What you can learn from MOVE|NYC|'s very fun virtual event

“You can’t quarantine creativity.”
Shamel Pitts, MOVE|NYC|

Five years ago, two young Black dancers channeled their complex emotional response to the Black Lives Matter movement and founded MOVE|NYC|. 

When we began mentoring and training young artists, ages 13 to 21, in New York City and beyond, we took on the beautiful and much-needed challenge to provide tuition-free and 75% subsidized programming to alleviate financial barriers and to ensure that their artistic dreams are possible. Likewise, we have always been cognizant that artists of color face the toughest roadblocks to achieving a successful career in the dance profession. As such, we are deeply committed to increasing opportunity and visibility in the dance field primarily for Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, and Asian artists at the earliest stages of their career. 

Today they have much to celebrate, including making a difference in more than “300 pre-professional dancers who have since matriculated to reputable colleges and conservatories across the nation.”

A couple weekends ago, thanks to an invitation from my colleague, MOVE|NYC| board member Lisa Bing, my partner and I attended the company’s virtual gala and 5th Anniversary celebration and had a blast.

Whether your organization is celebrating its 5th or 50th anniversary, if you’re planning a virtual event or fundraiser, you can learn a lot from MOVE|NYC|’s virtual gala. 

Here are ten things MOVE|NYC| got right.

MOVE|NYC| virtual anniversary and after-party dance party.

1. Board member enthusiasm. As both my friend and board member, Lisa was really delighted that we attended. She was a true ambassador for MOVE|NYC| and made everything easy for us.
2. Clear instructions. The organization followed suit with clear, specific instructions and because they were so organized, everything went off without a hitch—at least to this attendee’s eyes.
3. Greeted at the virtual door. When we arrived for the VIP reception, the two Founders & Artistic Directors Nigel Campbell and Chanel DaSilva and Managing Director Niya Nicholson greeted us by name as we were admitted to the virtual (Zoom) room. Nice touch.
4. Engaged in the story. One of the teachers, Shamel Pitts, interviewed Campbell and DaSilva, providing everyone with the background on the company’s origins and how it has operated during the pandemic.
5. Warmth, enthusiasm, just “Say yes.” The enthusiasm and energy burst through my screen as Campbell and DaSilva described the wider influence they could now have by adopting a digital approach to teaching, performance, and nurturing their young students. DaSilva beamed describing their short-term strategy: “Say yes.” 
6. More stories, by video. After the 5th Anniversary celebratory toast, the VIP reception concluded, and the video celebration began. I’ll let you take it in for yourself. Enjoy. And, if your organization is a nonprofit, notice the subtle but clear request for a donation. 
7. Fun. After the video portion, the after-party fun began. Of course, it involved a DJ and lots of dancing.
8. Community matters. But we didn’t just dance by ourselves in our little Zoom rectangles. MOVE|NYC| shined a spotlight on each of us, all 100+ of us. Dancing and individual expression matters, and through this spotlight, they engaged the community. By extension, each of the young people in MOVE|NYC| programs is able to awaken to his or her own creative self.
9. Thank you thank you. We each ducked out when we were ready, in a flurry of thanks and gratitude. The next day, Lisa thanked me. The day after that, the organization thanked me. And several days after that, they thanked me again for a gift. All this thanking may sound like basic stuff; however, you’d be surprised at how many nonprofit organizations, especially large, established ones, overlook this step. This oversight is a key reason why donors do not make second gifts.
10. Mission matters. As we clicked off Zoom, the moving stories of student transformation filled our hearts. And the bigger vision and mission of “cultivating greater diversity and equity within the dance profession and beyond” seems achievable, real, and a most worthy aspiration.

MOVE|NYC| virtual gala is precisely the set of stepping stones organizations need to expand their audiences, like concentric circles around a mission.

So often, younger organizations struggle without the same resources that larger, more established ones have. However, larger, more established organizations would be wise to revisit their early days and re-commit to the practices that won over audiences and donors then. What newer and smaller organizations lack in resources, they make up for in genuine human connection.

Our digital lives enable organizations to engage people beyond our physical geographies. 

Three Questions to Get You Started

1. Where does your virtual event or gala need some attention?
2. Does your programming have the right mix of fun, purpose, and engagement?
3. Do you have a clear way to connect your virtual audience with a story?