In April 2021, YouTuber Creator and former NASA engineer Mark Rober partnered up with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel to put on a three-hour interactive livestream event to honor Mark’s son and raise funds for NEXT for AUTISM. including Jack Black, Stephen Colbert, Zach Galifianakis, and Mr. Beast.

The Challenge: Create donor engagement to maximize the 3 hours w/celebrity guests

Overlays

One of the most engaging features of the broadcast was the animated fundraising graphic (aka an overlay) that appeared onscreen throughout the evening event. When a gift was made, the donor’s name would appear on a test tube which would then be poured into the larger beaker. When a gift of $1K+ was received, a color explosion would appear on the screen with the donor's name and donation amount. These overlays created an opportunity for a donor to interact with the stream as it was happening and potentially see their name in lights. These engagement moments are critical to the fundraising success of the modern telethon.

Rewards

One of the most engaging features of the broadcast was the animated fundraising graphic (aka an overlay) that appeared onscreen throughout the evening event. When a gift was made, the donor’s name would appear on a test tube which would then be poured into the larger beaker. When a gift of $1K+ was received, a color explosion would appear on the screen with the donor's name and donation amount. These overlays created an opportunity for a donor to interact with the stream as it was happening and potentially see their name in lights. These engagement moments are critical to the fundraising success of the modern telethon.

Polls

One of the most engaging features of the broadcast was the animated fundraising graphic (aka an overlay) that appeared onscreen throughout the evening event. When a gift was made, the donor’s name would appear on a test tube which would then be poured into the larger beaker. When a gift of $1K+ was received, a color explosion would appear on the screen with the donor's name and donation amount. These overlays created an opportunity for a donor to interact with the stream as it was happening and potentially see their name in lights. These engagement moments are critical to the fundraising success of the modern telethon.

Finally, Color the Spectrum leveraged corporate partners like Crayola®, Harley-Davidson®, and Ty® to create unique ways to raise funds. For Color the Spectrum, Ty created a custom Beanie Baby® designed and named by Rober’s son, with a percentage of the proceeds going back to NEXT for AUTISM. Aside from Ty, other corporate partners donated directly to Color the Spectrum to further bolster the event’s fundraising efforts. These donations were secured prior to the event but were highlighted during the livestream as if they were happening in real-time. While the donations were made, the corporate logos and donation amounts would appear on the screen. While funding for events like this can always be a challenge, these gifts can often come from the marketing or advertising budget within these corporations, which is a new revenue source for many organizations. Learn more about how corporate partners can bolster a Tiltify campaign.

Results/Metrics

The event raised over $3.6M from 20.9K+ donations with an average online donation of $174.

$950k was reward generated from 15k donations using our redemption code functionality.

A 15 minute poll raised $100k from 2,350 donors