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<\/a>9 Steps to Creating a Fundraising Event<\/h2>\n
\n<\/a>1. Form an event committee<\/h3>\nA fundraising event committee<\/a> consists of key staff members and \u2013 if possible \u2013 volunteers. Volunteers are an essential part of event planning for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n- Willingness to take on time-consuming tasks<\/li>\n
- Connections with potential sponsors and donors<\/a><\/li>\n
- Unique fundraising ideas<\/a><\/li>\n
- Knowledge about technology and marketing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When forming an event committee, involve staff and volunteers with a wide range of experience and expertise. If your committee remains the same throughout the years, your event will become stale and fewer people will attend. It’s also best practice to connect with volunteers of all ages to see how they would make changes to your annual events.<\/p>\n
After building a varied committee, split members into different roles. Here is where your committee members\u2019 expertise will come into play. Some will be comfortable connecting with local businesses and requesting sponsorships. Others may find more interest in decorating the venue or even marketing<\/a> on social media.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/a>2. Outline the event and determine goals<\/h3>\nThe primary responsibility of an event committee is to help plan your event. They should work with your fundraising office or board of directors<\/a> to outline event details they may be in charge of, including:<\/p>\n\n- Event day volunteer recruitment<\/a> and management<\/li>\n
- Sponsorship and in-kind donations<\/a><\/li>\n
- Theme and decorations<\/li>\n
- Creating an online event ticket form and tracking sales<\/li>\n
- Social media management and peer-to-peer campaigns<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It’s vital to determine what ultimate goals you hope to see from your fundraiser:<\/p>\n
\n- The number of attendees<\/li>\n
- Number of new donors<\/li>\n
- The number of return donors<\/li>\n
- Number of peer-to-peer fundraisers<\/li>\n
- Target revenue from ticket sales<\/li>\n
- Overall donations (before and during the event)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n<\/a>3. Choose your event type<\/h3>\nNow that you have a better idea of what you hope to achieve, it’s easier to choose an event type. Instead of only worrying about whether you should have a relaxed or formal affair, decide on whether you want an in-person, virtual<\/a>, or hybrid<\/a> event.<\/p>\nThis distinction can mean the difference between a smaller fundraiser with more major donors<\/a> present or an online campaign that brings in people around the world. Many nonprofits have moved to include both whenever possible to reach a wide range of potential donors.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>4. Establish your event budget<\/h3>\nPast events continue to be an excellent research source when creating an event budget and ticket pricing strategy<\/a>. By looking at the last few years of an event, you can determine how much revenue to expect.<\/p>\nRemember, revenue is only half of your budget. Consider the current economic situation when creating a cost analysis. The venue, food, and other costs have likely increased since your last in-person<\/a> event, so it’s best to get three different quotes before signing a contract.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nHere is a list of costs that will help your planning committee determine what quotes to ask for to find the best deal:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Venue<\/li>\n
- Online ticketing tool<\/li>\n
- Online streaming tools<\/li>\n
- Entertainment\/speakers<\/li>\n
- Travel\/Transportation<\/li>\n
- Branding and signs<\/li>\n
- Food and beverage<\/li>\n
- Marketing<\/li>\n
- AV and other equipment<\/li>\n
- ticket printing costs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n<\/a>5. Find a location and set a date and time<\/h3>\nCost is not the only deciding factor that will play a part in finding a location \u2013 timing is equally important.<\/p>\n
For example, if your donors expect your event to occur at a specific time every year, find a location that fits this expectation. Also, consider whether other nonprofits may be holding an event at that time, so that you aren\u2019t competing with several other fundraising events.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Important dates like an anniversary, awareness, or giving days should be taken into consideration when choosing the timing of your event.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>6. Finalize entertainment and fundraising activities<\/h3>\nTo engage<\/a> your audience, your event must involve several entertainment and fundraising activities. In some cases, the location may provide entertainment options. As you start contacting entertainers, get as specific as possible about their expectations. Entertainment costs can include transportation, AV support, and other expenses you may not realize.<\/p>\nIn addition to entertainment, fundraising activities like auctions, raffles<\/a>, peer-to-peer fundraising, and product sales may also take additional funds and support to get right. Before starting to sell silent auction or raffle tickets, be sure to check all local laws to get the required licenses and raffle permits.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/a>7. Choose the right online tools<\/h3>\nAn efficient online event-ticketing tool will make event registration seamless for your staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n
Include inspiring visuals and copy to excite potential attendees and encourage them to purchase tickets. Good online event forms also help you calculate the tax deductibility of your fundraising tickets, and send tickets and automatic receipts to attendees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Donorbox Events<\/a> offers all the above-mentioned features and more for an affordable platform fee. Getting started costs you nothing, and you\u2019ll be able to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Create a user-friendly event page and ticketing form.<\/li>\n
- Add an unlimited number of ticket levels to your form.<\/li>\n
- Embed the ticketing form on your website or use the Donorbox-hosted event page.<\/li>\n
