I presented one of my favorite topics at our NC Philanthropy Conference yesterday: “Parties With a Purpose: Turn Your Fundraising Event into the Best Party in Town.”
Boy did my friend, media maven Claire Meyerhoff, and I have some fun in this topic! And the room was packed. Clearly there were people in need here.
Events can be huge pain points for fundraisers. Yet they are a vital component of most annual fundraising programs. How do you set up the event to accomplish multiple objectives?
- Enlist new suppporters
- Expand your visibility in the community
- Involve and engage your volunteers in the cause
- Present your mission in a compelling light to new and old supporters
- Entertain your guests
- Make sure your guest have fun (yes, please!)
- And certainly not the least, raise the money you need to support your cause
This is a tall order. Most presentations you attend on “event planning” focus on details and logistics. For our presentation, we focused on the branding, marketing, PR and fundraising aspects of an event. I think that is why it was so well attended.
I’m going to enter a series of blog posts on the “Best Party in Town” topic. For now, I want to talk about the difference between a “party” and an “event.”
An “event” is when you throw a bunch of pepole into a room, give them a drink, and hope they survive. Ever been to one of those?
A “party” is when you throw a bunch of people into a room, give them a drink, and work to make sure they are having a nice time. This is really social hostessing 101 but it’s amazing how few people really understand this.
Frankly, I’ve been to “events” that were social occasions at private homes. If I didn’t know anyone, I felt lost or worse, wanted to run for the door!
And I’ve been to “parties” staged by nonprofits that made me feel so very welcome. I had the best time at those parties. And you can imagine that I still have a nice feeling in my heart for the nonprofit cause. Not only that, but I will be looking forward to the next party that nonprofit throws!
Always remember, the smart fundraiser’s motto: “When in doubt, throw a party!” Make every thing in you do into a party and people will flock to your cause.
Nobody ever said that charity work should be dreary or boring!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is a very valuable shift in thinking that brings big results! Thanks for shining the light on parties Gail!
This is great information to take back to my board members and committee. During these times, it’s even more important to break away from “the same old same old.” Thanks and looking forward to more news we can use about parties.