{"id":19968,"date":"2020-08-27T17:27:43","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T21:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=19968"},"modified":"2021-06-01T14:17:51","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T18:17:51","slug":"whats-your-post-event-communication-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/whats-your-post-event-communication-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Events: What’s Your Post-Event Communication Strategy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The livestream is over. You\u2019ve reached your fundraising goal. Your virtual event has gone off without a hitch. Now what? How do you keep your virtual event attendees engaged and giving after the fun has come to an end? You need a post-event communication strategy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s in your best interest to develop your post-event communication strategy before<\/em> your event. Give yourself time to determine what the plan is and what resources you\u2019ll need to make the communication strategy work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curious about what goes into a great post-event communication strategy? Read on for best practices that will help increase donor retention and engagement after your virtual event!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Send a prompt thank-you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This first step of your post-event communication strategy is obvious to professional fundraisers. Thanking your attendees for coming, fundraising, and donating is key to making donors feel good about their virtual event participation. During the registration process, your attendees likely shared their phone number, home address, and email address with you. Any of these communication methods make for a great way to say thanks quickly. Just be sure to prepare your thank-you message ahead of the event so you\u2019re ready to start thanking in a timely manner when your virtual event ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saying thanks over the phone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your virtual event had a manageable number of attendees, try thanking each attendee with a phone call. If phone numbers were a mandatory part of the registration process, it\u2019s easy to call after the event and thank them for attending. A phone call can also be an informal way to ask for feedback about the virtual event. Your supporters will likely appreciate having someone from the organization call to express their thanks, chat with them about the event, and even share how much was raised and how those funds are going to be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t rush into the phone calls without a plan. Instead, develop a script that lets you get the most of your post-event communication with virtual event attendees. Bloomerang<\/a> developed a simple script to elevate post-event follow up calls. Essentially, the conversation can be broken down into four simple steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Thank them for their participation<\/li>
  2. Ask what they thought of the virtual event<\/li>
  3. Be quiet and listen to their feedback<\/li>
  4. Ask one of two questions below depending on whether you\u2019re talking to a donor or non-donor
    a. Is there any way you could see yourself becoming involved with us? (if not already a donor)
    b. Is there anyone else you can think of that we ought to invite to a (event name\/type)? (if already a donor)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If your call list is large, prioritize other ways of thanking event attendees. That said, identify high profile donors, board members, and top fundraisers and thank them personally with a phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thanking attendees via mail<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For larger guest lists, calling each virtual event attendee won\u2019t be practical. Instead, if you collected home addresses for event participants, send a thank-you letter to each attendee. You can send a typed form letter, but try to have the sender sign a copy of each letter rather than using an electronic signature. This personal touch can make a form letter seem more personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For even better results, consider handwritten thank-you notes to virtual event attendees. You\u2019ll need a large staff to manage this with large events, but a handwritten card stands out in people\u2019s minds. It will make your organization and the virtual event more memorable for the recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For tips on writing a great thank-you letter, check out our guide to writing incredible thank-you letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thank your supporters by email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Thanking your supporters over email is another option to make a lasting good impression on your virtual event attendees. Emails make it possible to send highly personalized messages quickly and without postage costs. You can customize the email to add your organizations style and branding, so supporters recognize it as coming from you and to as visual appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Emails also make it possible to send personalized, video thank-yous. A video thank-you can feature a volunteer, staff member, CEO, or someone your organization serves. Delivering a thank-you message over video instantly makes the connection more personal and shows the recipient that their contribution to your virtual event was seen and recognized by real people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Luckily, sending a video thank-you doesn\u2019t have to be rocket science. Tools exist to make the process easy for busy people to record and send messages. A couple resources used by nonprofits for video thank-yous are BombBomb <\/a>and ThankView<\/a>. These services enable you to record and embed a video message directly into your email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The .gif below illustrates what appears at the beginning of a recipient’s email when they receive a message containing a BombBomb video.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Send a post-event survey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Another great way to keep your virtual event attendees engaged after the event is to incorporate gathering feedback into your post-event communication strategy. Create a virtual event survey and collect feedback from your attendees. You can ask about the technology used, the activity, the registration process, etc. Take the feedback you receive to heart and get to work improving the format of future virtual events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Crafting the perfect survey questions can be tricky. Be sure to ask questions that are relevant to your virtual event. Questions like these will generate useful feedback about your virtual event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n