Four Ways to Make the Most of Your Fundraising Events
With all the effort it takes to pull off large fundraising events, it’s important to ensure you’re using the event to its full potential. Too often we focus on simply raising as much as we can the night of, missing significant opportunities for donor engagement and cultivation.
Here are four ways to make the most of your fundraising event:
- Events are often the only time you can get face to face with some of your donors. Take the opportunity to grow your relationship and build a strong connection with your supporters.
- Put your team to work! While you want to connect personally with all your donors, it’s impossible for one person to pull this off in one night. Use staff, board members, and volunteers to engage donors and allow for more meaningful one-on-one conversations.
- Follow up with your donors, even those that couldn’t make it. Use your night-of conversations to identify those donors who may be interested in additional opportunities to learn more about your projects. It’s also important to remember that just because a donor was not at the event, doesn’t mean they’re not interested in learning more.
- Keep it simple. Just because you don’t have the resources to pull off a gala doesn’t mean you can’t use events as part of your cultivation strategy. Look for opportunities in things you’re already doing to engage donors. Programme tours can be a great way to get some one-on-one time with your donors while allowing them to see their gifts in action.
This blog comes from IFC Canada Director, Mena Gainpaulsingh, who has once again teamed up with Chris Baylis of The Sponsorship Collective to look at fundraising events through a more strategic lens, examining how these occasions can help your major gift or individual giving programmes. Click here to find out more and start building your event strategy.
