In 2020, faced with the need to raise money during a pandemic, and knowing it would be out of the question to host their annual in-person fundraising dinner, OPAL Community Land Trust asked me to build their first-ever virtual event.
Using OPAL’s existing website and their online fundraising platform, GiveWP, we were able to integrate videos, challenges, sponsor links, donation forms, a donor wall and customized email notifications for contributors. Over the four-day event, the gala blew past OPAL’s goal of $100,000, raising a total of $141,740. Cue the confetti!
And in 2021, we repeated the process, raising $120,000 in three days. You can read more about exactly how we did it here.
OPAL Community Land Trust works to maintain the character, vibrancy and diversity of the Orcas Island community by answering the ongoing need for permanently affordable housing. It was one of the first community land trusts in the West, and remains at the forefront of the affordable housing movement. Although the virtual event is no longer live, you can visit the OPAL website.