A Dozen Ways to Create Events Donors Love — Without Spending a Fortune

Fundraising events — formal galas, small parties, athletic competitions, and more — are crucial ways to engage supporters and inspire giving. Now, in the post-Covid era, donors are craving opportunities to gather in person more than ever, experts say.

However, it can be hard to know which elements are working — and which aren’t — at fundraising events these days. And with costs soaring for nearly everything, how can you deliver an event donors love and stay within budget?

Here are 12 tips from experts to help you adapt your event strategy to the current climate so you can strengthen ties with supporters, attract new ones, and hit or beat your revenue goals, despite inflation.

Be intentional.

When planning your events for the year, make sure each one has a purpose and you’re not just doing something because you always have or to please a board member or other individual, says Whitney Philippi, vice president for development at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in New York. “You could probably completely work your team to the bone to have so many events a year,” she says. “But you could also send out an appeal in the mail and probably make as much money as you’re going to make at that event … [in] a fraction of the time.”

Estimate the return on investment for each event, Philippi says, but don’t only think about monetary benefits. For example, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society’s annual fall gathering, called Oktopurrfest, doesn’t raise the most money but is intended to cultivate younger donors, she says.

Go smaller.

Events have shrunk in recent years, mostly because of higher prices, says Samantha Swaim, a consultant who helps nonprofits create strong events. But some organizations are raising more from smaller events than they used to at large galas, she says, often because they are thoughtfully curating the audience and program.

For example, some groups are now offering individual tickets, instead of entire tables, to companies that sponsor their events, Swaim says. Corporations often sponsor multiple events in a year, so it can be hard to fill a table every time. Asking employees how many tickets they would like can help avoid having seats go empty or be taken up by nondonors, she explains.

Smaller events also allow for different types of venues that are more affordable than traditional options like hotels and convention centers, which have gotten much more expensive, Swaim says. Look into private venues like small ballrooms or warehouses, she suggests, or public places such as libraries, museums, botanical gardens, or zoos.

Create a short yet powerful program.

Most event programs now run about 90 minutes, Swaim says, which is the limit for many people’s attention spans. She offers a few suggestions for how to create a tight program and make the most of it:

• Hire an emcee. “And script that emcee to the word,” Swaim says, so they can keep your event flowing. This person acts like a stage manager, she explains, by sewing together your speakers and constantly teeing up the next element to avoid gaps.
• Stay focused on the mission. Find ways to both show and tell the story of your work, such as having a leader speak to the vision and sharing a video that shows your programs in action.
• Allow the most time for your fundraising appeal, whether that’s a “paddle raise” or a call to give. Spend less time on things like games, auctions, and speeches by political figures such as sponsors or board members.
• End on a high note. After the fundraising moment, the rest of the event should be fun, Swaim says. That might involve a keynote speaker, awards or honorees, or entertainment.

Raise as much as you can before the event.

“You want to go into your event making or exceeding your goal, so anything that happens during the event is the cherry on top,” says Fallon Sullivan, director of special events and projects at the New York Botanical Garden. This includes using a dynamic pricing structure for tickets, she says, like many theaters have. Know how many tickets you need to sell at each price to reach your goal, she explains, and when you need to “turn off” lower levels to increase demand for higher ones.

About two months before your event, fundraisers should start contacting donors in their portfolio who haven’t yet bought tickets to encourage them to do so, she says. And if you have an event committee, make sure that all members are plugging the event to people in their networks and that board members are also urging their fellow trustees to get tickets.

Send your sponsorship materials to businesses as early as possible, Philippi says. Ask your corporate partners when they would like to receive that information. If you’re not sure, try sending your materials in the last two months of the year, she suggests, which is when many companies set their annual budgets.

And offer ways for all donors to participate in the event, even if they can’t attend, Philippi adds. For example, you could run a matching-gifts campaign and promote it online and in your invitation. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society used this approach for its 2022 gala and raised about $20,000 from the invitation alone.

Keep food costs under control.

Food prices at events have jumped more than 180 percent since the pandemic, Swaim says, so it’s critical to find ways to save. Start by choosing a venue that will let you work with your own vendors, she suggests, which is often cheaper.

