We’re seeing major hospital foundations take creative approaches to ensuring a high-quality donor experience, whether it be in person or in the virtual landscape. With Trellis there is the flexibility to create the experience you need for your donors, and with our easy to use platform it couldn’t be simpler. In this blog, we discuss some unique ways these hospital foundations were able to surpass their fundraising goals (even during the pandemic)!
Women’s College Hospital Foundation
The Women’s College Hospital Foundation in Toronto held their signature Women’s Day Gala on International Women’s Day, which included speakers, entertainment and education sessions, all of which tied back to their hospital’s values. In order to make their event a roaring success, leading up to the event they encouraged pre-seeded contributions from key donors, with all contributions being announced during the live event. As a result, they were able to raise over $100,000 in 10 minutes from highly engaged donors in an incredibly successful fund-a-need.
Not only did they focus on an engaging event donor experience, but they got donors excited long before the day. They encouraged donors to interact in multiple ways including offering a silent auction, items for sale and donations. Their silent auction included “coffee and conversations,” which were thirty minute Zoom sessions that donors could bid on to connect with leaders from different industries and sectors. We love this innovative way to engage donors with silent auction items that are unique and interactive for bidders.
To take their whole event up another level they worked with one of our Trellis partners, Layne the Auctionista! Layne facilitated the event, dialled up the energy, encouraged donors to contribute, and recognized them as donations rolled in live on Trellis!
“When we made the decision to move to a virtual event, the next decision to choose the right fundraising platform was critical. We were extremely happy with the Trellis solution which enabled an outstanding fundraising result. Our guests had no problem interacting with it, which is always a key criterion. Overall, their partnership was truly valued.”
– Catherine Carter, Vice President, Marketing and Community Engagement, Women’s College Hospital Foundation.
Inspired for your event? Check out their fundraising page here.
Temiskaming Hospital Foundation
The Temiskaming Hospital Foundation has historically run a radiothon fundraiser. With the pandemic, being at a radio station to answer calls this year was unfortunately not an option. However, they didn’t let this stop them! They turned to Trellis to help tell their story and accomplish their mission. To do this, they needed to build a fundraising page that was highly effective in communicating this story.
Temiskaming accomplished this by using video testimonials from nurses and patients as well as stories written by staff. This inspired donors to connect with the mission and contribute to the cause. Using the Trellis site to advertise their campaign allowed them to connect with new donors and break their fundraising goals! They raised more with their virtual radiothon than they had ever done in years prior (even during a third wave of the pandemic!).
For a great example of story-telling on an event page, see their fundraising page here.
Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation
In the past, Vernon Jubilee Hospital had always run their in-person charity golf tournament but last year due in part to the pandemic, they had to make a shift. From this shift, “The 19th Hole” campaign was created.
Their campaign was twofold, it utilized an email campaign as well as their Trellis event page. Designed to engage donors throughout the journey of the golf course, this campaign built more awareness around the Foundation. Within the campaign, donors were presented with new ways to support the hospital including participating in the fund-a-need, bidding on silent auction items, or buying tickets for their virtual event. Alongside the email campaign, they updated their Trellis page regularly with new exciting content.
The final “hole” at the end of their month-long campaign was their virtual event hosted by local radio personalities and featured inspirational messages, musical entertainment, and an invitation to support the foundation.
The combination of the marketing campaign and the live event engaged donors to a new level. “The 19th Hole” raised more money than their traditional golf tournament; it was a historic campaign for the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation.
Want to see what a virtual golf event looks like? Here is their fundraising page.
