Once you sit down together with your group to plan the yr’s fundraisers, the place do you begin? Do you prioritize funds, donor conduct, advertising alternatives, or one thing else? How do you select fundraisers that deliver within the funds your nonprofit must thrive, interact supporters, and encourage lasting assist?
The reality is, there’s not one proper reply. There are a number of efficient methods to guage your choices, particularly relating to occasions.
For those who’re uncertain how to decide on the correct fundraisers for this yr, we’ll discover 4 completely different locations you can begin. Use these methods to brainstorm concepts on your annual fundraising occasions and slender down your choices.
1. Begin together with your fundraising objectives and funds.
Understanding how a lot it’s essential to increase in complete (and the way a lot you may spend) helps you select occasions with essentially the most practical fundraising potential.
For those who haven’t set a topline income purpose for the yr but, this must be your first step. Evaluate previous annual fundraising objectives with precise income earned in recent times. Then, think about any grants and commitments you have already got.
After you have a topline purpose, use previous occasion information to find out how a lot of your funds it is best to allocate to occasions. Consider in case you can increase sufficient from a single giant fundraising occasion or in case you’ll must host a number of occasions all year long.
After clarifying your monetary objectives, the OneCause occasion planning information suggests contemplating smaller objectives that align together with your group’s strategic priorities. Establish occasions that may drive income and assist different vital objectives, equivalent to:
- Boosting donor acquisition
- Rising trigger consciousness
- Stewarding present and potential main donors
- Re-engaging lapsed supporters
- Recognizing volunteers and long-time donors
- Gaining new followers on social media
Then, confirm that these choices match into your funds. For instance, say it’s essential to increase $500,000 from fundraising occasions this yr whereas additionally rising the dimensions of your donor base on a restricted funds. You may plan a number of low-cost digital occasions designed for donor acquisition and a big in-person public sale to boost the majority of your income.
2. Analyze supporter participation and preferences.
Base your decision-making on information by utilizing donor preferences to decide on the occasions that may appeal to essentially the most attendance. This methodology means that you can dive deep into previous occasion information and study which fundraisers your supporters really get pleasure from—and which encourage them to offer. With a donor-focused method, you’ll make sure that any occasions you propose join with supporters and enhance their loyalty to your trigger.
To find your donors’ favourite forms of occasions, analyze the next information out of your constituent relationship administration system (CRM):
- Previous occasion attendance: Evaluate the variety of friends who attended completely different occasions. Have you ever attracted extra assist with on-line or in-person occasions? Is there a selected annual occasion that constantly attracts the biggest crowd?
- Fundraising totals from previous occasions: The income every occasion generates tells you which ones are traditionally essentially the most worthwhile on your distinctive donor base. You may also have a look at the typical and median donation sizes for various occasions to know their fundraising potential on a person stage.
- Supporter suggestions: Analyze visitor and volunteer responses to post-event surveys. Which occasions did they react most positively to? Did any supporters explicitly state their occasion preferences?
- Fundraising ROI: Some occasions are costlier to host than others, so it’s vital to contemplate return on funding (ROI) together with income totals. To calculate ROI, use this system: ([Revenue] – [Event cost]) / [Event cost].
Record the preferred and profitable fundraising occasions based mostly on the conclusions you draw from this information. In the event that they aren’t the identical occasion, contemplate methods to mix parts from every one.
As an example, your nonprofit’s raffles may appeal to essentially the most friends whereas its galas herald essentially the most income. You may plan each forms of occasions this yr, or promote and provides away a number of raffle baskets at your subsequent gala.
3. Take inventory of your nonprofit’s strengths and challenges.
One other efficient approach to decide on occasions is to determine and play to your group’s strengths. Depend on what your nonprofit does nicely, whether or not recruiting volunteers or securing in-kind donations from company companions.
For those who’re uncertain of your nonprofit’s biggest strengths and challenges, conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, alternatives, and threats) evaluation or a wants evaluation. Then, discover occasions that permit you to take full benefit of what you already do nicely whereas mitigating challenges.
Listed below are a couple of forms of occasions you may contemplate relying in your group’s strengths:
- Silent auctions: In-person auctions work greatest for nonprofits with lively supporter communities and a number of enterprise connections. This fashion, they will simply safe donated public sale objects and appeal to friends who’re excited to take part.
- Golf tournaments: These high-profile occasions are handiest for organizations with many prosperous donors and not less than one firm keen to sponsor the occasion.
- Walks, runs, and rides: When you’ve got a very health-minded or family-oriented donor neighborhood, an lively out of doors fundraiser like a 5K could possibly be the right match. These occasions additionally work nicely for nonprofits with extremely lively volunteer bases.
- Digital occasions: Nonprofits with nationwide assist bases or giant numbers of low-level donors can use digital occasions to successfully faucet into their networks.
Keep in mind that these aren’t the one occasions you may host. By taking part in to your strengths, even small organizations and people with restricted sources can host vibrant, profitable occasions.
4. Align occasions with different actions in your fundraising calendar.
Lastly, you may start the occasion planning course of by figuring out the timing of your fundraisers. You may select this method if you have already got a serious marketing campaign in your nonprofit’s calendar or your donor base has clear preferences for once they give.
As an example, say that you just’re within the midst of a capital marketing campaign and have already got your public kickoff scheduled for midsummer. On this case, you may plan one giant kickoff occasion and schedule a number of smaller occasions all through the remainder of the yr. Or, you may focus solely on the capital marketing campaign and year-end fundraising occasions to faucet into peak giving occasions with out exhausting supporters.
It doesn’t matter what’s in your calendar, contemplate how fundraising occasions may improve or detract out of your nonprofit’s different actions.
Planning your chosen annual fundraising occasions
When you’ve decided which occasions to host, it’s time to begin planning! Keep in mind all of the concerns we’ve mentioned as you propose, and don’t be afraid to vary course if wanted. Fundraising occasion planning isn’t a one-and-done endeavor—you’re sure to run into challenges or shifting priorities alongside the way in which. Return to those methods in case you want new concepts or a reminder of what’s vital.
