You know the importance of having events for your nonprofit. It’s one of the major ways you’re able to connect with your donors, recruit new donors, and raise awareness for your cause. The problem is that too many events are thrown and not actually making an impact. Which is why we decided to help you plan your next nonprofit event in a more effective and successful way.
Set Your Mission & Objectives
Getting everyone on a train decked out to the nines sounds like a lot of fun and will certainly be memorable. However, if that train has no direction or destination, it just ends up being a massive waste of time. When approaching your nonprofit’s event, take the time to sit and fully set up a trajectory for the event. The objective should always be to bring money back into the organization and raise awareness for the cause you’re representing.
Work Your Connections
Planning an event is a lot of work. It can also be a lot of money. However, you’ll be surprised at how many vendors are willing to donate their services either for free or for a discounted rate. You could also reach out to corporations who might be interested in your cause to donate funds to help with the event. You’ll never know until you ask so start dialing/emailing!
Use A Personal Touch
Once you get everything in place with vendors and event spaces, it’s time to invite people. Obviously, you’ll want to put together a flyer to post on social media. However, you should invite your major donors or people you want to get involved with your cause (i.e. influencers). Make sure that when you’re inviting them that it’s a personal message. Nothing copied/pasted. It’ll show that you value them to invite them personally.
All Hands on Deck
It’s showtime! Make sure that when the event is going on that you have every volunteer in place with clear instructions. Also, ensure all your volunteers are aware of your mission and objectives. Whether they are holding an h'orderve tray or checking in guests, they are your ambassadors. A guest should be able to ask anyone working the event a question about the event and they should be able to answer with confidence.
Follow Up One-on-One
After all the drinks are gone and the confetti is swept away, the real work begins. Make sure you follow up with your donors and those who attended but didn’t donate one-on-one. Thank them for attending and ask them their opinions to try to get them involved. Even if they don’t end up donating, you’ll still have a lasting impact on them for taking the time to follow up on their visit.
Have you thrown a successful nonprofit event? What worked for you? Sound off in the comments or on social media, we’d love to hear about it!
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