Event 360 Blog

Event marketing communications are no different from any other type of marketing communications. All are more effective when the event is targeted, focused, and relevant to a target audience. 

MarketingSherpa's complimentary Marketing Wisdom for 2011 special report -- a collection of real-life stories, test results and lessons learned from the previous year -- was released last week.  We've been combing over the report to highlight a few of the best nonprofit-sector submissions.

On 16 February (our CMS speaks dates in British), the Event Fundraising Blog will celebrate its first birthday.  We've gone back and compiled the most read, shared and Tweeted posts from the last year--covering notable topics in event fundraising and marketing. 

The 2011 Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference is coming up March 1-2 in Atlanta, Georgia. Interested in joining us to learn from your peers and the masters of thon and event fundraising?

Ever had a donor ask you that?  Has anyone expressed concern about how you’re wasting valuable dollars on notepads, labels, cards, and other trinkets instead of using the money to help people?

Have you completed endurance races (marathon, half marathon or triathlon) and successfully participated in an endurance fundraising program?  If so, these DC-based job opportunities may be for you.

Earlier today, we blogged about marketing to an audience like the individuals they are, emphasizing the importance of allowing people to identify their interests, preferred channels, appropriate messaging frequency, and content that is applicable to their lives.   Recently, one of my favorite causes reminded me why you should never ignore this rule. 

Every year, event marketers and fundraisers continue to search for the next big thing—the industry-wide hot topic that will make or break the success of their interactive event marketing programs for the coming year. As event participants and their donors continue to turn to email, mobile, Facebook, and Twitter more than ever before, it’s imperative that nonprofit marketers strive to meet constituents where they’re at in order to maximize engagement and opportunity.

The American Red Cross is one of the premier emergency response organizations in the US. The Triangle Red Cross (TRC) serves as a regional hub in North Carolina area for the American Red Cross, delivering support to their local community. In addition to the domestic disaster relief services, it provides services for collection, processing and distribution of blood and blood products, and educational programs promoting health and safety programs. The organization is frequently assessing how it can better reach current and potential donors to communicate its messages to drive awareness and support life saving initiatives.

Would you think of sending a text-only version of your email newsletter instead of both text and HTML?  Surprisingly, many event fundraising organizations still send text-only transactional emails to their event participants and donors.  In addition to making it hard to track open and click through rates, text-based transactional emails provide your supporters an inconsistent brand experience at the point when their affinity with your organization is highest: right after they've just made a donation or registered for your event.