Fundraising Ideas

Valuable Fundraising Tips Which Will Help You Raise More Money

September 13, 2018 by Tim Grable

A fundraising event can help you get much closer to accomplishing your cause. It is an invaluable tool in creating networking opportunities and gaining a positive reputation.

So when it comes to raising money, a fundraising event provides you with many opportunities to succeed. To leverage its potential, here are some fundraising tips you can use in your favor.

By making good use of them, you can be sure to expect your event to have a more profitable outcome.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

First things first, remember it pays to be prepared. Depending on the scale of your event, you would need to plan the event in advance. It isn’t unusual for event planners to start as early as one year before the event’s presumed deadline.

The reason behind this practice is that there is much preparation to be made in advance before setting things in motion. It is unrealistic to accurately fit every aspect of the event within a specific timeframe.

Usually, it takes up to many months to find sponsors, rent a venue, book entertainment and, lastly, to promote the event.

However, by having enough time on your hands, you increase the chances to find better offers, make better deals and to get services of a higher quality, across the board.

Be Transparent About Your Expenses

One of the best fundraising tips is to list where the raised money is going. This offers people clear information on where their money is headed and if it is used as intended. As a result, it reinforces their confidence in the project.

Also, make sure to bring to the forefront why the money is necessary in the first place. If your fundraising event is prepared to support a charitable cause, then be sure to show precisely how a contribution helps.

For example, if your event is made to help a local hospital restock on supplies, then show an index detailing the prices of the required materials, to imply that hospital materials are expensive.

Being transparent about your funds also eliminates any trace of skepticism people might be having regarding your cause. Also, if you have managed to win the public’s trust, then you can be assured of the fact more people will be willing to donate.

Starting off with a Boost

People who are not familiar with your organization or who do not know much about your event will be hesitant to contribute.

Besides the whole process of earning their trust, another factor which influences their opinion is how you have been performing so far.

People will be quick to judge the validity of a fundraising event depending on how much it has managed to raise. When they arrive at your campaign, they will be reassured to know you have met a considerable portion of your goal already.

This would mean your fundraising event is reliable and others have seen fit to donate to it. In turn, it incentivizes the less convinced to donate, as well.

One of the Best Fundraising Tips You Can Get

It is true these fundraising tips will have significant effects on your earnings. Lastly, we have another tip for you which will work wonders.

Hiring a performer at your event can have positive results on how it will pan out. So why not give it a try?

You can do so by browsing our catalog and, if you want more information, contact us at (615) 283-0039 and we will be happy to assist you!

Creative Fundraising Event Ideas You Need to Try out

September 2, 2018 by Tim Grable

Every year, you can organize a limited number of fundraising events because they usually take months to plan. To maximize the revenue and minimize the expenses, we recommend choosing fun and creative fundraising event ideas your guests will enjoy.

The more interesting the event is going to be, the higher the chance you’ll have at involving the attendees in supporting your cause.

Want to surprise your guests with a creative fundraising event? Then continue reading the article to find out what type of events you can organize.

1. Gaming Marathon

Fundraising through gaming is a creative yet effective method of fundraising. Most people love gaming anyway, not just kids or teenagers, so when this activity is associated with a charitable cause, it can get even more people involved.

Here are a few aspects to consider when organizing a gaming marathon to raise funds:

Decide on the marathon length. For starters, you can organize an 8-hour long gaming session, or you can go as long as 24 hours, depending on your fundraising goal.

Choose which games to play. Here you can either go for a game genre or for the ones which are popular at the moment. The possibilities are endless in this case.
Approach professional gamers. Streamers or popular YouTubers who are well-known in the gaming area can help you boost the popularity of your event, so inviting a few to join (either live or online) is a must.

2. Raffle

Raffles is one of those fundraising event ideas which can help you generate much interest in your event. The secret is to determine what type of prizes your audience will enjoy the most and which will make them want to buy tickets to your event.

We recommend going for a mix of products, such as electronics and experiences, trips or spa treatments.

3. Dinner Party

You can quickly turn a fundraising idea into a themed party. These type of events can be entertaining to organize.

To attract many participants, it’s essential to choose a theme which goes hand in hand with your cause. Then, you also need to think about what kind of entertainment you’re going to hire.

You have countless options here – from a live band to a clean comedian, a live painter or a talented magician. It all breaks down to the type of atmosphere you want to create for your event.

