Every coordinator worth his or her salt knows that galas, conferences, and awards presentations are excellent ways to raise money for an organization. And while finding a dynamite corporate events venue is critical to reaching one’s fundraising goals, there are many other ways an organization can maximize donor participation, as well. Read on to learn how to get the most out of your next Hollywood Banquet Hall event!
Tip#1: Make Your Event Part of a Larger Campaign
People like to feel that their contributions are making a tangible and long-lasting impact, and one of the best ways to make donors feel like their dollars are really changing the world is to make short-term goals (like buying books for a school, for example, or providing blankets to the homeless) part of a large campaign. Big, life-changing campaigns necessitate multiple events, newsletters, and updates, and this constant contact breeds familiarity and increases the likelihood that guests will remember your cause and contribute.
Tip #4: Create Relationships with Event Attendees
Though statistics are useful, emotions are what ultimately inspires a person to give to an organization. By cultivating personal connections between donors and the organization or, better yet, between donors and the people the organization is helping, event planners can increase the chances a person will feel compelled to contribute. During each event, be sure your organization’s staff is engaging with every guest and, if possible, put a “face” on your organization by including testimonials from real people who have been helped by your campaign.
Tip #2: Keep In Touch
Once relationships have been forged, it’s vital that event coordinators and employees of the organization maintain these connections with frequent emails, newsletters, updates about the campaign’s progress, and most importantly, thank you letters. Also, because many charities and companies only hold one large fundraising event per year, keeping in contact with donors the other 364 days is crucial to developing relationships and cultivating a sense of community and responsibility.
Tip #3: Offer Real-Time Donation Statistics
Human beings love to achieve goals, and by keeping a fundraising goal in front of attendees and updating it in real-time, event guests will be much more likely to donate to your cause or charity. Consider portraying your goal as a thermometer; the more money your attendees raise, the higher the mercury rises! If done correctly, guests will begin to view the fundraiser as a game, and the money will come flooding in!