A Quick Event Checklist for First-Time Fundraisers

Hosting your first fundraising event can feel overwhelming. You’re worried about everything from simple logistics, like finding a venue and managing volunteers, to big-picture questions, like how to set a fundraising goal and inspire community participation. However, when you formulate a clear, structured plan, you can transform this big task into a series of manageable steps.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps of hosting a fundraising campaign event, from choosing the right concept to executing post-event follow-up. Let’s dive in!

1. Establish a Strategic Foundation

Your first step should be to determine what your event will be and what you hope to accomplish. This phase includes considering various profitable fundraising ideas for nonprofits, choosing the right one for your organization, defining clear goals, and establishing a realistic budget.

It’s crucial to involve key stakeholders, such as your organization’s leadership and board of directors, in these early decisions, for the sake of transparency and to secure buy-in. Laying the groundwork for a successful event requires your core planning group to focus on these foundational tasks:

• Set SMART goals. Your fundraising goal should be high enough to motivate your team without being unattainable. Funds2Orgs’s guide to fundraising event planning suggests setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
• Assess your budget and capacity. It’s essential to be realistic about your organization’s resources. This includes your bandwidth, supporter base, and ability to invest in your event up front. Select an event within your means to prevent burnout and financial strain; for example, a good low-cost event might be a shoe drive fundraiser; a big-budget event could be a sophisticated gala.
• Create a detailed, leadership-approved budget. Your chief financial officer or board treasurer should lead this effort, anticipating all potential expenses and including a contingency fund for unexpected costs.

Finalizing these strategic elements provides direction for every subsequent decision. Combining these considerations with your personal knowledge of your audience and their event preferences will help you set yourself up for success.

2. Assemble Your Team and Timeline

This phase is about creating the operational structure for your event. Meticulous planning here prevents last-minute stress.

Begin by bringing together the people and plans that will bring your vision to life. A successful event relies on a coordinated effort, so take time to organize your resources:

• Assemble an event committee. Assign specific roles to each member to ensure no task falls through the cracks. Having a point person for essential activities (like marketing, logistics, and sponsor outreach) will help you streamline planning down the line.
• Book your venue and vendors. Do your research by checking out vendors’ websites, portfolios, and social media, and prioritize those with experience in the specific type of event you’re planning. Be sure to make contact with vendors and venues well in advance.
• Create a master timeline. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, create a detailed timeline with deadlines for every task from now until event day. This plan will likely need to be revised as you go, but having a timeline in place can prevent major oversights.

With a team, key partners, and a timeline in place, you have a clear roadmap for your event. This structure empowers your team to work efficiently and stay on schedule.

3. Market Your Event and Drive Registrations

You may have the perfect event idea for your nonprofit, but you still need an effective promotion strategy to attract attendees. Your outreach should build excitement and clearly communicate why supporters should want to participate:

• Develop a multichannel marketing plan. Use email, social media, SMS, and direct mail to reach your target audience. Include a link to your registration form, if applicable, in each message.
• Tell your story. Let’s say you’re an animal rescue organization hosting a 5K fundraiser. In your outreach messages, you might share the story of Percy, a rescue dog who’s now up for adoption. Share how each race registration helps dogs like Percy receive the care they need to find their forever home. These stories can inspire supporters to deepen their involvement.
• Use an online platform for ticket sales and registration. Allowing supporters to register online from their computer or mobile device quickly reduces friction and increases conversion rates.

Remember to tailor your outreach strategy to your specific audience. By using a constituent relationship management system (CRM), such as Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, you can segment supporters to increase the effectiveness of your communications. For example, while some donors might prefer text messages, others might appreciate an email. Segmentation allows you to accommodate both preferences.

4. Manage Your Event Day Operations

On the day of the event, your focus shifts from planning to execution. A smooth and positive experience for your supporters should be your top priority. Clear communication and coordination are key to a seamless event. To ensure your team is ready, prepare by:

• Creating a detailed “run-of-show” document that outlines the entire day minute by minute, from setup to breakdown. Share this schedule with all staff, key volunteers, and vendors to keep everyone synchronized.
• Briefing all staff and volunteers on their specific roles and responsibilities before guests arrive. A well-informed team can handle questions confidently and provide a better guest experience.
• Designating a point person for troubleshooting any issues that may arise during the event. This ensures problems are addressed quickly and professionally without disrupting the program.

These steps help your team operate as a synchronized unit. A well-managed event allows you to focus on engaging your guests and sharing your organization’s mission.

5. Conduct Post-Event Follow-Up and Analysis

After you’ve put so much effort into planning and executing an event, it’s important not to let that momentum die. Thoughtful follow-up and reflection on your event’s high and low points help you cement your connection with your supporters and ensure the success of future fundraisers.

To maximize your event’s impact, take these steps:

• Send personalized thank-you messages to all attendees, sponsors, and volunteers. Writing meaningful thank-yous reminds us that stewardship is one of the most crucial tools you have to deepen donor relationships and improve retention!
• Distribute a short feedback survey to gather valuable insights from attendees and stakeholders. Ask about what they enjoyed most about the event and where they saw room for improvement, along with specific questions about details like your registration process.
• Evaluate your performance in comparison to the goals you set at the beginning of the process. Review your fundraising totals, attendance, and expenses. AI analytics tools can help you compare the success of your event to your initial goals or past events, calculating ROI and spotting trends in engagement.

When you follow through on this final phase, you can foster a culture of innovation at your nonprofit that continually pushes your team to improve and create meaningful relationships with supporters.

Planning a fundraising event for the first time requires careful organization to avoid getting overwhelmed. Breaking the process down into these five distinct phases ensures you stay organized, engage your community, and host an event that effectively supports your nonprofit’s mission. Repeat these steps for every subsequent event to continuously improve your ability to raise funds and strengthen connections with supporters.

Thinking of hosting your first peer-to-peer fundraising event? Check out Blackbaud’s free Idea Calendar

Wayne Elsey, founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs, also contributed to this article.