Whether you are working with a non-profit, charity, youth sports team, or another important organization, fundraising events are a great way to raise money. These events bring together your biggest support for a fun-filled night that nobody will forget. The only downside is that you may actually end up losing money if you do not properly plan and organize the event. These are the four biggest fundraising event mistakes to avoid.
Last-Minute Planning
You absolutely cannot rush the planning process of a fundraising event. It takes a lot of time and cooperation to pull off a massive event, so you need to give yourself a few extra months than originally planned. Last-minute planning will lead to an unsatisfactory event that will disappoint your supporters. You will also likely end up with a very small crowd if you do not give everyone advanced notice of the event. All of these issues ultimately take money away from your important cause. If you’re planning on having embroidered promotional clothing among other marketing materials, you’re going to need to order these in advance to give vendors the opportunity to fulfill the order, particularly if it is on a large scale. You might also want to consider using a monster flagpole to display some flags for your event. Flagpoles are often perfect as a promotional tool, helping to raise awareness for the event. However, the flagpole and flag should also be ordered in advance to make sure they’re ready to be installed before the event.
Not Requesting Donations
Fundraising events are all about raising as much money as possible, so do not be afraid to ask for donations. Often, charitable organisations raise more money by using peer to peer fundraising, as this spreads the word quicker and ultimately gains more donations without needing to push guests for money. You may think it is uncouth to outright ask for money, but nobody in attendance will feel offended. A lot of the attendees may not even be aware that you will accept additional donations on top of the admission fee if you do not ask for them.
An Overstuffed Event
One of the main goals of the fundraising event is to make sure everyone in attendance goes home happy. Once they have a good time at one event, they will be more than willing to come back for another one. The only way to keep everyone happy is by limiting the length of the event. The most successful fundraisers tend to last roughly three hours. Shorter events also keep costs down, which results in more money for the organization.
Failing to Thank Everyone
It is vitally important to thank everyone that donated their time and money to your event. Donors want to feel appreciated for their selfless acts. Give a short speech roughly halfway through the event thanking everyone in attendance. It is also a good idea to personally call everyone that gave a large donation the day after the event to provide additional acknowledgment.
