Beyond the Spreadsheet: Using a Live Event Impact Display to Engage Donors
Here’s a secret: your gala’s biggest asset isn’t your ask — it’s your momentum. When donors see the total increasing, they think bigger. When they see their peers giving, they give, too. But at most events, that energy is lost when it falls through what we call the visibility gap.
This gap is the space between a gift being made and the room feeling its impact. Donations come in from everywhere — gifts and pledges arrive, but the momentum in the room never builds. Donors are left wondering, and the energy stalls.
But what if you could capture that energy? Our live feed closes the visibility gap, turning individual gifts into shared momentum that you can see and feel.
How a Live Event Donation Feed Closes the Visibility Gap
This is where the Live Event Donation Feed from Beckett Marketing makes a real difference. Instead of a hidden spreadsheet, your gift total appears on a large screen for everyone to see. Every gift adds to the momentum, instead of being lost.
Here’s how it works:
Your staff updates gift totals in a simple, online spreadsheet from their devices.
The branded display refreshes in real-time every few seconds.
The room sees the momentum building, and donors are inspired to give more to drive higher outcomes.
This simple shift changes how people respond. When donors see their peers giving, they feel the momentum. When they watch the total increase toward the goal, they want to help close the gap. When their own gift is part of that total, they feel recognized.
Why Real-Time Visibility Drives More Giving
The power of a live impact display isn’t just about making numbers visible. It’s rooted in how people actually make decisions about giving.
The Goal Gradient Effect: Motivation Builds as You Get Closer
The Goal Gradient Effect is a well-documented principle: people are more motivated to act as they get closer to reaching a goal. When a fundraising thermometer shows you’re 90% of the way there, the urgency to help close the gap becomes much stronger.
Research from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology confirms this in fundraising contexts. Contribution rates increase as campaigns approach their goals. Donors feel their late-stage gift is more impactful in achieving the outcome.
Beckett’s live event donation feed makes this progress tangible and real.
Social Proof: Seeing Others Give Inspires Giving
Social Proof is the principle that people look at the actions of others to determine their own behavior. In fundraising, when attendees see their peers, friends, and community leaders making donations in real-time, it sends a clear message: “This matters. We are all in.”
This visible wave of support removes hesitation. It makes giving feel like the normal, expected response. A live display is the most effective way to showcase this at scale—showing not just that others gave, but how it all adds up to drive higher outcomes.
Success Spotlight: Park Gate Pregnancy Clinic Raises $2,860,965
Nothing shows the impact of a live display better than real results. The Park Gate Pregnancy Clinic used the Live Event Donation Feed at their annual fundraising event. By displaying every gift in real-time, they created an atmosphere where donors felt connected to the mission and to each other.
The result: $2,860,965 raised in a single evening. The live display was central to this success. It turned hundreds of individual gifts into one unified story of community support.
Beyond the Numbers: Building Donor Trust
While the immediate financial results matter, the longer-term benefit is even more important.
Transparency builds trust.
When donors see their contributions reflected instantly and publicly, it reinforces their confidence in your organization.
This shared experience does more than raise money. It builds a stronger, more engaged community around your cause.
Donors leave feeling like valued and informed partners, not just attendees.
This emotional connection is essential for securing future support.
How to Get Started
Bringing a live impact display to your next event is simple and straightforward. The Live Event Donation Feed by Beckett Marketing is designed to be simple for your team and impactful for your audience.
What’s included:
- Setup and training so your team feels confident
- Fully branded display that matches your event
- Real-time updates every few seconds
- Works on any device (desktop, tablet, mobile)
- Staff enters donations into a simple spreadsheet, the display updates automatically
- Continued support from the Beckett team
You don’t need to be technical. We handle the setup. You focus on your mission.
