Our Social Venture Partners Board of Directors and our SEED20 Steering Committee recognize the need to do our part in prioritizing public health and containment of the Coronavirus. In weighing the best options against the impact to the nonprofit participants and community, we decided to transition to SEED20 OnLine — a virtual event on March 31st — plus a live celebration later this year.
The March 31st virtual event will be complete with hosts, recognition of sponsors, introduction to the SEED20 Class of 2020 and the heart of the show — the three minute pitches by the finalists. Audience voting will take place from the comfort of the ticket holders’ own homes and computers. We are excited for you to watch at 7pm EDT on March 31st, however we recognize your lives have been disrupted in many ways, so will extend the viewing and voting window by 48 hours until Thursday, April 2nd at 7pm. Only ticket holders will have the opportunity to view the SEED20 OnLine event (or recording) and be given the ability to cast a vote for the Wells Fargo Grand Prize.
A Message to Current SEED20 OnLine Ticket Holders
As ticket holders, you will receive additional information on how to access the OnLine event and cast your vote. With our overarching goal of connecting the community to our region’s most innovative ideas for tackling pressing social challenges, we will plan a celebratory reception later this year. As SEED20 ticket holders, you will be invited and encouraged to attend and engage with the Class of 2020, enjoy food and beverages, and potentially hear the winning pitches live. If you have been to SEED20 before, you know the networking and community engagement are key components to making SEED20 so impactful, so you will understand why a live event is essential! We will provide more information on this celebratory event as our planning proceeds.
We want to thank you for buying your ticket and please know that every ticket purchase has already enabled so much benefit to our Class of 2020 over the last four months. We’ve produced introductory videos for each participant, provided customized professional headshots, shared their introductions via blogs and social posts, and coached our nonprofit participants on their storytelling abilities to craft and deliver compelling and succinct messages about who they are and what they do. We depend on ticket sales to not only pay for these important programmatic benefits, but also fund our prize money!
Due to the shift to an OnLine event, the cost of your ticket is now considered a tax deductible donation. We hope you will consider treating your purchase as a donation rather than requesting a refund so that we can reward our nonprofit participants for the hard work they have put into the program and so we can all continue to serve in this time of need. To maintain our prize money distribution, any refunds must be requested of the Blumenthal (704-372-1000) before noon on Friday, March 27th.
Purchase your tickets to the OnLine Event!
You still have time to purchase your SEED20 OnLine event tickets! As SEED20 ticket holders, you will be able to view the OnLine program and cast a vote to decide the winner of Wells Fargo’s People’s Choice Grand Prize. You will also be invited and encouraged to attend a celebration later this year to engage with the Class of 2020, enjoy food and beverages, and potentially hear the winning pitches live. Only ticket holders will have the opportunity to view the SEED20 OnLine event (or recording) and be given the ability to cast a vote for the Wells Fargo Grand Prize. Due to the shift to an OnLine event, the cost of your ticket is now considered a tax deductible donation.
