Ten Virtual Event Lessons The last five months have provided a crash course in conducting fundraising events online. In a short amount of time, those of us involved with nonprofit events have transitioned from feeling like we were making it up as we went along to being grounded in best practices for producing successful and engaging events in the virtual…
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Preparing Speakers for Virtual Success Exactly a year ago, the Ann Plans July blog highlighted the magic ingredient in a fundraising event: stories told from the heart. The opening sentence read, “Décor, food, entertainment and reception activities all play a role in making an event stand out, but the stories of lives changed and made better are the most important…
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Updates on the Current Nonprofit Event Climate We are beginning this month’s blog with some big picture updates on what we are practicing and predicting in our work with nonprofits. Like most aspects of life, events look and feel different right now, and this will continue to be the case for the unforeseeable future. Format-wise, some outdoor events, such as…
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What COVID-19 Is Teaching Event Planners As an event planner, I long for the day when the biggest uncertainties affecting plans are a snowstorm, road construction, or a featured speaker who needs to cancel. For someone who is used to successfully managing outcomes through goal setting, well-thought-out strategies, and hard work, the COVID-19 teacher has challenged me to stretch in…
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The Ann Plans team hopes you, your colleagues and loved ones are staying healthy and finding a sense of balance during this unprecedented time of uncertainty. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working closely with clients to pivot planning for upcoming events. Here is how we are responding to the most pressing questions related to formulating Plan B…
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So Much More Than Fundraising A highlight this month was the energizing meeting with the Minneapolis Area REALTORS Foundation event committee kicking off the planning of their September gala. This committee is passionate and primed to work to take the event to the next level of impact.We love asking committee members, “What do you value most about this event?” The responses…
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