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Start Here — Conversation Sparks: Event Fundraising
Here are a couple of questions to get you thinking about event fundraising and engaging with the community.
Click the blue button that says REPLY on the right and share your response to one (or both) of the questions below. Then, scroll down and reply to someone’s comment. To do that, hover over a person’s comment and click the reply button (it looks like an arrow curving to the left).
1. What’s one creative way you’ve used to increase donations at an event?
2. How do you follow up with attendees after a fundraising event?
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6 Replies
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2. I send handwritten notes and include poker chips!
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Poker chips? Do tell! 🙂
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Once I was helping an org. with their gala and they created poker chips with the face of the person they honored at the gala!
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Wow, very creative! Love it!
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We increased our event fundraising by having less items. We did it initially because of space, but realized less is more! Our silent auctions have 1:3 ratio packages to guests. Also having a client video of course is important, but having the client featured in the video live on stage at the event dramatically increases our fund-a-need giving.
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Hello! My organization feels like we need some type of fundraising event this fall. Other nonprofits in the area use the old-fashioned gala model of drinks, dinner, silent and live auction, and a paddle raise followed by dancing. As you might expect it is the same party with pretty much the same people at every one. They historically net about $100K-$300K. These events survive on the fact that they’ve been going for 20-30 years and are established traditions, especially the ones during the summer season. (We are in an area that has been the summer lake retreat for wealthy families from nearby cities for well over a century.)
My organization is about three years old. There was a “gala” in 2023 that was lavish with an extremely high ticket price. It went over very well but netted nothing – I believe it even lost money (I wasn’t here yet). The board and development committee are divided on what needs to be done. We have no history of a fall fundraiser so we can do anything!
Of note is that we are an historic observatory that has recently been reborn as a place for “astronomy, art, and arboretum.” In certain respects we’re still finding our way. Suffice to say we’re about creativity, discovery, imagination, and science learning.
I’d love to know what works for everyone else. If we want to make a “signature” event I think it needs to be fresh, fun, and appealing to many ages.
Thanks!
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