, and new openings to open up free so you can connect and engage with your audience. So maybe now's a good time to shake up your program. I'm thinking of You come and your gala coming up? Or the four events that you do all the time? Is there something new you could shake up? Even a run walk you mentioned that's one of your events? Is there a new path? Do you do the same one every, every year? Is there a new walking path you can go to? So that makes me think of new venues? Right? I'm thinking of the physical space, can you be in someone's home? Jessica mentioned earlier, a board meeting, one of my favorite ideas about board meetings is get out of the same place that you're always in. Is there a community center you can go in? Is there a home of someone maybe on the executive committee? Who's willing to host you? Can you go outside? In these new places? Can you live stream? Can you Facebook Live? Is there a digital space where you can even be thinking that is a physical place? Local businesses, of course, we always want to support our local businesses. Can you go there? Can you make a connection with your local community in that way, similar to these kind of small group thinking and small group events, break down the preconceived notion of where you think you have to be. Alright, so let's talk about some new methods. Think about what you were forced to try to do differently in the past two and a half years, I would love to see in the chat, I see some communication is going up there. But what were you forced to do differently? And thinking of that, how can you apply or improve beyond that? I messed up, how can you improve upon that? How are you capitalizing on new technologies? My mind is totally blown when I'm thinking of alternative reality options that are out there. Now. How does the nonprofit fit into that world? Are you thinking about that? What new horizons are out there that are being explored technologically and just pushing the boundaries? And maybe I'm a nerd, but I always think about where does the nonprofit world fit into the metaverse. Right? Do you have youth members of your organizations who are meeting up in the metaverse who are using an Oculus? Does your organization have one? Another example of how advanced technology has increased accessibility, right? The pandemic really enhanced a lot of our awareness of technolog technology accessibility. There's lower price points to get technology. In some cases, there's more market competition, I'm thinking of streaming. And even closed captioning really has boomed in the past two and a half years. There's new products to help your audience. I mentioned audio technology, there's also new visual technology, you know, you're able to really zoom in on what's happening in front of a room nowadays. Do you have hearing devices or large print for print materials that you put out? So really thinking of the past few years, what have you done that you can improve upon and build more, there's new and improved technology out there. And we've really been forced to kind of get better with it. And there's still a ways to go though, keep the chats coming. We're excited to see those. And the last one I want to mention is customer visits. I'm a product manager on the product team work, we want to talk to you. We want to hear about what you're doing, what has gone well, what's not going well, what could make your life easier. So once we get to closing up this session, I'll put Jessica's email in the chat. I'll put my email in the chat, or anyone else can put our emails in the chat. And we would love to hear from you. I would love to have this conversation. Let's get nerdy and blow our minds together about possibilities and technology and what we can and can't do. All right, so we're gonna move on to some of the q&a. This is the part where we really want it to be interactive. Jessica and I have some questions that we can go over, but I'm really hoping that some pop up in the chat. So you can use the chat and use the q&a section. Thank you, Sam, you put our email addresses out there. But feel free to also unmute yourself and let's communicate about what what you're trying what's new, what's exciting. So while you guys are getting there, I'm gonna read off some of the comments where Kim said we're considering a new venue for a VIP Gala. Since the site has construction and is complete, I'd love to hear where are you considering what are you thinking of in terms of venues and anyone else? Is anyone doing anything for you to have in terms of new venues?

Thank you Sam. Can I just reading what you're writing? More tried to virtual VIP not successful from a fundraising perspective, even that I'm really glad you experimented and you learned and experimentation leads to success. One of the concepts that I've liked the most is fail forward, right? When you try something and it doesn't necessarily succeed, how can you turn that into a learning experience for moving forward. So definitely fail forward. There's a lot of articles out there on that concept. And I also see you said pivoted to online learning. That's a great idea yesterday in the product session, I mentioned, cohort learning. And that's a really interesting way to do a small community small group event.