4. Dance-off

A dance-off is suited for a large variety of people – from teenagers to middle-aged people. This means you can adapt the event to the target audience you want to attract.

The primary focus of your fundraising event is going to be the music. The bigger the variety, the better.

Make sure you’re going to choose a DJ who can provide an extensive music collection and knows how to energize the participants and make them join the dance floor.

A DJ with amazing references is also going to help you publicize the event and encourage other people to get involved.

Which Fundraising Event Ideas Are You Going to Try out?

Fundraising can get creative and fun, as long as you put a little bit of effort into every event you’re organizing.

We hope these fundraising event ideas will provide that much-needed inspiration and that you will use them for your next activities.

Lastly, don’t forget to contact us at (615) 283-0039 if you need help picking out the best entertainment for your fundraiser.

The Best Tips for Organizing a Fundraising Event

August 11, 2018 by Tim Grable

When organizing a fundraising event, all the planning needs to revolve around making sure you’re going to host a memorable event which will encourage attendees to support your cause.

To maximize your chances of success, it’s essential to follow a few essential guidelines when planning the event.

Regardless of the cause, you’re advocating for, feel free to use our suggestions and apply them every single time.

Here are the best tips to consider when organizing a fundraising event.

1. Plan the Budget

Budget is a critical component of fundraising event planning. To avoid being disappointed with the outcome of the event, you need to be realistic when planning the budget.

You need to determine how much money you expect to raise during the event.

This is going to help you figure out the areas where you can minimize costs so you can maximize your fundraising goal.

When planning your budget, you should also consider your chances of getting a sponsorship. Certain companies may be interested in contributing towards your event – the key is identifying the ones which would benefit from your fundraising event, as well.

Every sponsorship counts, so even one can make a huge difference when setting your budget.

2. Start as Early as Possible

Depending on the size of your fundraiser, you could start the planning process even one year in advance. Usually, a minimum of six months of planning is required so you can fit everything in the timeline, from finding sponsors, the venue, booking entertainment and promoting the event.

By giving yourself enough time to organize everything, you will also improve your chances of finding an amazing venue, high-quality entertainment (which is often booked months in advance), find vendors and think of creative ideas on how you can encourage people to support your cause.

Also, after the theme and style of the event is established, you need to allow yourself plenty of time to plan the marketing strategy.

3. Book Entertainment

Some event planners believe they can overlook booking entertainment and that this is going to help them save money.

The reality is entertainment is one of those critical parts of organizing a fundraising event which will achieve its goals. Moreover, the right entertainment can help you generate more awareness about your organization’s cause which can translate into more donations.

4. Create a Schedule

To ensure nothing gets left behind, you need to establish a timeline which covers every important aspect, from the day you start the planning, including the post-event activities, such as following up with the people who donated.

Tasks can be quickly forgotten, which is why everything needs to be written down, so the entire organizing team has access to it.

Organizing a Fundraising Event the Right Way

Having a plan is the secret to organizing a stress-free fundraiser for your organization. If you follow our tips for every fundraising event, then you’ll have nothing to worry about.

As a final note, we would like to remind you that if you need high-quality for your event, you can always rely on us. Contact us at (615) 283-0039, and we can discuss in more details about your needs.

The Fundraising Event Checklist That Helps You Raise More Money

August 4, 2018 by Tim Grable

Last updated on August 12th, 2018 at 06:27 am

When done right, fundraising events are excellent occasions to gather funds for a cause. Besides that, they are also great in allowing you to connect with donors and establish a reputation as a trustworthy organization.

To make the most out of this opportunity, add these steps to your fundraising event checklist and grant your fundraiser the highest chances of success!

Establish a Purpose

The first thing that you should have in place is the main reason why you started this event in the first place. What have you set out to accomplish?

Yes, the event itself serves as a platform to gather funds. You can elaborate on this objective. For instance, is your event also intended to spread ideas and educate an audience on something important related to your cause and organization?

Alternatively, maybe it’s meant to honor something or someone?

Keep in mind that you can always expand on your event’s theme and capitalize on its execution to raise more funds.

Set Up a Team

Whether they are volunteers or people employed for organizing the event, a dedicated fundraising committee not only sees to it that the event is professionally-organized, but it also ensures that everything will go as planned during the event.

