Fundraising events have been a tried and tested method when it comes to raising money for non-profit organizations. However, not every fundraiser organized has been successful in raising money for a charitable cause. If not done right, a not-for-profit fundraiser can disappoint, leaving your organization in debt instead of generating surplus funds.
The focus areas for a successful fundraising event are planning and promotion. Giving people something to step out of their homes for and spreading the word so that it percolates through your target audience are non-negotiable.
Here’s Our Checklist For Planning A Successful Fundraising Event
Set Goals
Are you looking for nonprofit fundraising ideas for a cause you’re dearly passionate about? Here’s our curated list of 10 unique fundraising ideas that can help you reach your set achievable goals while also having a great time at your next fundraising event. You can choose from fundraising event ideas such as:
- Themed Parties
- Community Exhibitions
- Masterchef Cook-Offs
- Sports Week
- Food or Drinks Festival
- Community Yard Sale
- Kids Gaming Event
- Musical Evening Dinners
- Cocktail Parties
Identify Your Target Audience
The event management team working on your fundraiser – be it members from within your organization or a group of professionals – must first identify the target audience and plan the nature of the event and types of activities accordingly.
Here Are 5 Tips To Make Your Fundraisers a Success:
- Be very specific in defining the cause for your event and its audience
- Compile a list of potential donors and sponsors
- Choose the appropriate venue based on
- Conduct outreach campaigns
- Choose the right ticketing platform
Chalk Out A Budget
A crucial aspect of budgeting is to analyze your financial resources first. Factor in different costs such as venue, decorations, activities, food, refreshments, prizes, advertising and promotions, etc., and then tweak them as per your budget. While it is not advisable to overstretch the budget of a fundraising event, you can try to stretch your budget by roping in relevant sponsors or donors. Goes without saying, that our Accept Donations feature will surely help you offset any extra event production costs.
Be Smart About Cost-cutting
Compromising on food, venue, or activities to cut costs can kill the spark altogether. Instead, look around for lucrative deals and collaborations. For instance, with our FLAT 50% rebate for non-profits, you can earn extra revenue on your ticket sales to supplement your existing budget and recover extra event costs.
Plan An Email Outreach Campaign
Marketing your fundraising event through an effective email campaign is one of the best ways to notify new donors and attendees. But do your emails reach your audience or do they go right into the trash? Email outreach campaigns can yield the best results if you follow the rules right.
Here are a few tips to add to your checklist to make it a successful email:
- Be human while communicating through email content & design
- Write an intriguing subject line that talks about the mission, not the money.
- Try combining text and visuals related to your cause to make it interesting.
- Avoid multiple CTAs as they can confuse your readers.
- Create a concise CTA that leads to your Online Ticket Store for quicker conversions.
- Link your social media handles to impart more clarity on your organization and past events.
Our Email Marketing Integration feature makes it easy for you to promote your events organically.
Choose An Exciting Event Theme
In the end, it all boils down to the show you put up on the final day. Put together a series of fun, exciting activities that’ll motivate your target audience to spend their time at your event and make monetary contributions too.
Whatever inspires you to plan a fundraiser, it’s nice to switch up the style for better engagement. To get the ball rolling, glance through these 10 themes that will help you plan a fundraiser.
Spread the Word
With your fundraising event planned down to the last detail, the only thing left for you to do is spread the word like wildfire. Social media, online forums, pamphlets, word-of-mouth publicity, local newsletters, and email marketing are some great tools for promoting your fundraisers.
Insights, planning, and smart execution are the keys to putting together a successful fundraising event. With a little preparation and some hard work, you can pull it off with a great plan.
Our event ticketing platform is the ideal launchpad that can give your fundraising event a much-needed head start in the right direction.