30:47  
I can share in terms of online learning, the theater that I run that John mentioned earlier, the magnetic we actually have added programming both in person, now and online. For example, we always do an auditions course before we have our Season Auditions to get folks already uncomfortable. And now we've added one that is specifically a zoom audition course, because there are a lot of performers and speakers and things that now we'll have to exclusively audition on Zoom, or it also enables them to send taped auditions to other places if they travel, for work for performing. So that's one of those things where we tried it out virtually and realized, like, oh, this can actually be adapted to be something that we keep around for a longer period of time. And now do offer that regularly. And then in terms of venues, we have our own space, but during you know, 2020, we produced a lot of things virtually, in 2021, we took advantage of one of the many greenways that we have locally and produced a show that happened along the Greenway. So we had a complete show it was 11 scenes, each scene had a couple of different actors, it was up to two people per scene. And they were spread across the entire Greenway, which is about a mile and a half long, audiences were in small groups of five to 10 people, the 10 was if they had like a full group all purchasing together. And they had a guide that kind of walked them through that whole show. So they saw a complete show a complete story. As they watched, they got to be outside, there was a lot of fresh air, there's, luckily for us a little coffee cart type thing at the end of it so people could stay warm it was in March. But you know, we had a really great opportunity to use the space around us outside and had so much positive feedback from our audiences from random folks that saw us performing on the Greenway, and then jumped in bought tickets and followed the whole show because they're out for a walk and realize like, Oh, this is something new, that we actually continue to do this every year. Now. It's more regular programming.

33:11  
That's awesome. Thank you. Jenny, did you have something you wanted to share? Give her

33:27  
for a second. Yep. So one of the things that I think people need to just sort of think about whether you're running a theater, or you're a nonprofit doing a gala fundraiser, or whatever it is, is that just audience behavior is still a little weird right now, I don't think we're at a point where human behavior is necessarily back to normal since a pandemic. So one of the things that I always advise people is look when you are interacting with people, and this ties into that whole relationship building thing from earlier in the panel. It's like, you know, the most important thing for the audience experience when they're at your event. You know, if you interact with somebody, they might not remember your name, they might not remember what you look like, or even what you said to them. But the important thing to remember is and that they will always remember every audience remembers how you made them feel at this event. Did they come away from that with an experience it says God I really love doing this. I want to do more of this because I think like with annual gala is is a great example. And this was sort of came up in the panel, if you're doing the exact same thing every year. At a certain point, people who are attending every year are gonna go, I gotta do that same thing all over again. It gets stale, right people there's a certain threshold for people's attention. And you've got to give them a reason to keep coming out. And honestly, at the end of the day, it's about how you make that offer. Indians feel and what the sort of emotional component is to that, because people will have a muscle memory, you have that immediate positivity experience that's kind of reinforced in your brain. And you got to pay attention to people when they're there, you know, and sometimes, I mean, and that might sound a little remedial, but I mean, really, that is sort of a fundamental thing you have to reinforce right now, just given how kind of off, you know, audience behavior is right now. And you got to reinforce the basics a little bit, I think.

35:27  
Thank you, John. Yeah, Heather, do you have something to share real quick?

35:33  
Yeah. So we, I worked for a mental health organization, and we have previously done a breakfast. And, you know, it was a room that whole, you know, held so many people. And there was a limit, right, there's a limit on what we could do. So now we're moving towards this community festival event that'll be outdoors that'll be accessible with, you know, parking, public transportation, restrooms, like making sure everything is available for folks who want to attend. But really taking this community centric approach to it, which is something pretty new for this organization. And also bringing in our it's a pretty large organization. And so bringing in our programs to really focus on, you know, what philanthropy is and how they get to participate in it and be able to raise funds directly for their, their programs. So we're still working out what that looks like. But, you know, it's something that's different than, than we've done previously. And so I think, you know, first off any ideas on that would be great. But also, I just think it's something to look at, where you're not just inviting the same folks, because we were seeing the same folks coming again and again. And you're right, it gets stale. And, and people need a little bit of variety.

36:57  
Thanks, I love that you're looking at, you know, what philanthropy looks like from sort of the ground up and sort of starting at the beginning there. That's something that I think a lot of folks in the nonprofit world sort of forget that, you know, because we're surrounded by it all of the time, every day, that there are folks that are interested in our organizations interested in our missions, or or what we do, but don't necessarily know that there are more ways than just giving with money to support an organization, you know, that sort of like money first mindset tends to exclude a lot of folks that maybe don't have the funds available to to give, but can certainly participate in other ways. They can volunteer, they can help proofread things, you know, there are lots of ways that people can participate in support without actually having to make like large financial donations. We also do things a lot with like, recurring gifts. So maybe you can give $5 a month and so that might seem like a great contribution from you know, your end in terms of like, okay, that's as much as I can give. But that actually adds up. And those recurring gifts tend to continue over time, and a lot of folks will like can reconsider increasing them when they're when they expire, or they sort of like set them and forget them. And and it's this great, like revenue generator over time for your organization that that allows you also some continued sort of like touch points and points of communication with an individual have they been giving you have a gift every month for the last year? You know, it's definitely time to reach out and thank them and connect with them. And if you haven't, in that whole year period, since their initial donation, you know, kind of have coffee with them, meet them on Zoom, have a minute to just interact with them and kind of learn a little bit more about them so that they feel more engaged with the organization. Also, there was a question in the q&a section for John specifically from Kim that says Did John Have a suggestion for a tool to manage seating assignments?

39:10  
I highly recommend utilizing arts people by neon One highly recommend. But I honestly came in terms of like table seating. I know we kind of touched on that earlier before the whole group was here. But yeah, arts people actually does have a great tool for table seating for gala events where you can set you know specific rules on specific tables you can do you know specific assigned seats and individual tables. You can say oh, when you buy online, you have to buy the whole table versus you buy individual tables. You can hold seats back there's honestly like the logic behind it is very intuitive and complex. And it's one of those things where most ticketing solutions don't really do table seating at all, let alone do it well, and yes, I am of course the advocate for two people but I really do think If we have the best table seating interface in secondary right now, of course, I'm completely unbiased in saying that right? But yes sorry, go ahead.

40:15  
Oh, I was just I was just noting that Kim had another point in the chat

40:20  
is technically a separate product from Neon CRM. But there are some data integrations and I'd be happy to talk to you more about that offline. And we can talk more about your organization and your specific needs.

40:33  
I want to try and talk about Roberts question that he brought up, there's actually two questions that kind of are similar in a way, one online fundraisers in to kind of getting buy in from management's and other stakeholders. So the idea here I want to talk about is like nobody really wants to fundamentally change, right? It's kind of against human nature to fundamentally change, no one wants to do it. But we all can change. And I think it really comes down to us to these stakeholders who are here who are listening to it and are thinking about change, we really need to lead by example, I think getting to the understanding of why do people not want to attend the online fundraiser? Why do they not want to go, you know, in a different route? Why do they not want to try something new or leave the building? I think it comes down to fundamentally that they're uncomfortable with this idea, right? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it exposure is there technologically, you feel inferior? You don't know, the technology as well as others? Is that worried about failing, you know, right, when we're talking about philanthropy, and fundraising, failures, a scary word. So communicate about some of these challenges that people are feeling, trying to understand why they don't want to do something, and then break down the bigger challenge into smaller steps. Are there small experiments you can do now with going digital Right? Or is there a small fundraiser you can do online to experiment with it to see how it goes? Is there smaller steps you can take in terms of leaving the building and doing something in a different space? Is it just moving a community meeting? Is it moving a board meeting? taking little steps like that? And then another idea in order to kind of break through that threshold? is can you involve other stakeholders? Right? If management is kind of giving a bit of dragging their feet in terms of new ideas, new technology, new spaces? Can a member of the Executive Committee be one of the leaders in organizing this change? Can they make suggestions on locations or fundraising ideas? Or an idea for going online? Can you kind of get buy in from other stakeholders in order to move other people along?

43:01  
If I can also

43:02  
add, can I add on to that? Yeah, I think the thing to answer Roberts question, let's simplify it. Okay. With online fundraisers. I mean, I I've been to some online fundraisers. And the reality is, most of them aren't very fun. Like, can you make an online fundraiser fun for people to go to because if you're not going to have a good time, you're not as incentivized to go. And I, I don't think you should get caught up with the sort of sense of obligation to give or to donate. Because the gala is supposed to be an experience, right? The fundraising event is supposed to be an experience. That's not to say you can't do a successful online fundraising event, you absolutely can. But you've got to keep your audience in mind and prioritize their experience. Because again, if you're not having a good time, you're not going to want to do that again, right. I mean, I did simple fundamental stuff, but keep it fun.