- Determine the tax-deductible amount for each level of event tickets by inputting the fair market value and tax rate.<\/li>\n
- Set event deadlines.<\/li>\n
- Seamlessly manage purchasers\u2019 and ticket information at the backend.<\/li>\n
- Offer buyers the option to make an additional donation when purchasing tickets.<\/li>\n
- Allow buyers to assign individual tickets to attendees during purchase.<\/li>\n
- Sell tiered sponsorship bundles, gala tables, and more with Ticket Packages.<\/li>\n
- Gather additional information such as T-shirt sizes, dietary requirements, and more using custom questions.<\/li>\n
- Easily check guests in at your event, verify tickets, and track attendance with a unique check-in code and QR code included with each ticket.<\/li>\n
- Send automated receipts and tickets to purchasers.<\/li>\n
- Collect the email address, name, and address of your purchasers from the ticketing form.<\/li>\n
- Create promo codes to offer discounted or free tickets to certain buyers.<\/li>\n
- Let buyers pay using popular digital wallets, like Apple Pay.<\/li>\n
- Fully refund the ticket amount if the need arises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here\u2019s an example from The Catcade<\/a>‘s Homecoming event:<\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/nonprofit-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Donorbox-Events-Example.png\")
<\/p>\n
A fundraising event committee<\/a> consists of key staff members and \u2013 if possible \u2013 volunteers. Volunteers are an essential part of event planning for several reasons:<\/p>\n When forming an event committee, involve staff and volunteers with a wide range of experience and expertise. If your committee remains the same throughout the years, your event will become stale and fewer people will attend. It’s also best practice to connect with volunteers of all ages to see how they would make changes to your annual events.<\/p>\n After building a varied committee, split members into different roles. Here is where your committee members\u2019 expertise will come into play. Some will be comfortable connecting with local businesses and requesting sponsorships. Others may find more interest in decorating the venue or even marketing<\/a> on social media.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The primary responsibility of an event committee is to help plan your event. They should work with your fundraising office or board of directors<\/a> to outline event details they may be in charge of, including:<\/p>\n It’s vital to determine what ultimate goals you hope to see from your fundraiser:<\/p>\n Now that you have a better idea of what you hope to achieve, it’s easier to choose an event type. Instead of only worrying about whether you should have a relaxed or formal affair, decide on whether you want an in-person, virtual<\/a>, or hybrid<\/a> event.<\/p>\n This distinction can mean the difference between a smaller fundraiser with more major donors<\/a> present or an online campaign that brings in people around the world. Many nonprofits have moved to include both whenever possible to reach a wide range of potential donors.<\/p>\n Past events continue to be an excellent research source when creating an event budget and ticket pricing strategy<\/a>. By looking at the last few years of an event, you can determine how much revenue to expect.<\/p>\n Remember, revenue is only half of your budget. Consider the current economic situation when creating a cost analysis. The venue, food, and other costs have likely increased since your last in-person<\/a> event, so it’s best to get three different quotes before signing a contract.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is a list of costs that will help your planning committee determine what quotes to ask for to find the best deal:<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost is not the only deciding factor that will play a part in finding a location \u2013 timing is equally important.<\/p>\n For example, if your donors expect your event to occur at a specific time every year, find a location that fits this expectation. Also, consider whether other nonprofits may be holding an event at that time, so that you aren\u2019t competing with several other fundraising events.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Important dates like an anniversary, awareness, or giving days should be taken into consideration when choosing the timing of your event.<\/p>\n To engage<\/a> your audience, your event must involve several entertainment and fundraising activities. In some cases, the location may provide entertainment options. As you start contacting entertainers, get as specific as possible about their expectations. Entertainment costs can include transportation, AV support, and other expenses you may not realize.<\/p>\n In addition to entertainment, fundraising activities like auctions, raffles<\/a>, peer-to-peer fundraising, and product sales may also take additional funds and support to get right. Before starting to sell silent auction or raffle tickets, be sure to check all local laws to get the required licenses and raffle permits.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n An efficient online event-ticketing tool will make event registration seamless for your staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n Include inspiring visuals and copy to excite potential attendees and encourage them to purchase tickets. Good online event forms also help you calculate the tax deductibility of your fundraising tickets, and send tickets and automatic receipts to attendees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Donorbox Events<\/a> offers all the above-mentioned features and more for an affordable platform fee. Getting started costs you nothing, and you\u2019ll be able to:<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example from The Catcade<\/a>‘s Homecoming event:<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/a>2. Outline the event and determine goals<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/a>3. Choose your event type<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a>4. Establish your event budget<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/a>5. Find a location and set a date and time<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a>6. Finalize entertainment and fundraising activities<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a>7. Choose the right online tools<\/h3>\n
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