Nothing topples morale faster than a failed fundraiser for a good cause – especially if the organizing team worked hard for the event.
To prevent such occurrences in your case, you need to pay extra attention to the fundraising event planning process.
There are certain beginner’s fundraising mistakes that you should avoid. Otherwise, your cause will suffer the most out of the whole ordeal.
We will discuss them right here, for your convenience. Let’s start.
1. Not Choosing an Adequate Location
One of the most important decisions involved in planning a corporate event is choosing the best venue.
Always remember the famous real estate motto: “Location, Location, Location!” Get an adequate place to hold your event:
- Plenty of room – Nobody likes to be crowded in with a hundred other people.
- Excellent acoustics – You want everyone to hear what the host is saying. Don’t risk losing donations over something so simple.
- Lots of parking spaces. More attendees, more chances of charity success!
If you are planning an auction, you should make sure your guests’ bidding paddles are readable. Your host/auctioneer should not have to squint to see what people in the back are bidding.
2. Not Including Crowd Management Methods in Your Fundraising Event Planning
If your audience is not following the course of events, you are already doing something wrong.
Sure, it is important to make guests feel welcome and free to enjoy the night. However, you need to know how to command their attention when you need it.
Getting a keynote speaker who is adept at taking the spotlight can pretty much remove this problem entirely.
Take Joe Castillo, for example. In addition to mesmerizing your guests with his SandArt shows, he can also efficiently communicate the goals and tell your story.
Not just because he is fluent in both English and Spanish, and he speaks the international language of music.
Just don’t forget to include a quality sound system and microphone. You will need them for a quick way to “grab guests by the ear” and back into their seats. Always have a backup in case things go awry.
And speaking of gaining attention, you need to check out the next section.
3. Not Considering a Professional
If you want to get the best results out of your fundraising event planning, you need a professional.
Think of it this way. Let’s say you get someone from your staff to act as the host of the event. If they have not done this before, here’s what could happen:
- They could stumble over their words
- You will not manage to gain the best prices for your auction items due to lack of experience
- They do not have a commanding voice for the job
When it comes to fundraising event planning, compromising quality to save some money is a strategy that can have unwanted results.
Would you pay to see your favorite singer only to have a replacement artist come on stage instead? Your donors need to feel the energy and enthusiasm you have for the cause. Not get up from their seats for extra drinks.
Follow the above advice and your main worry will be to show up at the event.
Want more information about how to hold a successful fundraiser? Check out our other articles on the subject!
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