It takes quite a bit to plan and execute a nonprofit occasion. From getting began with goal-setting and budgeting by organizing and selling your occasion expertise and at last internet hosting and interesting with donors, there’s quite a bit to juggle. Fortunately, the appropriate fundraising occasion software program could make organizing an impactful occasion a breeze.
However even the software program shopping for course of may be overwhelming in the event you don’t know what you’re in search of. That’s the place this useful information turns out to be useful!
Right here, we’ll cowl every little thing it’s essential find out about occasion fundraising instruments, together with:
At Double the Donation, we’ve labored with many various suppliers within the area, and we gathered a few of our high suggestions for selecting one of the best fundraising occasion software program in your staff. Ultimately, these practices ought to assist information your decision-making course of as you proceed to develop your excellent toolkit of nonprofit know-how.
To not point out, you’ll be all set to get began with optimum fundraising occasions with the appropriate instruments to energy your efforts. Let’s start!
Why Spend money on Fundraising Occasion Software program?
Fundraising occasion software program is a essential element of any group’s totally built-out tech stack. In spite of everything, a good portion of many nonprofits’ total income is collected by participating fundraising occasions. And the appropriate instruments could make organizing and internet hosting as simple and efficient as ever. Which means extra of your staff’s time may be reallocated to different mission-valuable actions!
To not point out, increasingly more fundraising occasions are involving more and more technical facets. Digital and hybrid occasions have gotten all the craze. Even in-person gatherings have gotten depending on behind-the-scenes software program and user-facing know-how to run easily and elevate the occasion expertise.
Thus, in case your group is seeking to develop or optimize your occasion fundraising technique, investing in the appropriate instruments to energy your efforts is crucial.
Options to Take into account For Your Fundraising Occasion Software program
The time period “fundraising occasion software program” can embody lots of completely different sorts of instruments. And every one gives key advantages to your group, the occasions you arrange, and the people who help your efforts.
Let’s discover a number of of those key capabilities.
(High tip: As you stroll by the next varieties of options and performance generally related to nonprofit occasion software program, take into account that you’ll have to prioritize choices so as of significance. Take into account flagging parts as “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.”)
On-line Occasion Pages
With a purpose to pull off an efficient occasion, it’s essential that your supporters are conscious of the chance. And among the best methods to unfold the phrase about upcoming occasions includes participating on-line occasion pages or microsites.
Right here’s what this occasion software program performance ought to embody:
- Pre-built and customizable net web page templates;
- Touchdown web page and microsite choices.
- Personalised branding that matches your group’s present supplies;
- Cellular-optimized pages which are simple to make use of on screens of all sizes and styles;
- Search engine marketing and accessibility instruments;
- The power to embed a company matching present search instrument that uncovers match-eligible donations.
Ticketing Providers
Ensure your staff and your attendees are ready in your occasion with intuitive ticketing performance. Take into account these key options:
- Simple-to-use on-line ticketing kinds;
- Free and paid ticket purchases for in-person and digital occasions;
- On-line RSVP administration and automatic receipting;
- Customizable questions, corresponding to meal preferences and t-shirt sizes;
- A number of ticketing tiers and packages.
Fee & Donation Processing
No matter whether or not you’re internet hosting free or paid occasions, it’s important that your staff has the instruments for processing funds from supporters. This could embody:
- Accepting funds on-line and in-person;
- Leveraging a number of fee strategies;
- Processing funds for occasion tickets, merchandise, pledges, and extra;
- Gathering donations, along with ticketing and different gross sales;
- Selling matching presents all through the donation course of.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Functionality
Peer-to-peer fundraising and nonprofit occasions typically go hand-in-hand. A few of the most impactful social fundraising efforts cumulate in a last occasion to drive engagement and have a good time success. Assume—run/stroll/rides and different “a-thon” type occasions.
Listed here are a number of peer-to-peer fundraising options to contemplate in your seek for nonprofit occasion know-how:
- On-line occasion participant registration;
- Customizable participant fundraising pages;
- Gamification instruments, corresponding to fundraising thermometers, badges, and prizes;
- Donation and pledge processing and achievement.
Public sale Administration
Charity auctions are many nonprofit organizations’ most worthwhile fundraising occasions time and time once more. So in relation to occasion software program shopping for, it’s a good suggestion to maintain public sale instruments in thoughts. These sometimes embody:
- Merchandise procurement and monitoring capabilities;
- Facilitation of stay and silent in-person, digital, and hybrid public sale occasions;
- On-line and cellular bidding performance for attendees;
- Actual-time bid monitoring and different analytics.
Knowledge Reporting
Nonprofit occasions produce lots of highly effective information. It’s necessary to have the instruments it’s essential acquire, analyze, and leverage that data for the best outcomes! That’s the place an occasion software program’s information reporting performance is available in.
Take into account these key options:
- Occasion attendee supporter profiles to trace ongoing engagement;
- Budgeting and income instruments to find out ROI calculations;
- Actual-time occasion information reporting;
- Birds-eye view and in-depth choices.
Matching Reward Automation
Do you know that almost 27 million people work for corporations that match presents? However roughly 78% of this group has no concept that their employers supply these applications?
