Your organization’s events are crucial to your fundraising strategy and success. Charity events help to strengthen donor relationships and raise funds you’ll use to run your programs, support your constituents, and further your mission.
Fundraising events are a lot of work for staff and volunteers. They are also a monetary investment, from the venue to catering, lighting, AV, and more. Your organization needs to maximize its donations to get the greatest return on your investment of time and expenses.
We’ve curated seven actionable steps to maximize donations for your charity events:
1. Embrace data-driven decision-making
Take the time to apply data from your past events to your plans for this year. As you evaluate past performance, your team can refine its communication, marketing, auction, revenue enhancers, and more to grow revenue and increase donor engagement. Curious about where to start?
Past Timeline: Evaluate when you announced your event date and started ticket sales, as well as when you chose your venue, ordering printing, and other milestones along your planning timeline.
Adjust your planning and marketing timelines based on your current staffing and changing donor preferences. Has there been a difference between revenue raised when you sent invites 10 weeks out versus six weeks out? Are people more responsive to paper invites? You could leave a lot of money on the table by not taking a look!
Revenue Breakdown: What activities generated the most revenue compared to the effort or cost? Deciding the number of revenue enhancers and auction packages, as well as whether to host a raffle, paddle raise, and live auction, are critical initial steps to hosting a strong fundraising event.
2. Activate major donor and sponsor stewardship
Depending on the event, consider sending a paper invite with a personalized note to all major donors, past sponsors, and prospects in the pipeline. Even if they do not reply, acknowledging their commitment to your organization can go a long way.
Connect with high-tier donors with an auction preview and offer a proxy bidder for anything they may want to purchase in the live auction. Don’t forget to provide sponsors and potential sponsors with a strong wrap-up report and year-long engagement opportunities so that they see the long-term value of investment in your mission.
Don’t fumble: Common event mistakes to avoid
Watch our webinar to find out if you’re making the right play calls for your fundraising event, and what you can do to make sure you take it into the end zone.
3. Be intentional with the schedule and flow of your fundraising event
Seemingly insignificant decisions can make a big difference on event fundraising success.
The setup and features of your event matter. The check-in area spacing, staging of auction items, stage view from the seats, Wi-Fi connectivity, and the room’s sound quality can all make a big difference in dollars raised.
Running through the event day schedule carefully can also influence the funds raised and donors’ experiences. Make sure event items like your auction close-out timing, item pickup, golf scramble start, program length, and most other parts of your event day are thoughtfully considered. If guests experience annoyance or perceive inconvenience, they may hold back on giving.
4. Offer multiple opportunities for giving at your fundraising event
Even when hosting a distinguished event, guests have widely varying giving potential. You should aim to have every ticket purchaser give beyond their initial entry cost. While some will paddle raise at a five-figure amount, others may only have the capacity or interest in a raffle or revenue enhancer game.
Games: Games are a great way to raise additional funds and keep guests engaged. Friendly competition may also increase your fundraising potential, as donor competition fuels fundraising.
Raffle: From a 50/50 raffle to a balloon pop or gift card wall, raffles are a stalwart of fundraising events. Depending on the offering, you can have a moderate price point that can appeal to everyone at your event.
Auction: Including varying fair market value levels within multiple categories in your silent and live auction allows more guests to participate, win, and donate.
The ultimate data-driven auction fundraising guide
Using insights from thousands of lines of data, your organization can identify the right items for your auction, including the experiences that will cause a bidding frenzy. Read our auction fundraising guide today.
After Party: Do you want to appeal to different generations, and do you have lively entertainment? Consider offering an after-party ticket for people who may want to support your mission, but an entire distinguished evening may not be of interest. You can still provide a revenue enhancer alongside a late-night menu to encourage giving and engagement.
5. Use easy-to-understand, visual instructions
If your donors don’t know how to donate or bid on your auction, they won’t! Set up table tents and onscreen slides to reinforce the speaker’s or emcee’s verbal instructions.
The more content points to donating, the more likely your supporters will contribute. With all the help they’re receiving to donate, your guest will feel it’d be a shame not to contribute!
Fundraising event success hub
As event season ramps up, visit our top fundraising event blogs, checklists, on-demand videos, and other resources to drive revenue at your gala, auction, happy hour, or golf outing.
6. Be intentional with your fundraising event program
Your event’s program is the maximum point of giving. Consider ending your silent auction ahead of your live auction and paddle raise, so that guests know how much they have already given in the evening. That’s not the only thing you should plan around to maximize giving. Consider:
Storytelling: Stress the impact guests’ gifts will have before they ask in your program, so willing donors feel empowered to give. Your storytelling needs to get people to the point where they can’t imagine leaving without donating and helping your cause.
On top of rich, compelling copy, you’ll want to include powerful videos and high-quality images of the change your organization is making. Include stories of the individuals you’ve helped, as well as your organization’s volunteers’ and members’ testimonies.
Right after your supporters experience the change your organization is making is the best time to ask for support. Guests will be inspired to give and can act on that feeling with an immediate donation.
Timing: Consider what having a professional or highly seasoned volunteer emcee and auctioneer can mean for your event.
It takes a lot of fine-tuning to allow enough, but not too much, time for live auction bidding and paddle raise levels. It is easier than you’d think to leave money on the table. Your team should plan on doing several run-throughs with your chosen emcee and auctioneer for feedback and comfort.
Match: See if a sponsor or major donor can match all or part of your paddle raise. More than eight in 10 donors are more likely to give if a match is offered. Matching can dramatically increase revenue and participation at charity events, allowing you to level up with an existing major donor or sponsor.
7. Follow-up post fundraising event
Follow-up — beyond the general thank-you e-mail — is a pivotal part of fundraising event success. Segmenting donors into different groups and calling or meeting face-to-face with select, impactful supporters is worth your time. Events offer an incredible opportunity to learn about donor preferences, habits, and interests. Do not squander the chance to deepen donor relationships.
Hosting a successful charity event requires strategic planning, intentional donor engagement, and thoughtful execution. Your organization can significantly increase its fundraising potential by embracing data-driven decision-making, nurturing major donors and sponsors, optimizing event flow, and offering diverse giving opportunities. A thoughtful follow-up strategy will help you build lasting relationships and lay the foundation for future giving.
By implementing these steps, your charity events will maximize donations and create a memorable experience that strengthens donor loyalty and furthers your organization’s impact.
