The Definitive Checklist for Planning Your Fundraising Event
Spring is here and you know what that means: it’s event season! Now’s the time when you can expect to start receiving invitations for parties, weddings, and—very likely—fundraising events.
Some of the most prominent and prestigious events in the world are fundraising events. Think of the Met Gala in New York, the Red Cross Gala in San Francisco, and the Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills.
Not all of us have the budget to put on events like those, but with the right planning, fundraising events can be an exciting way to engage with your supporters. Furthermore, they’re excellent opportunities to engage with your supporters, raise funds, and increase brand awareness.
Effective events are a lot of work, but in the end, they pay for themselves both financially and in the support and memories you create. Here, we’ve provided a step-by-step guide that your nonprofit can use to plan and host a successful fundraising event.
Step 1: Define Your Goal and Purpose
Successful fundraising events are conceived and developed with a purpose in mind. The goal isn’t just to host an event, it’s to raise X amount of money so that your organization can accomplish Y and Z.
But fundraising events can have more than one goal. Maybe the primary goal isn’t to raise money at all, but to build a sense of connection among your supporters. Maybe it’s to expand reach and brand awareness.
Goals give your event focus. A purpose gives it urgency. Effective events aren’t about raising arbitrary amounts of money. They’re about measurable solutions to specific issues. Make sure that both your goals and your purpose focus on impact, not resources.
Step 2: Select Your Audience
Who do you plan to invite to this event? Once you’ve established your goals, this is the next logical question, and it will guide both the type of event you plan as well as the strategy you use to market it.
Is the event primarily for existing supporters or new ones? Is the focus on building community or raising funds? Answering these questions early about who you need in the room will help guide your planning and make upcoming decisions a lot easier.
Step 3: Choose the Type of Event You Want to Host
There are many types of fundraising events: galas, auctions, dinners, luncheons, runway shows, walkathons … the list goes on and on. The type of event you choose will depend very much on your audience and goals for the event.
If you’re hosting a younger demographic and your primary goal is community engagement, for example, you may opt for an evening event with drinks and entertainment, along with plenty of scheduled time for mingling and networking.
On the other hand, if you’re an educational institution and your audience includes a lot of older corporate executives and relatives of students, something earlier and more subdued might make sense: a luncheon, perhaps, with a program of student speeches and performances. Ultimately, the best type of event is the one that will provide the most value for your organization and for your audience.
Step 4: Create a Fundraising Event Budget
Align with stakeholders early to determine what you’re willing to commit to the event. This will inform your venue selection, catering, event design, marketing services, etc. Having a budget will also help you plan ticket prices, sponsorship levels, and programming.
One note on venue selection: be sure to inquire whether they offer rental discounts for nonprofits. Many businesses receive tax incentives for doing so. And even if they don’t offer you a discount, you might suggest that they check in with their tax advisor before quoting a price, because it really is a good idea!
For more tips on venue selection, check out this post by Eventbrite.
Step 5: Develop the Event Theme and Design
Save the dates typically go out three to five months prior to the event, and invitations usually go out within six to eight weeks. Before you design either of these assets, you’ll want to make sure you’ve established the event’s theme and concept.
If you’re dealing with a compressed timeline, you can sometimes cut corners on the save the date by using your organization’s usual branding. The invitations, however, are critical for generating interest and establishing audience expectations, so it’s worth planning the time to get them right.
Step 6: Plan your Marketing Efforts
Once you’ve made these initial decisions, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to get people in the door. There are many different ways to promote your event and much of your strategy will depend on your specific goals and audience for the event. However, here are a few tactics to get you started:
Establish a registration process - There are many online tools and platforms designed to help with event registration. Eventbrite is probably the most popular, but depending on what kind of event you’re hosting, there are other options that may be a good fit as well. FUNDLY has compiled a helpful list of alternatives. Also, be sure to check with any existing tools you are using to see if they have features that can be used for event registration.
Create social media content - Plan content on your own channels, of course, but also consider designing content that others can share: staff, board members, sponsors, influencers … anyone who might be inclined to support your event and mission. Remember that social media is designed to be social, so empower your stakeholders and supporters to help promote your content
Paid advertisements - Again, where you decide to place these will depend on your event’s goals and audience, as well as the space your organization is in. Social media advertising often makes a lot of sense, but so might print advertisements in industry publications, or even flyers. Be thoughtful about where you place advertisements as well as how you utilize any advanced targeting options.
Facebook Event Page - This may not be appropriate for every event, but if you know that many of your audience members are active Facebook users, event pages can work very well with your organic social content and paid advertising. Also, because Facebook event pages rank in online searches, they can help drive search traffic and awareness for your organization’s main Facebook page.
Leverage your email list - Write and design a series of emails that inform and entice your audience to purchase tickets and/or sponsorship packages. Think of these as opportunities to tease out some of the event’s theme and messaging, introduce any featured guests, and provide context for the impact you’re wanting this event to have.
Bonus Tip: Make sure you’re using your ticket sales form to collect emails and build your list further.
Step 7: Secure Vendors
Now that you’ve got most of the heady stuff out of the way, it’s time to begin contacting and reviewing different vendors for event setup, food and beverage, music, photography, A/V support, etc. The sooner you can secure vendors, the more likely you are to have your top picks.
Make sure that you have contracts for each one and create a plan for checking in with them during the leadup to your event. Even with contracts, sometimes unexpected things happen—vendors double book, or quote the incorrect date. The sooner you can catch issues like this, the more time and resources you’ll have to adapt.
Step 8: Develop the event program
Now it’s time for the fun part. What will the run of show for the event actually look like? What food and drinks will be served, and when? What performers and speakers will you have? Do you need an emcee? How and when will people be able to donate? During a live or silent auction? Will you have a text-to-give link or QR codes on the tables? Try to make sure that as many programming elements as possible speak to your mission and, more specifically, the purpose of the event itself.
If you’re fundraising for your school’s new performance hall, how about a musical performance featuring some of the students?
Your event’s programming is an opportunity to invite people into your organization and give them a real sense of the work you do and the impact you have.
Step 9: Design event collateral
What types of decorative and promotional materials do you need for your event? These can vary greatly based on all of the factors we’ve been discussing, but here are some items you may want to consider.
Table Cards
Banners
A/V Slides
Signage
Programs
Video
This list is not exhaustive, but in general, the thought and effort you put into details like these have a cumulative effect on how your audience experiences and remembers the event. Keep in mind that the more photo-worthy an event is, the more likely attendees are to share their experience with friends and on social media.
If you need help with inspiration, here is a gallery with some of the event design we’ve done for our clients.
Step 10: Have a blast!
Much like at a wedding, the day of the event there will be a litany of tasks and adjustments and little fires to put out. Anticipate those going in, and don’t let them distract you from enjoying the event you’ve worked so hard to plan.
Remember that once it’s over, however, there’s still work to do. Make sure that you have a plan in place to thank donors and attendees, and communicate with them about your work and future opportunities.
You’ve worked hard to provide your audience with an event they will remember. Now’s the time to ensure you have a strategy for keeping your organization top of mind.
You don’t have to do it alone
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