Doing Special Events To Raise Funds For Your Nonprofit
by: Berwyn J. Kemp
Special events are one of the most effective ways to raise funds
for your organization, increase your donor bases, and get
valuable publicity for the work of your nonprofit organization.
If done right, if done wrong, your special events won’t provide
the funds you seek, and will in fact hurt your organization
because of the negative word-of-mouth advertising your
organization will receive.
Therefore, in doing your special events failure is a luxury your
organization quite simply can’t afford. Here are some steps you
can take to help insure that your special events are done right,
so that your organization gets all the benefits that good special
events offer.
1. Select a special event chairman for your event. This position
should not be held by your board chairman, board members, or your
executive director. Because, first these people already have
other responsibilities, and second because in selecting your
event chairman what you should want to do is to supplement your
existing people resources not saddle them with more
responsibilities. So don’t hesitate to go outside of your
organization to find this person, if needed.
2. Carefully plan your special event, and one of your key
planning tools will be your Event Master Plan, which will cover
the kind of event you’ll have, when it will be held, and where it
will be held. Other important plans you will need are: A Budget
Plan; A Funding Plan; A Publicity Plan; A Donor Recognition Plan;
A Site Logistics Plan; and a Disaster Plan.
3. Develop an event’s timeline to keep your special event on
course. For smaller special events you need between 3 to 6 months
lead time. And for larger special events you will need between 6
to 9 months lead time, to do your special event right. So be sure
you give yourself plenty of time.
4. Set up a special event’s committee, as well as all the needed
subcommittees. Such committees will include ticket sales
committees, a gift solicitation committee, a publicity committee,
and others. Because, all fundraising is a people intensive
activity and this is nowhere more so than in doing special
events, and you will need lots of people to help make your
special event a success.
5. Prepare as many of the documents you will need to do your
special event successfully even before you need them, in the form
of template documents so that keep your special event on track.
Some of the many kinds of document you’ll need are an event case
statement; gift solicitation letters, publicity releases,
volunteer’s worker kits, event signs, and numerous other
documents.
6. Hold a full dress rehearsal of your special event with all
your key player involved, and walk through each step of your
event. So that all directly involved know exactly what their
respective role is, and just where they fit into the overall
process. Moreover, if your event involves some kind of talk
presentations be sure to provide scripts to everyone who talks,
and be sure to set a time limit on those who will be speaking so
that you start and finish on time.
7. Do your special event being sure that if you accomplish
nothing else that at least everyone has a good time. If they
don’t they won’t speak well of your organization nor attend
future special events. Too try to earn a reasonable profit of at
least 50% or better on your event after all cost are subtracted.
On key to earning a reasonable profit is to get as many of the
materials you need donated, and to obtain cash gifts from local
businesses and others, which will be added to the overall revenue
produced by your event.
Now to successfully do special events will require time and
effort on your part, but the value of your special event and the
benefits your organization will receive will far out weight the
time and effort involved. Because your event will allow you to
raise funding, increase your donor bases, and provide valuable
publicity for the work that you do. Thus special events should be
regular part of your organizations fundraising efforts and
revenue sources.
About The Author:
Berwyn J. Kemp is a fundraising consultant who helps nonprofit
organizations obtain funding. For full details on his funding
products, or to read more of his re-printable articles you can
visit: http://www.berwynkemp55.tripod.com
bkemp100@yahoo.com
March 2006
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