How to Conduct a Virtual Gala at Home

Comprehensive guide to planning and executing a Virtual Gala at Home when COVID-19 social distancing restrictions are in full force.

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Wen the first wave of COVID-19 cancellations hit in March 2020, The Gala Team was caught completely off guard -- just like everyone else.

But we immediately understood that these cancellations were devastating to our nonprofit partners. Their annual galas are important planks in their fundraising effort, and cancelling the event put their mission in jeopardy.

As we looked ahead at all the upcoming events on the calendar, we wondered, "What are all of these nonprofits doing to do?"

We realized that we were their fundraising partner, so it was our responsibility to find a solution for them.

So on March 13, 2020, we created "The {Virtual} Gala Team", and we immediately started wrestling with the idea of executing a virtual gala with the then-inconceivable requirement that EVERY participant would need to be in his or her own home, broadcasting from his or her own computer.

What?

That sounded impossible.

But impossible wasn't one of the options we considered. We focused on what "could" be done.

We teamed up with a few brave nonprofits and walked hand-in-hand into the {virtual} wilderness.

And we were all delighted to discover that a virtual gala at home does work! People do tune in for it! You will raise the money you need!


Every event we did taught us lessons that we applied to each subsequent event.

Now, we've created this course so you can lead your organization on this same journey and successfully plan and execute a virtual gala that will fund your mission.


Your Instructor


Reggie Rivers
Reggie Rivers

Reggie Rivers is a former NFL running back who played six seasons with the Denver Broncos (1991-1996).

Reggie founded The Gala Team in 2013, and recruited other auctioneers, trained gala consultants and built a company that has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise tens of millions of dollars.

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, Reggie and his team quickly pivoted to virtual galas, and performed 60+ events in 2020. He has taken the lessons learned from those dozens of events to create courses to help other nonprofits create successful virtual events.


Course Curriculum


  Welcome (13:00)
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  Four Levels of Social Distancing (18:31)
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  Roles & Responsibilities (65:30)
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  Prep Schedule (62:16)
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  Contingency Planning (16:00)
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  Gala Content Elements (59:00)
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  Platform (28:50)
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  Tips for Presenters (44:48)
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  Communication Strategy (12:33)
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  Virtual Fundraising (26:00)
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
It's available now, and it never ends! This is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does forever sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
How long does it take to complete the course?
If you just want to acquire the knowledge, then you can read and watch the entire course material in just a few hours. However, we've designed this course to help you plan and execute a Virtual Gala at Home, so you will probably refer back to it repeatedly over a 4- to 6-weeks it takes to prepare for your virtual gala.
Do I need a lot of technical knowledge to take this course?
No, you do not need much technical knowledge to take this course. However, to execute some of these strategies, you or someone on your team will need a Zoom account, admin access to your nonprofit's Facebook page, and the ability to create/edit powerpoint slides.
What downloadable resources does the course include?
This course will provide a ton of downloadable tools to help you execute your virtual gala. The downloadables include a script template, a roles and responsibilities roster, powerpoint templates, meeting agendas, checklists and much more.

Take Our FREE Virtual Gala Mini Course

Take our Free Virtual Gala Mini Course! It's just 22 minutes long, but it's packed with information, and in it, we'll walk you through some key decisions and key advice for your virtual gala.

When you look at our comprehensive virtual gala course, you might think, "well that's a lot of money to spend, and I have no idea if the information and strategies are going to be worth the expense?"

That's a very reasonable concern.

Through this Free Virtual Gala Mini Course, you'll be able to judge our:

  • STYLE: What does our class look and sound like?
  • INFORMATION: What information are they providing? Are they knowledgeable? Is it all 30,000-foot theory or are they offering actionable in-the-trenches strategies and techniques?
  • ENTERTAINMENT: Is the course entertaining and engaging? Can I actually imagine myself watching and listening to these lessons for the hours necessary to complete the course?
  • RELEVANCE: Is this course relevant to me and the challenges that I'm facing?
  • ACCESSIBLE: Is this information accessible for someone like me? I'm no technology wiz, and I've never done a virtual gala. Is this course going to go right over my head, or is it aimed to instruct people like me?
  • EDUCATIONAL: Do they know how to teach? Lots of people have information, but knowing how to teach it to someone else is a specific skill. Do they actually know how to teach a class so that the students gain and retain the knowledge?

We believe that our mini course will answer these questions for you.

So we would prefer that you take our free mini course BEFORE you sign up for our main course. And we're going to powerfully express that preference with a discount.

If you say, "I don't have 22 minutes to take the mini-course! I need to jump straight into the main course," then please use the promo code SKIP MINI and you'll get a 20% discount on the price of the main course.

However, if you have 22 minutes to spend taking our Free Virtual Gala Mini Course, then we will reward you with a 40% discount code on the main course!

Does that sound fair?

Check out the Free Virtual Gala Mini Course!

Happy Fundraising!

Get started now!