Are you planning a fundraising gala for your organization?
Want to make sure your fundraising event is a success?
Hosting a fundraising gala or event can be a beneficial move for any organization that needs to raise money quickly. Unfortunately, simply having a fundraising gala doesn’t guarantee that you’ll meet your fundraising goals. It’s important that you have a thorough fundraising strategy in place if you want your event to help move your organization forward.
Luckily, we’re here to help. Below we’ll give you our top tips for raising more money at your fundraising gala.
1. Arrange the Program Carefully
When planning a fundraising gala it’s important that you work hard on creating a great program. Keep in mind that your program shouldn’t just provide your attendees with an entertaining experience but each part of it should be crafted strategically to lead to more fundraising dollars at the end of the night.
Interspersed with the entertainment for the night, you should consider having various members of your organization speak as well. Give organization speakers a chance to speak about upcoming projects and tell stories of past success.
Also, make sure you schedule a few minutes to thank your event attendees for coming out and being a part of your big night.
2. Craft a Clear Event Message
Similarly to creating a marketing campaign, you also need to have a marketing plan for your event itself.
You should think carefully about the story you want to tell your attendees and should use these on-site branding tips to create a consistent image for your organization and fundraising event. It’s important to create great signage and marketing materials at your venue.
However, in addition to using marketing materials, you should also do a “hard ask” every now and then. Make sure that your event’s MC or a staff member gets on the mic every now and then to remind attendees what the event is for, what your fundraising goal is, and what you’re hoping to accomplish with your organization.
3. Choose a Theme
When creating a fun and exciting fundraising gala it can be a great idea to decide on a specific them you’ll be using. Some great theme options include having a casino night, a broadway cabaret, or basing the event around an upcoming holiday.
A theme will allow you to focus your decorating and planning efforts and will also be a lot of fun for guests. It can be a mistake to not choose a great unifying theme for your fundraising gala if you want to have a great night.
By choosing a theme you’ll be able to have an easier time deciding on making various decisions for the event such as food choices, types of entertainers, and venues.
4. Don’t Skimp on Prizes and Gifts
The amount of money you can make in a raffle or other special donation opportunity during your event will vary based on what gifts and prizes you have to offer them.
While many people will donate simply because they believe in your organization, others can be more easily persuaded to give or give more if you have raffle prizes or gifts available that people actually want.
Ideally, don’t just choose raffle and auction prizes that you have on hand or were able to get easily. Consider prize choices carefully if you want to ensure that you’re choosing items that will be more attractive to attendees.
5. Be Prepared for Donations
One of the best ways to get more money at your fundraising gala is to ensure that attendees can give donations in all kinds of ways. Instead of just allowing people to give with cash or with a check, for example, it can pay to add more ways to give such as through credit card, debit card, or Paypal payments.
Many people may attend your fundraiser without a plan to give a lot of money but may change their tune later on in the night. Having more ways for them to donate will help you avoid a situation in which someone wants to give more but doesn’t have the right payment type on hand to do it.
6. Make Your Fundraising Goal Visible
Setting a clear fundraising goal for your event is essential and can help give your attendees something to work toward and look forward to. Consider using a fundraising thermometer that tracks and displays fundraising amounts throughout your event. Using this, you can indicate what your goal is and how far away you are from it at any given time.
Using a fundraising thermometer can help build some excitement throughout the night and will increase anticipation and willingness to give.
7. Create More Opportunities to Give
To get more money at your fundraising gala, you should create multiple opportunities for people to give.
Having a raffle is common option and can be a great idea but you should also consider other possibilities as well. You may consider having a special donation cocktail or snack available for attendees. Auctions with big-ticket items are also a great thing to have at your event.
While you don’t want to be pushy, having many opportunities for your guests to give to your organization can be incredibly beneficial for making your event a success.
Making the Most of Your Fundraising Gala
A fundraising gala can be a great tool to help your organization get important funds while also helping your supporters have a great time. However, it’s important that you plan your fundraising gala well if you want to ensure that the event is a success. Be sure that you use the tips above if you want to ensure your event helps you meet your fundraising goals.
Looking for more business and fundraising tips? Keep exploring our blog now to find more helpful ideas and advice.
