Event Fundraising Blog

It seems so simple. Need money? Want to build awareness? Would like more constituents? Hold a fundraising event. But before making that commitment — and risk spreading your already thin resources even thinner — give careful thought to these key considerations.

One of my core beliefs about effective strategy is that it is designed to support a shared aspirational vision. In other words, the best strategies support the achievement of a big goal, or dream, or vision. If you don’t know where you are going, how can you effectively get there? We all want to be called to something bigger than ourselves. For some, that “something bigger” is simply personal prosperity. Most of us, though – particularly those of us in the social impact space – yearn to be part of something more noble than self-interest. We long for the opportunity to move the needle on the human condition.

The best visions, in turn, are rooted in a set of shared values. Every organization values something; those values define how we pursue the vision our strategy is meant to help us achieve. I’m not talking about the list of five or six attributes that are written somewhere in your organization’s annual report. I’m talking about the ways we actually behave; the things we show our constituents that we find important through our actions. In this way, strategy and leadership are intertwined.

As our long-time readers know, Event 360 strongly believes events are a means to an end. We always recommend moving beyond attendance as a measurement of success and into deeper performance-based metrics. Focusing on the ongoing performance of participants will allow you to realize the potential of engaging participants beyond event day.

While events provide a golden opportunity — they can attract lifelong, impactful supporters of your mission — many nonprofits aren't leveraging their events nearly as well as they could. For that reason, Event 360 is introducing a new service: post-event engagement consulting.

Confession: I just started watching “Mad Men.” Season 1. I don’t know what took me so long. But, so far it’s living up to the hype. The creative element of the show is particularly fascinating to me as a mission-focused marketer, and has fueled some interesting opinions in the blogosphere. Check out this post from Gordon Plutsky (photo right) at King Fish Media about Don Draper as a content marketer. What does it mean for us in event fundraising? Think about the story you’re telling. Are you building an emotional connection? Don’t just ask people to participate in your event, inspire them to help you make the world a better place. — Therese Grohman

"Mad Men" returns this week for a fifth season after a 17-month hiatus. Like many marketers I love watching Don Draper in action on the job. On the surface the type of broad based advertising he produces seems very old school – the kind of stuff that filled magazines and TV shows. If you look a little deeper, you see Don instinctively understands what makes content marketing successful. His work always contains elements of storytelling to build an emotional connection with the customer. He tells stories through the one-dimensional ads to get into the hearts and minds of the prospect. Don puts himself in the customer’s shoes and thinks about their desires, motivation and even fears.  What drives them, what do they want? What makes Don so successful is that he realizes the client also wants to be told a story about their brand. They want to feel the love, not be pitched. 

With event season almost upon us, it's time to rally your participants and get them in the mood for fundraising. Here's a quick refresher on what to do — and how to overcome the obstacles you might encounter.

If you're organizing a fundraising athletic event, the first step is to make sure your participants are ready for what's to come. Let's take a two-day bike, for example. Participants have a lot to do in terms of training and fundraising. First-time participants, in particular, are going to need guidance in the months leading up to the event.

Last month, I wrote about the link between strategy and focus. Specifically, I mentioned that in an increasingly busy world, competitive advantage isn’t about being able to do more, but rather about being able to focus on those things that make a difference. We all have limited time and resources. Trying to be excellent at everything is the quickest way to guarantee you won’t actually excel at anything.

In the several weeks since we published Four Aspects of Focus for 2012, I’ve heard from many of you who’ve essentially said, “Okay – I believe you. I’m ready to focus. But, where should I focus?”

The answer to this question obviously depends upon your function within your organization and upon what your organization is trying to accomplish. No two specific answers are the same. That said, the general answer is always the same: You have to focus on what is going to make the most impact.

At the height of the recent recession, independent fundraising events (IFEs) — activities designed and run by volunteers to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit —were surprisingly resilient. But with the economy slowly rebounding and many NPOs again having success with self-hosted fundraising events, it seems IFE programs are receiving less attention now.

Let's not forget you can do many things to encourage IFEs and make them an important piece of your overall fundraising strategy — year-round, in good times and bad.

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.

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.

Sometimes boards and staff members need to be convinced that strategic planning is worth the investment of money and time. They need to know how the process will benefit them and the organization. Strategic planning can provide enormous benefits. It can: