While in person fundraising events like this one pictured above aren’t currently possible, Birmingham’s Swell Fundraising has added an online component so nonprofits can continue to raise money.
In the past, nonprofits saw Birmingham’s Swell Fundraising as a service they wanted, adding an additional online component to fundraising events in addition to the in-person main attraction.
Now, amidst COVID-19, these same nonprofits are programming exclusively online now and see Swell’s online event fundraising platform as a necessity, said the software company’s founder Brooke Battle.
In anticipation of the swift move to all virtual, on April 23 the company launched a rebuilt virtual module, designed to accommodate an event’s entire crowd being online instead of just a portion. The company hosted nine virtual events in two weeks, Battle said, and the new system is fully operational.
“I don’t think we’ve ever worked harder than we did in April,” she said of her company, which was founded in 2012. “People need us right now in a way they didn’t need us before. Nonprofits may have wanted us [before COVID-19], but there’s a big difference when they want something and need something. In order to continue fundraising, nonprofits have to have a technical solution now, and I hear on every call that nonprofits don’t feel tech-savvy. I say ‘Of course you’re not. That’s not your job. Our job is to be tech-savvy.’”
While Swell’s easy to use online and event fundraising platform is in high demand, even eight years ago during its formation it had a niche. Battle said many nonprofits felt they were missing a large chunk of donors and money by not having an online component.
“We’ve always had a deep belief that events having an online audience expands its message, awareness and fundraising potential,” Battle said. “Our software design made it really easy for these nonprofits to pivot to online virtual events.”
Swell’s new virtual module is built specifically for a 100 percent online audience, with top-flight guest experience in mind. Changes include ways to chat with other guests, donations being highlighted in real-time updates and engaging the event’s audience beyond merely watching a livestream, creating a more multidimensional experience and setting Swell apart from competitors.
Battle said the company also provides significant support documentation to help event planners navigate an online event, giving them tips and tricks on how to make their event as seamless as possible. The company navigates the event from top to bottom, from creating a customized website for the event to registration to live stream at the event and everything in between.
“The nonprofit world needs technology to reach donors in the way they want to give now,” Battle said. “We are an increasingly mobile society, and an absence of an online platform means nonprofits are missing out on a large population that prefers to give that way, even in the status quo [before COVID-19]. But today, they have to – the only way to do a fundraising event is on a platform like Swell if these nonprofits are going to continue.”
And when life resumes some modicum of normalcy, Swell’s new virtual module will still be a necessity, Battle said.
“Fundraising is vulnerable – bad weather, a babysitter not showing up, an illness,” she said. “Every event should have an online option where, if the babysitter doesn’t show up, people can still connect and contribute. Needing a physical presence to make a gift seemed very short-sighted to us, and my hope over the long term is to get nonprofits to continue to see that they have an opportunity online even when we get past this pandemic.”