44:05  
We've seen folks do things like, you know, having to try to do their gala online or have that interaction. Doing things like having a food tasting, where every person that buys a ticket gets a box of chocolates delivered to their, their residence, and during that particular Gala, like one of the interactive things is they all try the same things at the same time. And they have a little poll and people can fill out like, this was my favorite. This is my least favorite. This is what I liked. So different, you know, sort of ways to give folks engagement opportunities while they're still in a setting like this, where it's very easy to kind of talk over people or to not really know what to say or how to interact because you're just looking at a computer screen. And then I did just want to also note like to Allison's point earlier about Robert is questioning and getting sort of your board or management, on board with things like online events, meetings, that kind of thing. One thing that I've actually seen at several nonprofits locally, um, that I've I've worked with, or that I've consulted with, is that so many of them have bylaws that don't allow them to do things like vote if they're not in person. So that also kind of comes up quite a bit where, you know, like now that we're being forced to pivot to alternative locations, alternative modes of meeting that type of thing. It also means they have to revisit things like their bylaws, and a lot of people don't necessarily want to always do that. So sometimes it means like, Oh, this is just going to be more work for us in the long run. So we, you know, kind of want to stick with our old ways, which, as you can probably tell, from the way Alex and I have been talking a little bit like, we're really proponents for change and for trying new things. So generally, if somebody's like, I just don't want to do it, because I don't want to change, we try to find out why and figure out what like the root causes so that we can then help them move on and move forward. It might be less work. That's true, depending on who has to do the work.

46:19  
All right. There's some really great chat, I just wanted to highlight something we just mentioned, there's there's a lot of really interesting ways to do virtual engagement, Jessica was just talking about that. I heard about it from a nonprofit organization in New York, they did a nailed it type event fundraiser at home. I don't know if you guys have seen on Instagram, or I think it was started with Pinterest. Pinterest has these unrealistic expectations of some beautiful cake or whatever that you're gonna make. And so you send a box to a family that has all the ingredients to replicate this beautifully designed cake. But of course, at home, it never turns out the way that it is. And so all of the community would send in pictures of their absolute Fails of cakes, they tried to make these beautiful ways. And it was a lot of fun. It led to a lot of laughter and a lot of communication and a really unique way to reach out to your community. So kind of think outside the box like that think creatively. It's fun, it's exciting, and it really pulls people in in a new way. Any other questions coming along? We're gonna give it some few more minutes for questions here.

47:36  
Can we can we speak to for next question in the chat about silent auctions?

47:42  
Yes, please. Yes.

47:43  
Yeah. I mean, I'm, I'm curious as to what sort of the solicitation process is like for for your organization in terms of local businesses donating items? I'm sure there are some other people here in the chat who have a lot of experience with that. And I forget, forgive me, I don't know where in the country you are, what organization you're with anything like that. But it's something that does come up from time to time that I that I just you're kind of out in the field? And ah, okay, so we ask our families, and we have a very small staff that has to do the ask in Arizona. Yeah. So part of that is probably just sort of, like, allocation of resources on your side. Right. And I think it's really the I think the challenge is finding someone who's really connected in those spaces who can really like, you know, you need just people who know people, for lack of a better way to you know, describe that. I mean, I've been involved with, like, silent auction, you know, fundraising events. And, you know, I had the benefit of having worked with a lot of like live event producers and music venues and being able to get things like concert tickets donated and things like that. But it's all about sort of the connections that you have in terms of being able to vote to develop on that. And I don't know anything about like what your parent community looks like, obviously, as you expand that you hopefully open up more doors, but I think, yeah, stuff like that is complicated, but finding just people with connections to be part of your community or to help volunteer with that particular element of the project. It just goes a really long way. I mean, honestly, building up inventory for silent auctions is very much a relationship business. And I've heard that I really do wish you luck on that because every community has its own unique dynamic and its own unique challenges. But if anybody else in the session has suggestions for Burnett, I think I think that'd be really helpful for everybody here.

49:53  
And also thinking of what Ken said with sponsors, sponsorships right now are just so interesting. There's a lot of different ways you can go with sponsorships, and a lot of really new ideas too. You know, I mentioned large print materials, right? Is there some people who need that are willing to put dollars behind their ask? And so can you endow having large print for the entire year? Can you endow audio technology or visual right zoom in camera or some kind of a system that shows exactly what's happening in the front of the room, there's a lot of really new and unique ways to do sponsorships right now.

50:41  
One of the fundamental things I usually advise people on in terms of sponsor relationships is at the end of the day, there's really two core things that sponsors care about, it's of course, getting tickets to the event. And the other, quite frankly, is just seeing their logo on stuff, you know, is sponsorship is an advertising opportunity for them at the end of the day. And ideally, they get the benefit of tax deduction at some level on that. But it's the visibility for sponsors of the event that keeps them coming back and hopefully sponsoring for more dollars, year over year and building up, you know, mileage out of those relationships too.