Being able to rely on a diligent team is an essential item on your fundraising event checklist.

Here are some of the tasks a dedicated fundraising committee can help you with to support your event:

Provide logistical support;
Greet donors;
Help with flyers and promotion;
Assist with administrative duties.

Also, on the plus side, the audience will appreciate if the event goes smoothly which in turn will help maximize results and impact. Put simply; you raise more money.

Prepare Your Budget

It is no secret that fundraising events will generally require an initial investment. However, knowing how to manage your financial resources cleverly can make a world of difference for the better.

Here are a few tips that will help you better budget your event:

Write down an estimate of your costs. Once you’ve made a note highlighting all costs and estimates, you can begin to project the possibilities of revenue. Be thorough when researching prices to ensure your estimates are as accurate as possible.
Plan for unexpected expenses. Sometimes, the cost of something is dependent on another. For instance, the venue you choose can influence how much the food will cost. Also, keep in mind that emergency costs can arise, so it’s always better to have a “rainy day fund” that you can use.
Team up with sponsors and local businesses. This is a great way to build relations within your community, as well as share the expenses of organizing the event.

Put Entertainment High on Your Fundraising Event Checklist

Entertainment is something that shouldn’t be missing from your fundraising event checklist. That’s because it is vital in providing people with a sense of value in return for their time and goodwill.

What’s more, you can strengthen the bonds with loyal donors by providing them with high-quality entertainment as a way to showcase appreciation.

For example, you can look into organizing a benefit show and hire a performer for it.

We recommend someone like Daren Streblow, a hilarious stand-up comedian with extensive experience in performing at fundraisers, churches, and corporate events.

Watch him in action in the video below:

For More Entertainment Ideas

If the idea of booking performers for your event caught your eye, then why not give it a shot? You can do so by browsing our catalog and searching for a performer who fits your event’s theme.

Attendees will surely appreciate the top-tier entertainment!

For more information, contact us at (615) 283-0039, and we will be happy to assist you!

Organizing a Fundraising Event The Smart Way

July 24, 2018 by Tim Grable

Last updated on August 4th, 2018 at 06:07 am

A fundraising event is an incredible opportunity to raise money for a cause, but it’s safe to say that planning such an event does come with its fair share of challenges.

However, if the event turns out to be an outstanding success, then it will come with excellent results for your cause. So it will all be worth it.

What’s more, by thoroughly preparing before setting things into motion, you can make organizing a fundraising event a lot easier.

Here are our tips for organizing your event the smart way.

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Having a Plan

Before you begin to work on your event, you need to have a clear picture of what you have set out to achieve and how you’re going to achieve it.

You can begin by asking yourself:

“What is the purpose of this event?”
“Why would people donate to this event and not to another?”
“What do I want to happen during and after the event?”

Whenever organizing a fundraising event, make sure you document all this essential information in the form of a checklist.

This practice is great for keeping yourself organized and giving you an accurate view of your goals.

It is also a good idea to state your financial objectives and lay out the plan on how to fulfill them.

Understand and Connect with Donors

People’s motivations for donating tend to vary. However, many do it because they want to contribute to a cause or be a part of positive change. Besides the money, there is also a personal investment made on their part.

An event organized the smart way is one designed with the attendees in mind. As an organizer, you will have to understand what drives your donors to take action.

This is key when it comes to connecting with the audience, and it’s also the trademark of an organization that is serious about the work it is doing.

What’s more, you establish the reputation as a serious organization that is transparent and accountable for where people’s money goes to.

It should go without saying that people are more willing to give the money if they have the guarantee that it will reach the intended destination.

Reward Guests by Providing an Unforgettable Experience

Whenever organizing a fundraising event, many miss on the opportunity to win the audience over by offering a memorable, valuable experience.

We believe that entertainment is the answer to that!

Live music or stage shows offer a magnetic appeal for your event. Moreover, many bands and performers can do the job splendidly.

You can browse our catalog and choose from a vast pool of talents that have years of experience in the world of fundraising.

Learn More about Organizing a Fundraising Event

We hope that this article has proven itself to be useful in helping you organize a successful event. If you want to learn more about how to organize your events the right way, be sure to check out other articles on our blog about this topic.

For more information about the artists and speakers under our management, feel free to contact us at (615) 283-0039, and we will be happy to help you out in any way we can.