The Scoopla on Hoopla!

• Welcome to The Scoopla on Hoopla

  Welcome to the Hoopla Scoopla!
  
  This is a periodically--meaning sometimes a few a day, sometimes a few a month--updated place we tell you stuff about us. We'll share behind-the-scenes stories, pictures and videos, giving you an insider's view of the events we're working on, the organizations with whom we're working, and the general zeitgeist of the Hoopla crew. Sometimes we'll just share with you a few of the things we find engaging and interesting in this wide, wide world.
  
  We hope that this page will help you get to know us a bit more and keep you up to date and entertained on happenings at The Hoop!
  
  Thanks for stopping by!
  Chris, Julie, Annie, and Nina with guest appearances by Meli, Stryker, Baxter, and Zoe

• Hoopla Goes Virtual!

  If we played the drinking game with the word virtual, we’d all be drunk by 10:00AM! But it’s a virtual world right now and Hoopla is springing into action to plan online events for our clients. We’ve learned about Whova, Zoom, OneCause, Bidding for Good, GiveSmart, Twitch, WebEx, Run the World. We’ve watched virtual galas from across the country. We’ve seen examples from self-made IPhone videos to internationally known opera singers from around the world (courtesy of the New York Met’s annual gala). 

  
  

  It’s a wide world out there and going virtual opens up possibilities you never thought you had! Join us on our virtual journey—you can see what we’re up to with our clients on the Current Projects page. See you on the web!

• Baxter the Excel Whiz

  

  Sometimes formulas are hard. Baxter to the rescue!

• What is a pirate dog's favorite letter? GRRRRRRRRR

  

• Get Creative: Fundraising During the COVID-19 Crisis

  We at Hoopla are reaching out to our community—that’s you—the organizations who do such important work. We’re working to recalibrate, revise, and rethink events and fundraising during this unprecedented time. Let’s move forward in solidarity—we are here for you. 
  
  

  Almost every industry in the US—from bartenders and servers to administrative staff for national sports teams, from daycare providers to small businesses—is being affected by the current COVID-19 crisis. Non profit organizations reliant on individual and foundation support are among the hardest hit yet many of us are asking Should we even be asking for support during this time? 

  
  

  Know Your Donors

  Even in financially tumultuous times, many donors realize it is more important than ever to continue supporting the organizations to whom they are committed. Things for you to consider:

  --Who are your donors?

  --How might your donors be affected by this?

  --Are you planning to cancel or shift any opportunities to connect with donors such as galas, fundraising events, or house parties?

  --How is your organization being directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis? Do you have an increase in constituents seeking assistance? Are you experiencing a decrease in donations? 

  
  

  Connect With Your Donors

  There are ways to continue raising funds during this time and there is even an upside to all this: it is an opportunity to make you and your organization more accessible. Focus hard on donor engagement. Work to retain your donors while broadening your reach; use creative and thoughtful prospecting techniques to recruit new friends and supporters and be diligent about capturing information as you go—supporter interests, how they found you, what connects them to the work you do—then set specific tasks for follow-up.

  
  

  When you aren’t thinking about the gala you just postponed, use some brain space to explore other ways you can continue to deeply connect with your donors. While everyone is being inundated with important (and sometimes not so important!) emails and social media, a powerful crisis-focused email/social media can be effective, especially if you consider pairing it with follow-up calls or handwritten notes to top donors. Maybe some of your board members are finding they have time on their hands and would jump in to help make calls or write notes. Your donors will appreciate the personal connection. And of course, Hoopla can help with strategy.

  
  

  Go Virtual

  Unsure about a virtual event? Don’t be! A virtual event can be shaped to fit whatever works for your organization—the possibilities are endless! Here are some ideas for content and structure: 

  --Did you cancel or postpone your gala that included a silent auction? Host it anyway—on your website. There are fun, easy, and not so expensive ways to produce an online-only silent auction.

  --Did you have a fabulous keynote speaker lined up? You could host a video conferencing event or stream a podcast with the speaker and some of your top donors.

  --Pick a book that relates to your mission and host a virtual book club. Maybe you could ask the author to be involved through a video conference with those who have read the book.

  --Is your organization connected to talented musicians? You might live-stream a concert or performance.

  
  

  Other elements of virtual events to think about: 

  --How do I market the event? How do I reach my audience? How do I reach new audiences? 

  --Should I revise my fundraising goals? How do I fundraise during a virtual event? 

  
  

  Give us a call! We’d love to brainstorm with you!

  
  

• Hoopla hounds work really hard.

  

• Up close and personal with Stryker.

  

• Nina Takes Up Crocheting Again

  

  First project...a pom pom hat for Baxter complete with holes for his radar ears!

• Hoopla quoted in Crain's Chicago Business!

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