More Participation, More Money Raised  

Luxury auctions and galas, even for the worthiest of causes, are not immune to the effects of today’s troubled economy.  With the state of the market, philanthropists do not want to be seen giving too much or too little to a cause, no matter how worthy.
 

The Robin Hood Foundation, the leading poverty-fighting organization in New York City, depends on donations made at its yearly fundraiser to support its mission.  In the past, the organization landed huge donations with luxury auctions. Bidders waved glowsticks to signal their donations. Given the high price tags, this type of auction garnered no more than 3% participation.

Michele Whitney, Senior Manager, Development Operations, describes the objectives of the 2009 Robin Hood event as:  “Increase participation without leaving money on the table,” She continues, “Our mission is to feed, clothe, shelter and teach our neighbors in need. We had to find a way to encourage everyone to give back this year, rather than just being a spectator.”

In the nonprofit world’s worst fundraising year in recent history, and with attendees drawn heavily from the hard-hit financial industry, Robin Hood was compelled to find a new approach to its signature event.

Mark Bezos, SVP Development & Communications, Robin Hood, states, “Times are tough, and it didn’t seem right for our guests to be advertising their bid amount to a full room and walking away with trips around the world and dinners with celebrity chefs. We had to find way to make donations feel like their own prize.”

A New Kind of Fundraiser

The solution developed with IML was the prize-less fundraiser.  Upon entering the Javits Center, each of 3,100 guests received a hand-held IML keypad.  Once seated, guests were divided into three sections.  Rallied by celebrities and emcee Jon Stewart, each section was encouraged to outpledge the other two.  Pledge updates, posted on mammoth screens, helped spur competition by alerting each attendee in real-time as to which section was in the lead.  In addition to spurring a natural feeling of competition, these real-time updates encouraged those who could afford to continue donating to open their wallets just a little bit more.

The IML system enabled a pressure-free atmosphere where attendees felt only the need to donate what they could afford, whether that meant $5 or $5 million.

More Event Participation Means More Money for Those in Need

In just 18 minutes of competition, over $72 million was raised for the fight against poverty by the crowd of 3,100 attendees.   More importantly, audience participation increased from a typical level of 3% to an astonishing level of 72%.  And because the IML keypad captured donor names, Robin Hood was able to add thousands of names its donor database.

“Thanks to the instantaneous reporting features of the IML fundraising solution, we were able to grow our donor list and start collecting on the pledges the very next morning,” continues Whitney, who notes that more than 50% of pledges were fulfilled within 24 hours, an astonishing figure given the 3,100 people in the room.  “Thanks to IML the entire event was improved. We received nothing but enthusiastic comments from new and long-term supporters.”

For more information on how hand-held audience response systems from IML can improve your next gala event or charitable auction, contact IML.

   

© 2009 Robin Hood Foundation

TESTIMONIALS

““Robin Hood looks for people who are thinking and working as hard as we are. From preparation and troubleshooting to execution and follow-up, IML were with us—or ahead of us—every step of the way. They thought through every possible disaster scenario in advance and had a solution before the problem even arose. After going through this benefit with IML on our side, I can’t imagine going through this with another group of people.”

Senior Manager, Development Operations, Robin Hood

“The theme of the night was ‘Robin Hood Responds,’ and we were blown away by the number of people who responded this year. Not only did the IML technology help us increase the night's overall revenue, but it was easy and fun for everyone to get involved. Whether they were able to donate $10,000 or $10, each person was able to make a contribution, and do so anonymously. And when they saw their respective section's total rising in real time... the energy in the room was electric. In this economy, finding new ways to engage more guests in the fundraising process makes a real difference.”

SVP Development & Communications, Robin Hood