Fundraising events are a major revenue source for nonprofits of all sizes. They can offer steady revenue, engagement opportunities, and buzz that fuels your mission.
The process and planning are not always easy. From choosing a venue to marketing and auction execution to post-event follow-up, a lot goes into making a fundraising event a success.
Fundraise like a pro with these preliminary steps and make planning your organization’s next fundraising a goal-achieving success.
Events make up
48%
of revenue for nonprofits with $11M to $50M budgets.
Events make up
43%
of revenue for nonprofits with $50M+ budgets.
Source: The State of Nonprofit Fundraising, Technology and Operations: Impact on Mission Sustainability
Pre-planning your fundraising event
1. Decide on your target audience
Who is on your invite list? What demographic does this event target? What do you know about your supporters that make them a good fit for your planned event?
Survey people and consider what they may want to attend. Look at what other similar-sized organizations do for in-person fundraising events. Consider what mission ties you can implement as a part of your event.
A structured overview, which doesn’t have to be huge or complicated, will keep you on track throughout the planning and marketing process.
2. Get your fundraising technology ready
Choose and master a fundraising solution that simplifies marketing, ticket sales, raffles, and auctions. Whether you’re testing new ideas for fundraising events or refining established event ideas to raise money, the right online platform can help adjust goal thermometers, donation pages, and more. Ensure your technology supports every facet of your event fundraising strategy.
In 2023, 64% of nonprofits sought new solutions to host peer-to-peer and fundraising events.
Source: The State of Nonprofit Fundraising, Technology and Operations: Impact on Mission Sustainability
3. Know your limits
Be realistic about what you can accomplish. Early planning gives you time to address shortcomings with creativity and budgeting. This honesty helps you choose feasible fundraiser event ideas that align with your resources, ensuring your supporters have the best experience possible.
4. Set your goal(s)
Of course, there is a gross fundraising goal. You also should consider what your net gain should be. There are other goals to consider, too, such as:
- Attendance numbers. What is the mix of current supporters, new donors, and major donors?
- Sponsorship dollars. Are there sponsors you can up-level? New companies you can ask to give?
- Auction, paddle raise, raffle, and other fundraising individual fundraising totals.
Don’t Fumble: Common Event Mistakes to Avoid
Watch our expert-led webinar on demand to learn more about what you can do to take your next fundraising event into the endzone.
Budgeting for your fundraising event
5. Consider expenses and ROI
First, create an estimated financial plan and expense budget. Estimate the funding you expect to receive from sponsorships and ticket sales and how much money you believe your event will raise from each fundraising approach (text to donate keyword, ticket sales, live auction, etc.).
Then, make a comprehensive list of all expenses you foresee incurring so you can highlight items that potential sponsors can cover. Consider what parts of contracts you can ask your venue and vendors to cross off, too. Fees can add up, and many are bloated.
Partnering with brands and business sponsors saves your organization money and resources while providing great exposure.
6. Seek sponsors
Reach out to local and larger businesses for sponsorship opportunities to cover part or all of your event costs. Cultivating sponsorships is a key part of event fundraising—it involves researching target companies, refining your offerings, setting up meetings, and presenting a compelling proposal.
Then, there is the follow-up and event-day activation.
If you can create and execute an effective sponsorship plan well, your event will achieve its goals!
Exploring Sponsorship Opportunities for Your Fundraising Event
Read this blog for tips on maximizing sponsorships, finding sponsors, and creating sponsor proposals.
By thoughtfully identifying, recruiting, and engaging sponsors, nonprofits can continue making a meaningful impact in their communities.
7. Choose a venue
Depending on your event and its revenue-generating activities, certain venues will not work, even if they fit your attendees.
High ceilings and cement floors may bounce sound if you have a long program. Consider space for displaying items if you plan on a large silent auction. What is the Wi-Fi like? Other things like location, valet availability, required vendors, interior design, and more should be considered when choosing a venue.
8. Solicit in-kind donations
Start soliciting in-kind donations from local businesses early on to allow time for approvals and contributions. Ask the event venue, local catering companies, restaurants or bakeries, and entertainers/artists to support your cause with a charitable donation or wholesale discount of their time and services. Some in-kind donations to ask for include:
- Liquor, wine, or beer to stock your bar
- Late-night food
- AV equipment and staffing
- Printing for event-day signage and invitations
- Event day amenities and upgrades, such as linens, chargers, chairs, and more
- Photography and videography
Remember to thank partners and sponsors in writing and display their information in printed and digital material before, during, and after the event.
