A good fundraising event is key to progress for your charity organisation. For non-profits like yours, fundraising is essential to supporting your beneficiaries, making a worthwhile impact, and driving your mission forward.
Conducting a charity fundraising event is one of the best and most effective ways to raise awareness, money, and long-term support. A fundraising event connects the community while bringing in more people to join the cause.
But let’s face it, there’s a lot that goes into planning a fundraising event. It requires proper planning, coordination, and execution. From creating a compelling communication campaign on social media to using a free donor management software to track donations and donors, there are multiple tasks to handle.
To take the guesswork out of planning your first non-profit fundraiser, we’ve charted a 7-step roadmap to prep for an event that doesn’t just achieve your goals but surpasses them.
1. Define Your Event Goals
Start your planning process by setting strategic goals and defining what successful outcomes from the event are. Use the SMART framework to define your goals to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, if you’re a non-profit planning a fundraising walkathon, your SMART goals will read something like this:
- Specific: Raise £4,000 for a walkathon, with all event proceeds going towards animal rescue and welfare.
- Measurable: Use a fundraising CRM or digital tool to track donations, classify donors (new vs. returning), and assess donor acquisition and retention rates.
- Attainable: Go slow with the first event on a local scale, with a target of £4,000.
- Relevant: The funds will go directly towards treating injured and aged animals and creating a corpus towards regular care.
- Time-bound: Start the campaign for promoting the walkathon one month before the event and end it at midnight on the D-day. Keep a constant check on fundraising progress every week and tweak the strategy as needed.
2. Decide on the Right Event Type
Once your goals are set, proceed to choose the type of event that will resonate with your target audience. To narrow down the event idea and type, here are some questions you can consider:
- What are the past events or fundraisers in the local community that have received enthusiastic participation? Do your research and find out what has worked for other charities in the past.
- How will your supporters prefer to get involved? Think through what will get your supporters most excited to participate in your event.
- Where are your donors and supporters based? If your supporters are scattered all across the UK, a virtual event is best for all to access and participate in. Take it offline if it’s a local or city-wide event.
- Will weather or any other uncertainty impact your event? Your answer will determine whether your event should be held indoors or outdoors.
3. Set Your Budget
The next step is to assign an amount of your capital to make the event happen. A watertight budget will help you keep a check on expenses without going overboard.
Some costs to include:
- Venue charges
- Event catering and entertainment
- Digital tools
- On-ground equipment and tech
- Promotional material
4. Build Your A-Team
Planning how your event will turn out is only the first step. You need the right people in charge to ensure your plan is executed properly. Do this by forming a planning committee to oversee all the specifics of your event, including:
- Venue/catering
- Sponsorships
- Marketing and promotions
- Ticket sales or registration
- Volunteer management
- Major donor involvement
- Venue setup
- Auction item procurement, if you’re holding an auction
- Event follow-up
When you clearly define who does what, you reduce the risk of miscommunication and work together towards the success of your event.
5. Recruit Volunteers
Preparing for a fundraiser is not a one-person show but requires teamwork. Likely, your charity’s staff alone may not be enough to handle all the work leading up to the event. This is where your loyal volunteers come in.
They can help you with tasks including:
- Booking venues and securing necessary permits to hold the event
- Building and managing partnerships with corporate sponsors
- Designing and distributing promotional materials and managing social media channels to create a pre-event buzz
- Recruiting, managing, training, and coordinating with volunteers to make sure all tasks and responsibilities are assigned
- Managing guest/attendee registrations and checkout, and talking to them about your cause
- Manage the on-ground event bits, coordinating the light, sound, and other technical details
6. Spread the Word
You’ve perfectly prepped for your fundraising event, but it’s still missing the most important element: your guests. Create a strong marketing and promotions plan to make sure you’ve reached out to the maximum of your targeted audience.
Here are some tried and tested ways to spread the word about your event:
- Create an event landing page or microsite on your website
- Share attractive and engaging posts and graphics on your social media channels
- Send personalised email invites
- Text messages with concise invites
- Direct mail with QR code
- Flyers in and around your neighbourhood for local events
- Radio or TV promos on what your event is about and why people should attend it
7. Prep till Your Drop
Your event day is almost here. After all the background prep, it’s time to put all your effort into action for a memorable and impactful event. Before you open the doors, put all the final touches:
- Check venue decor
- Arrange last-minute ticket sales or registrations
- Display merch
- Prepare refreshments
- Coordinate with performers
Last but Not Least
The prep may be over, but it’s not really over until the last guest leaves.
After the event concludes, don’t forget to follow up with your attendees, thank them, and also ask for their feedback. Additionally, let your supporters know the difference their contributions have made, and take the time to share the impact they created.
Always keep the communication lines open and feedback receptive from your donors and volunteers before you plan another successful fundraising event.
