| There are a wide variety of fundraising events that organizations use to raise money. Common examples are golf tournaments, fundraising dinners, walks and races, and auctions. Special events require a lot of volunteer time and can be expensive to produce, so care must be taken when you plan a fundraising event. The upside of events is that funds raised can be used for any purpose by the organization and the event or a series of events may focus on a specific fund raising goal.
In addition to the money raised, fundraising events can be a good way to meet new donors, connect with people who support the cause, and raise awareness of the cause in the community. Events are rarely the main way an organization raises money, but on the other hand, most organizations include at least one annual event in their fund development program. Fundraising events work well if there is a specific audience to target.
Over time, donors may come to associate an event with the organization's annual campaign and provide donations over and above the cost of admission to the event.
Fundraising Events Summary
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When to Do It
- many organizations plan for one signature event each year
- often done to publicize national awareness months
- may be a natural time
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What You Need
- money to rent venue, publicize the event and make deposits
- volunteers to help with the event
- variety of needs depending on event IE speaker, entertainment, etc.
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Why You Do It
- can develop into regular source of undesignated income
- may fund special projects/needs
- opportunity for publicity and media attention
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Results to Expect
- many events break even the first year and build from there
- try to plan the event with sponsors rather than sell the sponsors
- work out results in detail before
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For more on events, see the event planning section of this site. |
