Events are one of the great mysteries of fundraising for me. I’ve seen them catapult some organizations into the fundraising stratosphere and I’ve seen some drain staff and volunteer time with no significant gain.
I’ve been pondering this as I work with organization that are thinking of adding events to their fundraising work, or others who have decided to scale back on an event and concentrate on other fundraising channels.
What makes the difference?
Indeed, the event logistics are important and there is so much that event planners can tell us about putting on a great event (and I hope some will write in to us!). But, as a development director and consultant, I don’t care what food is served, whether it’s buffet or sit down, or if there is a silent or live auction. All I care about is whether this event gets our fundraising program where we want it to go.
So, here are the things I consider when I look at event:
Are there solid objectives? The most successful events I’ve seen are those where there are clear objectives in place throughout. Are you hoping to get new donors? Do you want to thank people? Are you looking for funding for something specific? You have to know exactly what you are trying to accomplish before you create the event.
Is the event “on brand”? While “brand” is sometimes a dirty word in the nonprofit arena, it is more important than ever to determine the personality and values of your organization. What image do you want to portray? How do you want members of your community to think about your organization? What do your core supporters like to do? If you consider yourself to be a cutting edge organization, you wouldn’t hold a golf tournament fundraiser, right?
Is it properly resourced? Events are traditionally one of the most expensive ways to raise money. They take significant resources and staff time. They also take time away from other kinds of fundraising that could be more profitable. So, how much staff, volunteers, and contract time is put into an event must be determined ahead of time and properly aligned with the expected return.
Is there ruthless adherence to the objective of the event? It’s so easy to get caught up in the excitement of an event and lose the original objective. But if you muddy the waters with adding a few things or omitting key details, you can easily lose your way. A couple of examples of muddy waters: a thank you event that also has a silent auction; a house party to get new donors where there is no mechanism for collecting information; or an event that mixes people who are new to the organization and long-time donors. In each case, the objectives become mixed and the event less successful.
Is there thorough follow up planned ahead of time? One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is leaving their event donors and participants alone after the event. If the objective of the event is to get new donors, be sure to devise a system ahead of time to collect names and try to inspire them to be organizational donors. If the objective is to introduce current donors to a new project and upgrade their gift, be sure to provide them with information specific to that project. In any case, know ahead of time, how you will follow up so that this incredibly important work doesn’t get swept aside in the relief after the event. (For a really nice discussion on converting event donors to organizational donors, see this piece by event360)
Is there an analytical eye looking at results? Events are an investment and any fundraising investment should be analyzed for its effectiveness. Is your organization able to say how many new donors it got through 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.
But in the end, it seems to me that, even with all these certainties of solid event planning, there is a lot of mystery in what catches fire. We’d love to hear what you think has made the difference in your great events!