51:24  
I think a lot of the time, especially with smaller organizations, we see that sort of limited availability of internal resources, you know, staff and small boards and things like that. And one of the ways that we see a lot of smaller organizations sort of making those connections with businesses in order to get things like silent auction items, or sponsorships, so kind of like depending on on, what you're looking for, is to just be out in the community and walking into that new mom and pop shop or that favorite chocolate store, you go to whatever it is place where you get flowers, and just actually having a conversation with those folks. Giving them some context of who you are, and sort of starting the regular communication, not walking in blind and immediately asking for something. You know, again, looking at building those relationships, is really a great way to kind of gain the support you're looking for, even if it might be that they started out small, maybe it's a cheese shop, and they give you you know, a small cutting board to include in a larger basket or something. But once they see you and they know that you're part of their community and part of the support of their company, their business, they're going to also consider you more seriously as somebody that they would like to support in return. And we found that sort of looking at the smaller local businesses is is a way to kind of build those relationships a little bit easier than kind of looking at larger corporations for big sponsorships.

Oh, yes, and always have a packet that you can leave to Kim's point. You know, that always helps.

53:17  
Ah, great question asking for donation items not good during the holidays or end of year. So that's always a fun debate. And I've heard it go both ways. But ultimately, it really depends on that part of the ask that sometimes if asked in a correct way, asking during the holidays is a great time to tap into philanthropy and is a great time to talk about donations and to engage with your families in that philanthropic way. Remember, you know the principles behind philanthropy is relationships. And sometimes that's what people want to do during the holidays. It's it's a good time to ask. So I really encourage you one analyze your community. You know your community best there. One of my favorite quotes is culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? So know your culture ultimately. And then assuming that your culture is okay with it, consider a tasteful way to ask during the holidays to reach to your community to help them engage in their philanthropic needs during the holiday season. And of course, end of year taxes it's a good time to consider donations.

54:34  
I love that culture eats strategy for breakfast. I'm gonna steal that. By the way, Vernet, I saw your follow up in there about your gala is in March. So if you're in Arizona, and your gala is in March, the very first thing that comes to mind for me is spring training tickets. You know, I mean, I think there's a lot I mean, baseball does this all the time to get donations for stuff like that? That's what huge thing and depending on where you are in Arizona, different clubs have different spring training facilities. But you could probably, you know, depending on your proximity, get multiple ticket donations from multiple teams specifically for spring training games, which I think is a really fun item to bid on an event tickets are usually the hottest bidding item. I once I once gotten a bidding war over a pair of tickets at a gala auction, my wife nearly murdered me. But I got the tickets. So there you go, right. So I think that that's a really important thing to consider just given where you are. And that's a unique thing that you can offer that other organizations can't, right.

55:47  
One of my thinking of March. Now, you just mentioned March, one of my favorite recent philanthropic activities was during the pandemic. And it was from two organizations who were in opposing cities, I think it was during the World Series. And the executive directors of these organizations made very public very gently teasing videos back and forth and had a donation drive within their organizations based on the World Series and based on the outcome. So something kind of fun and engaging and really taps into again, your culture helps like that. Another one I recently saw was from my own college, my alma mater of donations in the number of mounts of your graduation year and competing with other graduating years. So there's kind of fun, creative ways to engage your audience in new ways to sports memorabilia. Yes, thank you, Tim.

We have three minutes left, and I went click. cookbook signing I love that. Oh, what a cool idea. Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate all the sharing in the chat. And I think I speak for both John and Jessica, when we enjoyed this, this engagement part right at the end of our session and kind of communicating back and forth with you guys on ideas. I love that. I want to keep the conversation going, I want to I'm going to post my email address in the chat. And I would love for any of you guys to reach out to me, again, customer visits is something I definitely want to do. But I want to take the time. And really thank you guys for being here. And for spending this past hour with us. I enjoyed it tremendously. And I'm going to let John and Jessica also speak. But thank you very much for being here with us.

57:48  
Yeah, if anybody wants to talk ticketing solutions, via neon via arts people, I put my email address in the chat feel free to reach out to me directly.

58:00  
Yes, thank you all so much for joining us. And, you know, again, please reach out we would be thrilled to as Allison mentioned have some customer visits we'd also be glad to answer any questions that you have about sort of products or you know further questions about the conversation we had today. It's been great to have a chance to engage with folks and you know, we hope that you're walking away with with some thoughts or new ideas Oh, and take our survey please just remembered about that. And and yeah, hopefully we see you all at the the Changemaker awards later today in just a little bit.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai