Evening events are essential fundraising tools for nonprofits, and millennials particularly enjoy attending live events because they foster a sense of belonging. On the other hand, organizing a charity event involves recruiting volunteers and optimizing the amount of money raised.
Participating in charitable events is a standard method of raising funds for philanthropic causes. They can be highly profitable for a company, but they can also be highly time-consuming and expensive to implement.
Successful charitable endeavors require meticulous planning and -execution. The following tips can help you plan your first successful fundraiser event:
1. Recognize And Accept Your Limitations
Maintain an awareness of what you will and will not accomplish in fundraising when planning your event. You can compensate for deficiencies through ingenuity, do-it-yourself (DIY) work, and budgeting, if you start early enough. It will ensure that your supporters have the best experience possible during your event, no matter how big or small.
Check to see that your information technology infrastructure can assist you in preparing, tracking, -execution, reporting, and follow-up of the event, among other things.
For the most part, spreadsheets aren’t the most effective tool for keeping track of information surrounding a significant event. There is a substantial increase in the likelihood of making an error when you have several spreadsheets open simultaneously. You can see the entire process if you use software designed specifically for specific tasks. If you want to have a more straightforward fundraising process, you can check this post to see free fundraising sites to boost your event.
2. Decide On The Type Of Audience You Want To Attract
Following that, you’ll notice a wide range of fundraising strategies, event types, themes, budget ranges, and venue alter-natives to choose from. Creating a comprehensive overview can help you stay on track during the planning phase, and it doesn’t have to be large or complicated to be effective.
3. Designate A Specific Location
Decide on a location for your event, preferably one that’s unique, and add flair to the proceedings. Certain venues may be willing to provide a discount or even donate space in exchange for being associated with a worthwhile cause.
Negotiating a better price for an event venue may be possible if you’re flexible with your schedule. In evaluating a location, ask the appropriate questions to determine what is included in the fee. To reach a larger audience and raise more money, consider hosting an online or hybrid fundraising event.
4. Establish A Theme For Your Charitable Event
People are passionate about a cause, and they also want to have a good time. A particular term has been coined to describe the millennial generation: the ‘generation of experiences.’ They want to spend their money on memories, and the theme of your event will serve as a teaser for what’s to come later on.
Organize a fun, unique event that people will look forward to attending, to increase the number of donations you receive from them. Including a draw, such as a special guest, a musical performance, or a pop-up store, will help to increase attendance and provide conversation starters for your attendees.
5. Promote It Widely
Every event necessitates marketing, but some require more than others. It is critical to get the word out about a charity event or fundraiser because it directly impacts your ability to achieve and exceed your fundraising or charitable objectives.
Invitation mailings, phone banks, and direct mail are all standard methods of raising money for charities. However, the emphasis is now shifting from analog to digital technology. Design and implement a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that includes email marketing, content marketing, and advertising.
When it comes to this battle, social media is one of your most powerful allies. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that microblogging platforms can be an effective tool for marketing fundraising events and activities. Indeed, a single tweet about a live event generates an average of $8 in sales for the event itself. Check out the popular online ticketing sites if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts while also centralizing event management.
6. Decide On The Method By Which You Will Accept Donations
It is necessary to have at least one method of soliciting donations. Avoid limiting yourself to a single donation method to achieve the best (and most lucrative) results. Starting with developing an online event ticketing platform that accepts and tracks digital and mobile payments made in advance, so you can move on to other tasks. The best platform should also offer full-service payment processing and additional features such as reserved seating and direct deposit into your bank account, among others.
Choose a ticketing vendor that offers an app to make last-minute and at-the-door sales more convenient for your customers. Create an account on one of the in-demand online payment systems to accept donations, which will make it easier for people to donate at both virtual and live charity events. You can also include a donation option on your event website that allows for quick and easy digital donations, which may appeal to attendees who can’t attend in person.
7. Produce Videos For Popular Channels
A production crew isn’t required to create a slew of unique, low-budget, high-quality short videos to raise awareness about your organization, promote an event, or thank sponsors. All you need is a little imagination and a compelling story to accomplish your goals. A large number of cellphones currently on the market can produce short videos that have a significant impact.
8. Do Necessary Follow-Ups
Surprisingly, the essential component of a fundraiser is the follow-up that occurs after the event. Rather than resting on your laurels, pick up the phone, send out emails, and keep your website up to date instead. It would help if you expressed your sincere appreciation to each donor (or potential donor) you met the night before. It’s much better, too, to deliver it in a personalized manner.
It’s an excellent time to schedule as many follow-up appointments as possible, as this will serve as the first step in grooming them for their next gift. Don’t forget to include your merchants and volunteers in your event! You’d want to express your appreciation to them for their contributions to the success of the event.
Takeaway
Each fundraising event needs a significant investment of time and effort to be successful. But follow the guidelines outlined above, and you’re on your way to a successful fundraiser event. You will plan events that will help you build and develop an audience, resulting in more people and money coming into your organization.