More often than not, the success of a fundraising event is the result of careful, thorough planning. Yes, this can be time-consuming, but the truth is that what you do before the day of the event can make all the difference.
This article will focus on highlighting a few essential steps you shouldn’t skip in preparation for your event.
Keeping these in mind will ensure your event has the best chances of being a success and raise a significant amount of money for your cause. Ready to get started?
Setting Clear Goals for Your Event Early on
Goals are essential because they help guide your entire event planning itinerary. The more specific you can get, the better, so see if you can break down your goals into subsections.
This will make it much easier for you to outline tasks which need to be completed, as well as to keep track of the progress being made.
What’s more, the staff will also be aware of their primary responsibilities for the fundraising event ahead of time.
It will also help you get better organized, as you will be able to get a head start on the more time-consuming tasks in your planning checklist. All in all, it will lead to a more streamlined, more efficient planning process that makes the most use out of available resources.
Marketing Your Fundraising Event
Another thing you should incorporate in your plan has to do with promoting the event to your targeted audience. It’s important to show your supporters that the event is – blatantly put – worthy of their time and donations.
Try to get the word out about your event, generate hype and get people excited about attending. Possible strategies to include in your marketing plan are:
- using your organization’s fundraising network,
- mailing invitations,
- direct mail,
- social media promotion.
Be careful how you choose your event promotion timeline; the goal here is to engage your donors and build excitement without becoming dull or spammy.
Putting Together a Back-Up Plan
The details of what this backup plan entails will depend on the specifics of your fundraising event, of course.
The takeaway here is that you should think of the variables in your plan – the things that are most likely to change and disrupt the smooth running of the event.
For instance, if you’re planning to host your fundraiser outside, think about having a backup solution in case of bad weather or other possible disruptions of this kind. This way, you won’t have to send donors home early.
Thinking about alternative solutions in good time will help you avoid getting a panic attack if something doesn’t go according to plan on the day of the event.
Booking the Entertainment Well in Advance
Some planners leave this part of the planning process for the final stages – only to realize that their first choice of entertainment is no longer available.
To make sure this won’t happen in your case, consider booking the entertainment at least a couple of months in advance. A few top suggestions include musicians, variety acts and clean comedy acts.
For more fantastic recommendations, make sure to check out the many artists and entertainers who specialize in fundraising included in our portfolio.