Getting people to support your fundraising event
9. Add peer-to-peer fundraising
Consider adding peer-to-peer fundraising before your event. Set up a campaign and empower current supporters to become ambassadors for your organization.
A ticket to the event or public acknowledgment could be an incentive to reach a minimum donation amount. Peer-to-peer fundraising allows individuals to set up custom donation pages that are easily shared with friends, family, colleagues, and social networks.
10. Invest in marketing your fundraising event
Getting the message out to your supporters and potential donors is essential and sometimes tricky.
Using a multichannel marketing plan is the best way to have your message resonate far and wide. Meet your supporters where they are by using varied communication channels.
This may include:
- Text messages
- Phone calls
- Social media posts
- Your nonprofit website (or even an event-specific microsite!)
- Co-marketing with event sponsors
- Direct mailings with QR codes
And remember, regardless of the combination of methods you choose to spread the word about your upcoming events, making an effort to personalize your donor communications is key.
Up, Up, and Away! Elevate Your Marketing Strategies to Raise More
Watch this webinar on-demand with our marketing experts to learn more about getting the most return on your marketing, social media best practices, and engagement for growth.
11. Offer incentives
Offer incentives like discounted tickets, gift bags, or extra raffle tickets when people register early instead of waiting (and forgetting).
12. Refine your social media strategy
Social media offers an opportunity for organizations to showcase their story, volunteers, programs, and more. People who engage with nonprofits on social media—like posts, share posts, watch a whole video, etc.—are more likely to be or become donors.
Consider what you can efficiently create or ask for volunteer support with to share your mission. There are design and social media tools to help nonprofit staff leverage social media.
13. Provide fundraising feeder opportunities
In the months and weeks leading up to your main event, can you or your volunteers host feeder events or offer pre-event fundraising opportunities? Having more money in the bank ahead of your event, as well as people’s contact information, makes drumming up interest for your main event easier. Some options include:
- A golden ticket raffle
- Event kickoff
- Auction preview
- Seek pledges for paddle raise
- Corporate breakfast
- Junior Board-hosted bar crawl, spin-a-thon, or other smaller volunteer-run event
The Ultimate Data-Driven Auction Fundraising Guide
By using insights hidden within data—from your organization and from outside—you can identify exactly the right items for your auction, including the experiences that will cause a bidding frenzy.
Read this guide so you can know what to do with your data instead of guessing.
Day of support: Volunteers and vendors
14. Volunteer recruitment and training
Volunteers are a difference-maker for nonprofit missions. As you recruit your fundraising event day volunteers, don’t forget to offer job descriptions, shift times, and other responsibilities, so volunteers can know what they are committing to. Let people take control of the areas they most enjoy, and they will likely carry out their duties with great success.
Offer virtual training and/or ask people to come a half hour before their shift so that people can understand their role and how it fits into supporting your mission.
8 out of 10 volunteers donate to the organization for which they volunteer.
15. Communicate and follow up
Maintain consistent communication with volunteers, staff, and vendors before, during, and after the event. Use mobile messaging or subscription keywords to quickly send updates—this attention to detail is key in successful event fundraising.
Fundraising event day execution
16. Practice, practice, practice
Have the emcee and any key speakers run through their presentations the day or morning before the event. Test the technological equipment and make a test pledge to your live event thermometer to make sure it all works. The more prepared you are, the better.
17. Deliver on expectations
Set expectations for attendees and ensure that the audience has a GREAT (not just good) experience. From meal preferences to allergy considerations and sponsor activations to major donor seating arrangements, the day-of experience influences giving, long-term engagement, and future donations. Take the time to get it right.
18. Pay attention and ask for feedback
Talk to attendees to see if things are going well and get their feedback during the event. Capture the list of compliments received and suggested improvements for your next event.
Post-fundraising event plans
19. Event follow-up
You should be planning follow-up from the beginning of planning for your fundraising event. Your event is a major investment in donor, board, and sponsor relationship building and stewardship.
Be prompt with thank yous. Consider enlisting volunteers to call top donors and handwrite notes to top supporters. Share the impact of people’s support. Offer future opportunities for engagement after that initial thank you to keep your mission at the forefront of your attendees’ minds.
Memorable events don’t just happen.
Whether you’re planning a walk-a-thon, awards dinner, or gala benefit, and whether you have two weeks or an entire year to prepare for it, your event’s fate is in the details and how you pay attention to them. Make your event an across-the-board success that no one will ever be able to forget.
