In our practice we work with organizations that raise money a variety of different ways. Some focus on high-dollar corporate fundraising, some are all about getting grants from foundations, and some are rooted in online and social media campaigns.
But nearly all of our clients have events of some kind. It may or may not be a large gala, but there’s a fundraising gathering in nearly everyone’s plans.
Event success is mixed. The nonprofit sector is full of legend about tremendously lucrative events and stories of unmitigated disasters.
What makes the difference in event success? Here are seven things successful events have in common:
Solid objectives: The most successful events start with clear objectives in place. You have to know exactly what you are trying to accomplish and how this event fits into your strategy before you create the event. Are you hoping to get new donors? Do you want to improve your donor retention? Are you looking for support for a new initiative?
The skinny: Make sure you include the objective of the event in your initial planning. It will help you create the most effective and efficient format.
Adherence to your brand: While “brand” isn’t a word used we use very often in the nonprofit arena, it is more important than ever to distinguish the personality and values of your organization. And your events will only really work if they embody that ethos. If your brand is about being a cutting edge organization on environmental policy, you wouldn’t hold a golf tournament fundraiser, right?
The skinny: The design of your event has to carry through your brand in order to attract supporters that will turn into prospects for longer-term support.
The right resources: Events are an expensive way to raise money. Return on investment numbers vary wildly, but one thing is for sure: they are almost always more expensive than you think. Once staff time is included in the calculation, many events actually lose money. And the opportunity cost is high. Events take valuable staff and volunteer time away from other kinds of fundraising.
The skinny: Make sure you have budgets in place before any event details are even considered. These budgets should include staff time and direct costs, as well as revenue projections so that you can calculate an expected return on investment from the beginning.
Volunteer involvement: While staff can carry the ball in many forms of fundraising, events need volunteer involvement in order to really thrive. Not only does this reduce the investment of staff time, but it also activates people who really believe in your cause to inspire others to come to your event. It feels more authentic, more social, and frankly, more of a fun time if there is peer-to-peer involvement.
The skinny: For nearly any event, consider having a host committee. This isn’t about arranging the flowers. It’s about knowing the right people who will get the right people in the room for your cause.
Keeping to your plan: It’s so easy to get caught up in the excitement of an event and add or subtract things as the momentum grows. But your event can’t afford to be everything to everyone. For example, if you are having an event to thank long-term donors and improve retention, it’s tempting to add a paddle raiser or silent auction while this group is together. But that sends mixed messages that could really backfire on your original goal.
The skinny: Keep you original objectives front and center. Don’t add or delete any details without first going back to measure against your original goals.
Quick follow through: One of the biggest mistakes we see organizations make is delaying event follow-up. An event isn’t over when the lights go out. In fact, the real work of building relationships starts right the next day. For example, if the objective of the event is to get new donors from event attendees, you’ll need to quickly take advantage of the good feeling generated by the event and get in touch with information on how they can be more involved.
The skinny: Have a plan in place for follow-up and make sure the resources are in place to implement swiftly. (For a really nice discussion on converting event donors to organizational donors, see this piece by Event360)
Rigorous post-even analysis: Events are an investment and any fundraising investment should be analyzed for its effectiveness. Is your organization able to measure outcomes from the event? Can it calculate the cost per donor? Only by comparing this return on investment to other forms of fundraising can you know the value of your event.
The skinny: Just do it. Don’t wait and don’t sugar coat it. You need to know how effective the event was in order to improve next time. And remember, for those events that are about retention and upgrading, you’ll need to revisit this event in the future to see if it really did improve results.
Do you have an example of successful event? What would you add to this list?
p.s. For more great advice on making your events the best they can be, check out Gail Perry’s event series “How to Create HIGHLY Profitable Events“. We are excited to be one of the 5 classes included in this series. Check it out now!
