Event Fundraising Blog

Just when I thought social media was hitting its marketing stride, our friend Beth Kanter posted a recent article on her Facebook page by BBCnews.com co-founder and journalism professor Alfred Hermida, in which he declares the now ubiquitous phenomenon is about to become – ready for this? – “boring.”

Every year we get requests to bid on events around the country. In conversation with the potential client they often say, “yeah, we’ve really got this down, but could use a little help with increasing fundraising … and oh, by the way, our sponsorships are down.”

Over the last few weeks, a few members of our Event 360 team have shared their advice on how to start the New Year right. As we come to the close of the first month of 2012, I wanted to add a bit of perspective on strategy.

Unlike the subjects of some of our other columns, strategy in my mind doesn’t really lend itself to to-do lists. In fact, this is the very aspect of strategy that I want to emphasize. Strategy, more than anything, is about focus.

In his article “What Is Strategy,” Michael Porter, one of the foremost experts on business strategy, argues that focus is at the heart of strategy. He describes strategy as picking a unique, differentiated position; choosing which activities to emphasize and which to discard; and ensuring that the organization’s activities fit together. In Porter’s framework, trade-offs are at the heart of strategy. An organization that tries to do everything is an organization without any direction at all.

Know this: Your typical technology professional has spent his or her entire career trying to be perfect. Why? Because when tech solutions do what they’re supposed to do, no one seems to notice – but when they don’t, all hell breaks loose. The result? Technologists are loath to make assumptions or even recommend approaches. They tend to wait for instructions and then execute as best they can.

Many summer peer-to-peer fundraising events will be opening registration in the upcoming months (hopefully, yours included).

To get the most from your event this year, it’s important to realize that your participants are a diverse group and you need to speak to each group differently.

Sending one-size-fits-all event update isn’t going to cut it anymore. You have to target each audience with a tailored message – one that speaks to them.

Last year, our Director of Marketing Therese Grohman told us about the (RED) campaign's successful formula in motivating donors using comparisons, such as how much life-sustaining AIDS medicine you can buy for the price of an extra shot in your Venti latte. Certainly no one would argue with (RED)'s finesse in persuading donors and partner companies, such as Starbucks, to help people in desperate need. However, the (RED) brand also serves as a cautionary tale for anyone doing good in the world: don't be opaque about your finances.

Those of us at Event 360 who focus on event production have one goal in mind: creating impactful experiences for participants. Here are 10 ways to do just that in the year ahead.

1. Leverage technology.
Event professionals can employ all kinds of technology to be more efficient and provide a better product. Use Google Earth to scout sites and lay out site plans to scale. Provide GPS for staff and volunteers to navigate routes more effectively. Incorporate barcode scanners for credentialing (e.g. you can scan in participants who have printed their credentials and brought them to the event).

This morning’s announcement that Blackbaud has agreed to acquire Convio has certainly made the day more interesting. A surprise to me and most of my colleagues, clients, and partners, the press release has inspired more Twitter, email, and phone activity than I can remember in quite a while. Nearly everyone has asked the same questions: What will it mean? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?

I know, you've given up on making New Year's resolutions. (You're just going to end up breaking them anyway, right?)

Well, I've compiled some New Year's resolutions that you can actually keep. And don't worry — none of them involve dieting. These are 10 strategic ways to improve your event fundraising in 2012.

You might be on event, in the shower, or daydreaming at your desk when suddenly inspiration hits. Sudden insights like this have sparked leaders, artists and scientists throughout history. But where do these great ideas originate? Researchers in neuroscience and cognitive psychology are finally studying these insights to explain “Aha!” moments in terms of different types of intuition, which I'm currently reading about in William Duggan's book Strategic Intuition.