Nonprofit events can be scary to plan, especially if you’re nervous about reaching fundraising and attendance goals. Many organizations struggle with the push-pull of traditional events vs. new trends, and that’s usually because donor bases lean towards older generations. However, if you want to grow, you must focus on bringing in younger patrons—finding that balance can be difficult. It’s also a struggle when your board wants to be involved in the little details of your event, and as a former nonprofit development professional, I understand all these challenges very well.
The pandemic created an opportunity for many organizations to break free from the ‘way things have always been’. Your organization does amazing work, but there are many organizations who also do amazing work, so how do you stand out from the crowd? Do you have live music, an expensive venue, a silent auction, dancing, and open bar? Are these the things that people are going to nonprofit events to experience?
The answer is NO.
Gone are the days where nonprofit organizations need to ‘wine and dine’ donors to get them to give a gift. Nonprofits are in the business of raising money and awareness, not entertaining people, and most donors know this. Remember, it’s more important for you to create events that help you accomplish your goals rather than appeasing board members who are used to things being done a certain way. We have all met those board members that have good intentions but don’t understand how fundraising and event planning works. You can listen to their suggestions, but you don’t have to implement them.
In-person events offer a unique opportunity for nonprofits to tell their stories – I always say, “you have a captive audience, what are you going to do with them?” Your stories are what make you unique and what set you apart from the 17,000 other nonprofit organizations in Central Ohio, so this should be the focus of your event. When you are trying to engage donors, it is so important that they understand the impact they’re having by making a gift, so by focusing on storytelling at your events, you are providing an opportunity for donors to make more of a personal connection to your work.
Fundraising is all about relationships, and what better way to build on those relationships than to create opportunities for donors to meet and engage with the people on the ground doing the work? In-person events can be uncomfortable for many people, but if you create an atmosphere where guests can walk up to a “story station” to learn something new, meet a member of your team, and better understand their impact, then you are accomplishing so much more than just hitting a fundraising goal.
If guests walk away learning something they didn’t know before, it’s a huge win for you, and the best way to do this is through dynamic and interactive storytelling. There are many creative ways to activate these stories, but you need to start with what stories you want to tell, then figure out the best ways to tell them. If you work backwards and think about what you want guests to walk away from your event learning, sharing, and wanting to do next with you, this will help you determine which stories will help you accomplish your goals. It’s important to take the time to think through this piece of the puzzle, because these are the drivers to build connections with donors. They want to know the team that is implementing the services they’re supporting, the person-to-person interaction is what engagement is all about. What other time do donors and passionate team members have an opportunity to connect?
Your events provide a unique opportunity to make these connections, highlight the incredible work of your team, and bring the people together who provide the support to make the services you provide a reality.
