The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Throughout the last year our staff and volunteers became very adept at using virtual platforms to meet, reach out to the community, and hold informational and fundraising events. Out of necessity, we found virtual platforms a key to our success in connecting with donors, patients, the community, and each other.
Early in the pandemic, we began by training our volunteers and Board members to use virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom, as well as secure data-sharing tools such as Box and Google Drive. These platforms allowed the Board to stay connected and most importantly kept us connected to those supporting our mission.
Marketing the importance of health care during the pandemic, we began hosting quarterly Partners in Health events via Zoom. The virtual events featured physicians addressing “hot topics” of health care. The evening encouraged attendees to seek routine health care despite the pandemic. We also found the Partners in Health events to be an opportunity to educate our volunteers and community members on the happenings in our medical community. Topics covered were lung health, the effects of CVOID 19 and treatments offered as well as mitigation ideas, orthopedics and back pain, and women’s health to name a few.
Fundraising events were moved to a virtual platform. With the health and safety of our attendees in mind, we took the extra steps of providing no-contact delivery of event baskets which included dinner, drinks, and other fun items. We put a larger emphasis on educating our attendees on programs and the needs at the medical center that serve our community. This was accomplished through video production (done in a safe and socially distanced manner), printed information, and follow-up calls, emails, and other touchpoints.
We received positive feedback regarding the virtual events and fundraisers, supporting our mission with a encouraging the community to continue to seek the care they needed, even if that care was given in a virtual fashion.