So someone is interested in hosting a fundraising event for you, now what?
Fundraising events are one of the most effective ways to raise money and meet people from the community. Often, some of your biggest supporters may offer to host a fundraising event for you and help you get closer to your fundraising goal. But a poorly planned event can bring on unnecessary stress — and we know campaigning is already stressful enough as it is.
Luckily, we have some helpful tips on how to make a hosted fundraising event go as smoothly as possible.
The first step is to set clear responsibilities with the host. It’s usually expected that hosts:
Reach out to their own network to invite guests
Have a clear raise or write goal — for example, this means they agree to either write a check for $2,000 or raise $2,000 from their own network
And recommended that they:
Provide a location or venue for the event or help secure one
Build a host committee so the event can bring in a larger network of people and has a higher raise potential
Once a donor or supporter has confirmed that they will host an event, set a date and time to start building out. The fundraising team will create a flier and donation link that will be sent over to the host to send to invitees. Always be sure to confirm with the hosts their preferred contribution levels and whether it is a public-facing event before finalizing the flier. Sometimes hosts also prefer to have specific contribution levels (supporter, friend, co-host, professional, student).
To begin planning an event, we recommend creating an event plan worksheet to make sure that all the details, from the guest speakers down to who is bringing the remit forms, are all sorted out. The fundraising team should fill out this worksheet and list out the raise goal, the audience you are hoping to reach, if food or drinks will be provided, the speaking program, etc. Once all details of the event are listed out, share it with the host to help guide them through their outreach and planning.
Next, you can implement a system to keep track of the number of RSVPs and the amount raised so far in donations and pledges (this is also helpful in keeping track of pledges fulfilled and pledge-chasing after the event). A spreadsheet is the most efficient and can be used as a sign-in sheet to check folks in on the day of the event.
Also, be sure to keep your host updated on any developments coming from the campaign that are relevant to the event. If you have added a special guest to speak at the event, or if you have added to the guest list, or who will be staffing the event may be necessary information for the host to know. Oftentimes the event will be at their home, so it's important to keep them updated on who will be at their house that they haven't invited personally. Check in with your hosts periodically to see how they are doing — this is often something new for people, and we want to make them feel supported in this.
The day before the event, check in one final time with your host to make sure everything is set. This is where you sort out all the details including the run-of-show, the food and drink situation, what time you or the candidate will be arriving, who will be checking in guests, etc.
If all planning goes smoothly, the day of the event should fly by. The goal is to have everything set and ready to go by the time the event starts, so all that’s left is to meet the guests, give a great speech, and raise some money. And always always remember to thank your hosts and special guests at the end!
At Evinco, we know the stress that fundraising events can bring. If you need help fundraising for your campaign,book a call with us and we can help your team reach your goals today!