Foreword:
To say the past two years have been challenging is an understatement. Both the fundraising and events segments have seen significantly reduced activity, and a resulting drop in impact for both commercial and nonprofit organizations.
Yet through it all, fundraiser and event organizers have done their best to adapt on the fly and keep their communities engaged. This has demanded every tool in the box, including virtual events, a renewed focus on social media engagement, email and text-to-give campaigns, and more. Today, as we all move cautiously into 2022 and a waning pandemic, the questions on everyone’s mind are, “What’s next?” and “Are things really looking up?”
In hopes of answering those questions and others about the outlook for fundraisers & events in 2022, we surveyed Eventgroove customers—the people who have been determinedly meeting these challenges head on since March 2020. We also asked events and nonprofits industry experts to weigh in with valuable insights into what lies ahead for 2022.
-The Eventgroove Team
Report Summary
In January 2022, Eventgroove surveyed event and fundraiser organizers on their thoughts, concerns, and plans for 2022 and beyond. With over 200 respondents, from across the country and representing a range from individuals who raise money for charity and membership organizations as well as event planners, our team has compiled the primary findings here.
Their responses revealed some fascinating information about in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, including:
- 79.6% of respondents expect to host an event in 2022, compared to 66.7% who moved forward with an event in 2021
- 63% of respondents plan to host an in-person event in 2022, 21% plan to host a hybrid event, and 3% plan to host a virtual event
- Nearly 65% of respondents said that COVID has completely or somewhat affected their ability to host an event in 2022
With so much uncertainty, the marketing and promotion of events, and the ability to drive fundraising around those events, remain big challenges. We’re all hopeful that a smart combination of re-focused event themes, powered by effective solutions like Eventgroove, will drive a resurgent community.
Let’s look at what we’ve found!
The Big Picture for 2022
Events should never stand alone. They should be one part of a planned supporter journey – from awareness… to interest… to engagement… to investment. Assess your target audience, where they are in their journey, and how an event will help them get to the next step.
–Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE
In-Person Events Are on the Rise
In recent Event Therapy™️ processing sessions with professionals regarding the uptick of events, professionals have emphasized that they have also experienced heightened anxiety and worry about executing live events including weddings, conferences and fundraisers. This increase in anxiety due to the pandemic is normal and we encourage professionals to think about the following:
1. Communicate with your business by developing a strategic plan that focuses on the new wave of events and how your business will respond.
2. Be sure to include your mental health fitness in your daily plan and identify strategies that best fits you, your personality and your time.
3. Take note of mind exercises and self-care strategies that are beneficial for you. Think about when you felt at your best, what were you doing or what actions were performed before the feeling.
4. Be open to communicate your thoughts and feelings with a trusted natural support.
KEY: YOU GOT THIS!
–Charessa Sawyer, LMSW, CEP
In-Person Events are on the Rise
In recent Event Therapy™️ processing sessions with professionals regarding the uptick of events, professionals have emphasized that they have also experienced heightened anxiety and worry about executing live events including weddings, conferences and fundraisers. This increase in anxiety due to the pandemic is normal and we encourage professionals to think about the following:
1. Communicate with your business by developing a strategic plan that focuses on the new wave of events and how your business will respond.
2. Be sure to include your mental health fitness in your daily plan and identify strategies that best fits you, your personality and your time.
3. Take note of mind exercises and self-care strategies that are beneficial for you. Think about when you felt at your best, what were you doing or what actions were performed before the feeling.
4. Be open to communicate your thoughts and feelings with a trusted natural support.
KEY: YOU GOT THIS!
–Charessa Sawyer, LMSW, CEP
COVID is Still Affecting Plans
Planning hybrid fundraising events in 2022 and beyond is a win-win for nonprofits! It allows your donors, supporters, and staff to get together again to celebrate your mission and programs and takes into consideration those that that are unable or unwilling to attend in person. Then, if a worse-case scenario arises, the event can be easily converted into a virtual-only event.
–Heather Mansfield, Founder & Editor-in-chief, Nonprofit Tech for Good
Omicron–The Last Wave?
Across Eventgroove’s nonprofit, education, sports, music, film, and entertainment segments, everyone is excited to return to in-person events; there’s enormous pent-up demand and an unmatched sense of community and shared purpose. But many have also learned the value of reaching a wider audience through virtual events, and they’re eager to create hybrid events. That’s the future, in our view, and for hybrid to work, it has to be built on an integrated platform like Eventgroove
–Lance Trebesch, CEO of Eventgroove
Omicron–The Last Wave?
Across Eventgroove’s nonprofit, education, sports, music, film, and entertainment segments, everyone is excited to return to in-person events; there’s enormous pent-up demand and an unmatched sense of community and shared purpose. But many have also learned the value of reaching a wider audience through virtual events, and they’re eager to create hybrid events. That’s the future, in our view, and for hybrid to work, it has to be built on an integrated platform like Eventgroove
–Lance Trebesch, CEO of Eventgroove
Conclusion
Though the pandemic’s grip has loosened, COVID and its variants continue to have a ripple effect on our economy and collective pandemic experience. Subsequently, the events and fundraising industries remain impacted. However, as this report aims to show, they’re in a much stronger position than a year ago and trending in the right direction.
Whether you’re a nonprofit putting on a fundraiser or an organizer hosting an event, we hope you are able to re-engage with your communities. As we have found in this snapshot, all signs point to a potentially busy year ahead.
We encourage you to share this report with your peers! You can download the report here.
Many thanks for reading. Let’s speak soon on how we at Eventgroove can support your planning.
– The Eventgroove Team
About Eventgroove
Eventgroove is the premier one-stop integrated events and fundraising platform pioneering a radical customer-centric approach to SaaS. From simple event ticketing and donation pages to more complex multi-location events and concurrent fundraising campaigns with an ecommerce storefront, Eventgroove enables its customers to manage, market, and execute events and fundraisers from one place under their brand.
Based in Bozeman, Montana, Eventgroove places a top priority on sustainability and conservation. The company is Forest Stewardship Council FSC® certified, and its production runs on 100% wind energy. In addition, since 2007 Eventgroove has donated 42% of net profits to conservation organizations protecting habitat and keeping carbon in the ground.
Eventgroove serves over 78,000 customers across the nonprofit, entertainment, education, sports, faith, and civic sectors. Eventgroove operates in the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
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