Anime Ascendant

An anime club help site that offers advice and support

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COVID-19: Can Anime Clubs Survive?

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COVID-19: Can Anime Clubs Survive? + Alternatives to Meeting in Person

With the coronavirus epidemic, also known as COVID-19, canceling building openings and gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus, do anime clubs have a chance to survive?

Yes, they can. To take a step in the direction of the times when anime and manga fans made friends online–“OMG, so retro,” may be your thought process–then, yes, anime clubs can survive by going back to the internet.

Ways to keep a club going without meeting in person:

The essence of running events online isn’t different from running events for in-person events. 

  • Book a venue or space. Book a space online. If it’s a Google Hangout or YouTube Live, make sure you have a Google account and create a Hangout or YouTube Live event (literally search how to do these). If it’s a Skype, Facetime, or conference call event, make sure you have an account with the respective apps or get a conference call number and code. If it’s a webinar or Netflix Party app event, make sure you have an account on that platform or app.
  • Make sure the event title, date, location, and time(s) are correct and booked. This isn’t different from in-person events. Just make sure the event title is short.
  • Create physical flyers, posters, and marketing materials. Create digital flyers, posters, and marketing materials. You can make a digital flyer that can go on Instagram or social media through Canva.com.
  • Distribute physical marketing materials. Send digital marketing materials on social media and through email. Also post these on your websites if you can.
  • Follow up with people who are in the club by phone, email, and texts. This isn’t much different from in-person events since cold marketing or sending out marketing materials don’t work the most to get folks to events. It’s more important at this time to follow up with possible attendees.
  • Order supplies and food for the event. Make sure your computer or phone is set up for the online event. This means making sure your laptop has a camera, its microphone and speakers work, and any clamps, tripods, headphones, and gear are nearby.

The important part about being a club is being connected.

That means reaching out to the club leadership and members to check in. If a friend is nearby, call them, text them, connect with them and make sure the COVID zombie apocalypse hasn’t taken them.

Have some ideas? Write it below!


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How to Get Businesses to Donate to Your Club or Event

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How to Get Businesses to Donate to Your Club or Event

Looking for a business to donate to your club or event? Here’s a letter for you to take or send to businesses you want to donate to your club or event.

  1. Please fill in and review the information in the letter (see below for template). Make sure to un-bold all of the <bold areas> with your current information.
  2. Make a list of all the restaurants and stores in the area (see below for template). If you are looking for specific things (ex. science stuff, geek gear, cooking supplies), try to target specific businesses. If you’re looking for art or craft supplies, put your local Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, and Dick Blick on the list.
  3.  Once you’ve completed the letter, make several copies, and put each one into envelopes addressed to each restaurant or store.
  4. Go to the restaurants and stores on your list. It’s always better to go in person if you can. It’s better for you and another officer to visit these places together. When you go to the restaurants and stores, ask for the manager, tell the manager about the event (do NOT say party), and give them the letter. If the manager or owner is not present at that time, tell the waiter/clerk to give it to them. It’s best if you and whoever is going with you knows most of the details of the event in case the managers ask you questions. Also, it’s good to know exactly what you’re going to do for their business if they sponsor you.
  5. Follow up before the form submission deadline (you’ll decide that).

Please keep in mind that being organized and having all of your event details sorted out. If you don’t have the date, time, venue, and expected number of attendees, you most likely won’t get donations. It’s a give-and-take world, and you have to know how to play it.

Do not send this letter 2 weeks before your event. It’s better to send it 4 weeks before your event so that if the business has to mail back the form, it’ll reach you in time.

If you want to step up your game, you can also put a self-addressed envelope in the letter as well. On top of that, if you’ve sent out the letters to businesses and you haven’t heard back after 2 weeks, give the manager a call or send a thank-you card to them as a reminder. Maybe the letter got stuck underneath a pile of snail mail (which is why it’s better to hand the manager a letter).

Letter_to_Vendors – Excel (.docx) format

List of Vendors Template – Excel (.xlsx) format

Need a hand? You can contact me through email or find me on Skype at jeridel[dot]banks. Please make sure to indicate that you found me through Anime Ascendant, or I’ll decline any requests and emails.