Bringing Your Mission Online
We’ve all been working from home for three weeks now, and if your team is anything like ours, then you’re probably settling into what feels like a new normal—even if that new normal is filled with a new set of challenges and very difficult decisions.
As events across the country continue to be cancelled, all of us in the nonprofit space look forward to the time when we can start to gather again in celebration and support of the incredible causes that unite our communities.
But in the meantime, how can we recreate that togetherness without actually being, well, together?
If you haven’t already, start thinking about how you can take both your fundraising and your programmatic activities online. The transition from live to virtual engagement may be easier for some organizations than others, and you and your colleagues may have to think outside the box. But don’t fret—you don’t have to be the Louvre to curate an amazing online experience for your supporters!
Many of our peers out there have already started paving the way, getting creative online to keep communities engaged and active around their organizations’ missions and values. We’ve collected a few great examples to get your wheels turning:
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is closed to the public, but gave its head of security the additional responsibility of managing the museum’s social media accounts. Hilarity (and organizational visibility) has ensued. Not to mention, we can all explore the museum’s collections from our homes!
NYC-based theater company Primary Stages has launched a series of online classes and workshops for writers. This collection of several programs centers around the company’s core mission and provides a plethora of free opportunities to serve its diverse community.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is hosting a reading challenge that you can participate in as a family or by yourself. A tracker on the site logs how many books have been read so far by everyone participating—a classic motivational tool to keep the community pushing forward!
What these examples have in common is that they are mission-centric, they are free (or have free components), and they are fun. Each organization’s unique voice and point of view brings joy into what is an otherwise scary and uncertain time.
From a fundraising perspective, making programs and activities virtually accessible can help you stay connected with your community of donors, in a way that isn’t just about asking for money. Finding a way to bring programming online, even if you cannot use it as a way to generate revenue, can give you a tool in your communications arsenal as you are working to assure your board, donors, and broader community that you are dedicated to your mission and continuing to serve your audience the best way you can.