Justin is Funraise's CEO, a co-founder, and a bad-ass, experienced nonprofit fundraiser. Like a true fundraiser-turned-founder, he breaks down the concepts behind Funraise's mission everywhere he can make nonprofits' voices heard.

Gala season is quickly approaching.

And the return of our favorite word—P I V O T—will be widely used in nonprofit boardrooms across the country 🤓

This year will be the year of the... Virtual Gala

The question remains, will nonprofits truly pivot? My hunch is that many nonprofits will try to smash their normal gala program into a live stream version of it. While this will work for some aspects of your gala, it won't work for everything.

Here's what needs to change:

Your gala is no longer just an evening event.

Take advantage of it being LIVE, but record it too. This will allow you to get a lot more mileage out of the content, which should mean you raise more money!

Your gala is no longer exclusive.

Take advantage of the fact you can reach THOUSANDS of people now, not just hundreds. Make it FREE.

Your gala fundraising needs to include low-dollar appeals.

$100 from 100 people is just as good as $10,000 from one person. This year, your gala can easily cater to both types of donors.

I can't wait to see the innovation and inspiration that follows.