4 Methods to Determine On Your Annual Nonprofit Fundraising Occasions

Once you sit down along with your crew to plan the 12 months’s fundraisers, the place do you begin? Do you prioritize funds, donor conduct, advertising and marketing alternatives, or one thing else? How do you select fundraisers that carry within the funds your nonprofit must thrive, have interaction supporters, and encourage lasting assist?

The reality is, there’s not one proper reply. There are a number of efficient methods to judge your choices, particularly in terms of occasions.

When you’re uncertain how to decide on the precise fundraisers for this 12 months, we’ll discover 4 completely different locations you can begin. Use these methods to brainstorm concepts to your annual fundraising occasions and slim down your choices.

1. Begin along with your fundraising objectives and price range.

Realizing how a lot it’s essential to elevate in whole (and the way a lot you’ll be able to spend) helps you select occasions with probably the most sensible fundraising potential.

When you haven’t set a topline income objective for the 12 months but, this must be your first step. Examine previous annual fundraising objectives with precise income earned in recent times. Then, consider any grants and commitments you have already got.

Upon getting a topline objective, use previous occasion information to find out how a lot of your price range you need to allocate to occasions. Consider for those who can elevate sufficient from a single massive fundraising occasion or for those who’ll have to host a number of occasions all year long.

After clarifying your monetary objectives, the OneCause occasion planning information suggests contemplating smaller objectives that align along with your group’s strategic priorities. Determine occasions that may drive income and assist different vital objectives, similar 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 price range. For instance, say it’s essential to elevate $500,000 from fundraising occasions this 12 months whereas additionally rising the scale of your donor base on a restricted price range. You may plan a number of low-cost digital occasions designed for donor acquisition and a big in-person public sale to lift the majority of your income.

2. Analyze supporter participation and preferences.

Base your decision-making on information through the use of donor preferences to decide on the occasions that may entice probably the most attendance. This methodology means that you can dive deep into previous occasion information and be taught which fundraisers your supporters actually take pleasure in—and which encourage them to provide. With a donor-focused strategy, you’ll be sure that any occasions you propose join with supporters and improve their loyalty to your trigger.

To find your donors’ favourite kinds of occasions, analyze the next information out of your constituent relationship administration system (CRM):

• Previous occasion attendance: Examine the variety of visitors who attended completely different occasions. Have you ever attracted extra assist with on-line or in-person occasions? Is there a particular annual occasion that persistently attracts the most important crowd?
• Fundraising totals from previous occasions: The income every occasion generates tells you which of them are traditionally probably the most worthwhile to your distinctive donor base. You too can take a look at the common and median donation sizes for various occasions to grasp 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 dearer to host than others, so it’s vital to think about return on funding (ROI) together with income totals. To calculate ROI, use this components: ([Revenue] – [Event cost]) / [Event cost].

Listing the most well-liked and profitable fundraising occasions primarily based on the conclusions you draw from this information. In the event that they aren’t the identical occasion, take into account methods to mix components from each.

As an illustration, your nonprofit’s raffles may entice probably the most visitors whereas its galas usher in probably the most income. You possibly can plan each kinds of occasions this 12 months, 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 means to decide on occasions is to establish and play to your group’s strengths. Depend on what your nonprofit does properly, whether or not recruiting volunteers or securing in-kind donations from company companions.

When you’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 mean you can take full benefit of what you already do properly whereas mitigating challenges.

Listed below are a number of kinds of occasions you may take into account relying in your group’s strengths:

• Silent auctions: In-person auctions work greatest for nonprofits with energetic supporter communities and a number of enterprise connections. This fashion, they’ll simply safe donated public sale gadgets and entice visitors who’re excited to take part.

• Golf tournaments: These high-profile occasions are best for organizations with many prosperous donors and a minimum of one firm keen to sponsor the occasion.

• Walks, runs, and rides: In case you have a very health-minded or family-oriented donor neighborhood, an energetic out of doors fundraiser like a 5K may very well be the proper match. These occasions additionally work properly for nonprofits with extremely energetic volunteer bases.
• Digital occasions: Nonprofits with nationwide assist bases or massive numbers of low-level donors can use digital occasions to successfully faucet into their networks.

Do not forget that these aren’t the one occasions you’ll be able to 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 would start the occasion planning course of by figuring out the timing of your fundraisers. You may select this strategy if you have already got a significant marketing campaign in your nonprofit’s calendar or your donor base has clear preferences for once they give.

As an illustration, 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 massive kickoff occasion and schedule a number of smaller occasions all through the remainder of the 12 months. Or, you would 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, take into account how fundraising occasions might 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! Bear in mind all of the issues we’ve mentioned as you propose, and don’t be afraid to alter 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 for those who want new concepts or a reminder of what’s vital.