And get creative: Consider new and different formats for feeding guests. For example, some groups are swapping served dinners for more affordable “family-style” service, with food passed around tables in big bowls. Others are using themed food stations as a way to save on catering and let guests mill around and enjoy different types of cuisine.

Save on décor and printed materials.

While these items should look nice and professional, Philippi says, it’s not worth spending a lot on them because most donors won’t know the difference. “Any kinds of centerpieces or extra things you’re doing — people only remember it if it’s really, really bad or really, really amazing,” she says. Think of creative ways to save, such as getting wine donated and using bottles as centerpieces, enlisting a volunteer to help create something, or simply skipping centerpieces.

Spend where it counts.

One thing you shouldn’t skimp on is sound, Swaim says. Prioritize hiring a professional audiovisuals team. “If people can’t hear your program, it’s like you might as well not have a program,” she says.

Depending on your organization and audience, you may want to add a livestreaming package to increase reach and accessibility, Swaim says, which might start at about $3,500.

Another investment that pays off in a big way is a professional auctioneer or fundraising host, Swaim says, so make room in your budget. “You see organizations just lose so much support because they didn’t have someone that created the feel-good momentum around giving,” she says.

Negotiate to meet your budget.

Be open and honest with vendors about what you’re hoping to spend, Sullivan says, and see if they can meet you in the middle. Offer to hire them for multiple events, she says, so they’ll know more money is coming and see you as a potential partner rather than someone who’s seeking a one-time favor.

Don’t be afraid to ask your community for help, Sullivan adds. For example, she once had to produce an event with no budget for décor, so she asked a local pop-up restaurant that was set to close before the event if it would consider donating or lending its decorations, and it agreed. “If you don’t ask, you’re already at a place of no,” she says. “And especially if they’re your neighbors or in your community, they’re more likely to say yes.”

Highlight the mission in memorable ways.

Think about what you want to achieve — or what opportunity you’re creating — by gathering this audience, Swaim says, and let that help guide your decisions about the event, including how best to connect the guest experience to your cause.

She recalls asking this question of one nonprofit that provided furniture to formerly unhoused people who were getting their first home. The group wanted donors at its event to understand that its most requested items were things many people took for granted every day, like silverware, so they served soup as the first course — without silverware. As people looked for their spoons, the organization told this story and said they planned to donate the silverware from the event. “That’s just like a much more profound, powerful way to have people leave your event with kind of like a sticky memory about your work and then be able to repeat that and tell that to other people,” Swaim says.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society also tries to put its mission in front of donors in a variety of ways at its gala, Philippi says, including having dogs greet guests when they arrive and setting up a “kitten corral” where people can play with kittens.

Make the most of auctions.

Experiences have been selling better than things since the pandemic, Swaim says, especially those that are connected to the mission and involve access to a public figure. For example, one of her clients auctioned off a dinner hosted and cooked by its executive director, who is well-known and loved by the community. “They sold 20 spots, and it sold at, like, crazy top dollar,” she says.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society has almost doubled revenue from its silent auction by making it virtual and opening it a few days before the gala, Philippi says, an approach they started during Covid. The group promotes the auction on social media and other channels to give anyone the opportunity to participate.

Add a live peer-to-peer fundraising element.

Some groups are using a software platform called Swell Fundraising to run live crowdfunding campaigns during their events, Swaim says. The tool allows guests to raise money on social media throughout the night, share their results, and compete with each other in a fun way.

Thank and follow up with donors promptly.

Swaim has seen some of the best responses when thank-yous go out the night of an event, such as a pre-prepared email that the executive director updates and sends before leaving the venue. “They just personalize it with like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so excited. I’m sitting here with my team as we’re wrapping up and you were amazing tonight. You supported us in so many amazing ways. I know you’re just getting home, but I wanted to say thank you,’” Swaim says. “That sort of immediate gratification for people, I think, is really powerful.”

Also consider texting donors to say thanks, Swaim says, which is getting a better response than email and direct mail, especially with younger donors.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society sends post-event surveys to thank donors and get feedback to improve its events and prioritize expenses, Philippi says, such as whether guests want valet parking. The group also sends a survey to sponsors to find out if they liked their benefits or if other things would be more valuable.