That’s why growing consciousness of match alternatives is crucial—and your occasion software program will help! Matching present software program, or occasion fundraising software program with a devoted matching present element, ought to:
- Gather supporter employment data by e-mail area screening or with an built-in firm search instrument;
- Present donors and occasion attendees with employer-specific matching present tips (eligibility standards, on-line kinds, and many others.);
- Mechanically comply with up with match-eligible or unknown donors post-engagement to remind people about matching alternatives and drive extra profitable matches to completion.
Organizations that improve matching present efforts by using high software program choices are likely to see elevated occasions and different fundraising experiences. In lots of instances, it’s the equal of a two-for-one sale on charitable donations!
Sponsorships Administration
Company sponsorships play a key position within the success of nonprofit fundraising occasions, offering essential monetary help, in-kind donations, and promotional advantages. To maximise sponsorship income and streamline administration, nonprofits ought to leverage occasion fundraising software program with devoted sponsorship performance.
These instruments ought to:
- Observe sponsor outreach and commitments to make sure seamless communication and follow-up.
- Handle sponsorship tiers and advantages by organizing completely different sponsorship ranges and the perks related to every.
- Facilitate sponsorship agreements by storing contracts, monitoring deliverables, and automating reminders.
- Present branded recognition alternatives throughout occasion pages, ticketing platforms, and digital advertising and marketing supplies.
- Generate sponsorship affect reviews to show ROI and strengthen long-term partnerships.
Company Volunteer Performance
Greater than seemingly, your group’s occasions are going to depend on devoted volunteers to run easily and preserve environment friendly and cost-effective operations. And lots of of those people may even qualify for volunteer incentives (corresponding to volunteer grants and paid volunteer day off) by their employers! For that motive, equipping your staff with the appropriate company volunteer software program is a should.
These sorts of instruments ought to:
- Gather employment data as supporters register for volunteer occasions;
- Display towards a volunteer incentives database to uncover the alternatives;
- Present volunteers with company-specific directions and submission type hyperlinks;
- Mechanically comply with up with actionable, focused reminders.
Integrations
Increase your occasion software program’s attain with seamless integrations—particularly with the instruments your group already makes use of on a day-to-day foundation.
Software program integrations primarily type unified methods between various platforms, permitting completely different instruments to talk to 1 one other. Due to this fact, integrating your occasion fundraising software program together with your group’s present fundraising options empowers your know-how to do extra with much less guide duties and configurations.
As you contemplate fundraising occasion software program integrations, this may embody:
- On-line donation instruments;
- Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms;
- Knowledge administration methods;
- Company giving software program;
- Volunteer administration software program;
- Advertising and marketing and outreach options.
Deciding on the appropriate occasion software program is an important step in maximizing the success of your fundraising efforts. Whether or not you’re targeted on streamlining ticketing, optimizing donation processing, participating supporters by peer-to-peer fundraising, or enhancing company giving alternatives, the appropriate instruments could make a major affect.
By leveraging key options like matching present automation, company volunteer performance, information reporting, and extra, your group can unlock new income streams, strengthen donor and volunteer relationships, and finally drive larger occasion success. To not point out, seamless integrations guarantee your occasion software program works in concord together with your present fundraising and donor administration instruments.
The way to Make Your Fundraising Occasion Software program Selection
As you’re employed to slim down your occasion know-how choices, listed below are a number of greatest practices to bear in mind:
- Set a software program finances to information your shopping for selections. Top-of-the-line methods to slim down your out there choices is to enter the shopping for course of with a set finances in thoughts. This manner, you’ll be able to commit your time to the software program your group can afford. As you search for cost-effective options, be sure you contemplate base value, startup prices, ongoing charges, expansions or add-ons, scalability, and extra.
- Take into account bundling occasion instruments with a complete fundraising platform. Whereas some occasion instruments are made out there in an à la carte or piecemeal format, others are provided as a bundle in an total fundraising software program package deal. Within the latter state of affairs, your event-specific know-how could also be built-in immediately with a web-based donation instrument, CRM, and extra for an all-in-one resolution. Many organizations choose this kind of software program assortment for ease of use and seamless communication between platforms.
- Search software program with matching present performance. Past typical occasion software program options, one ingredient that may drastically enhance your staff’s fundraising efforts—event-based and in any other case—is matching present performance. Company matching presents allow many donors and occasion attendees to double their affect in your trigger. Fortunately, instruments like Double the Donation combine with high occasion platforms to allow seamless match identification and automatic follow-ups.
- Request a demo to see potential instruments in motion. Earlier than you make your last selections, it’s a good suggestion to request some demos. Many corporations can present entry to a pre-recorded video, although a stay demo gives a extra customized encounter. As you expertise the software program in motion, contemplate how the instruments will look from a person’s perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask questions, both!
With the appropriate occasion software program in place, your nonprofit can create extra participating experiences, improve donor and volunteer participation, and amplify its fundraising affect for years to come back. It’s not one thing you need to miss out on.
Closing Ideas
Within the current previous, occasions of all types have develop into more and more technology-based—from revolutionary in-person parts to digital and hybrid experiences. And it’s necessary that your nonprofit has the instruments to maintain up with the occasions!
As you look to revolutionize your group’s occasion choices with highly effective software program, we suggest exploring Double the Donation’s integration companions. Many of those top-of-the-line fundraising software program suppliers supply impactful instruments that may carry your occasion endeavors to the following stage. Then, don’t neglect to issue matching presents into your technique, as effectively!
Wish to be taught extra? Try these different instructional sources to raise your group’s occasion, office giving, and total fundraising methods:
