Planning a gala or special event is no small feat, and it s not unusual to feel overwhelmed by the process. This Quick Concept outlines 5 fundamental ways to get your planning started on the right foot. ConceptLink Consulting 7/2012 How do you lay the foundation for a successful event that generates strategic and financial returns for your organization? In this Quick Concept, we highlight five topics that are among the most essential components to event planning strategy: vision, fundraising, human resources, Honorees, and follow-up.
Planning a gala or special event is no small feat, and it s not unusual to feel overwhelmed by the process. This Quick Concept outlines 5 fundamental ways to get your planning started on the right foot. I. Vision When we start the event planning process with our clients, we instruct the coordinator to close her eyes and envision the ideal event for the organization. A few guiding questions are all it takes to spark imagination: Who is in the room? Is your desired demographic a young, hip crowd? wealthy business and political elites? an international mix of individuals of all ages? What kind of space are you in? Is it elaborate? eclectic? simple? Is the décor elaborate? eclectic? simple? Is it a black tie event? business-casual? casual? Are people seated for dinner or standing with cocktails? How are people interacting with one another, and how do the program and layout of the venue facilitate this interaction? Is there a longer formal program or a very brief program with ample time to network? Is there a stage? Is there entertainment? What is happening off-stage? What should attendees be doing when the formal program is not running? There is no right way to answer these questions; your responses will depend on your organization s culture and budget, the type of people in the room, and your goals for the event. Some organizations benefit most from a black-tie formal dinner in an elaborate venue with a VIP step-and-repeat at the entrance. Others have more of an impact hosting their event in the same location as their programs, which gives attendees a personal picture of the organization s impact in the community. II. Fundraising Presuming that the primary purpose of your event is to raise money, it is important to determine how much money you want to raise and how you want to raise it. Sobered by the reality that we all cannot be the Robin Hood Foundation (whose 2012 New York gala raised a phenomenal $57 million 1 ) you must assess what a desirable and realistic financial target is for your organization s event. Two main questions should guide your thinking: Will your event s net profit contribute significantly to your annual budget or be one of several revenue generators? If the event is just one of many major fundraising activities you engage in throughout the year, be realistic about your donor base s ability to give significant sums to multiple fundraising initiatives. 1 Souccar, Miriam K. "Robin Hood Gala Raises More Loot." Crain's New York Business.com. Crain's New York, 15 May 2012. Web. 1 June 2012. http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120515/nonprofits/120519924.
Alternatively, if your event is your main annual fundraising initiative, set your financial targets as a significant portion of your annual budget. Who is your audience? Be realistic about who your audience and donor base are and how that demographic will affect your expected financial targets. For example, if your event is priced at $20 per ticket and targeted towards young professionals, a $750,000 revenue goal is probably not realistic. Your fundraising goals should be in line with your attendees giving potential. The second fundraising question to ask is how you can raise money. The options are limited only by your creativity, though some of the most common methods include: Sponsorship packages (See our blog on this subject for some great tips 2 ) Ads Tables Live /Silent Auction Technology tools (such as Text-to-Pledge or Mobile Giving) Raffle Pledge Cards Many organizations run into trouble when they try to have too many giving options at the event. The danger of choice paralysis is very real here. To avoid overwhelming and confusing your attendees, limit your on-site fundraising activities to two or three options. Be deliberate in your selection of fundraising methods, making sure that attendees at all financial levels have at least one outlet through which they can give. III. Human Resources A. Fundraising Committee While events may have any number of committees a planning committee, an outreach committee and so on a solid fundraising committee is critical. The fundraising committee a mix of Board, volunteers, or any combination thereof is a group of individuals who will spearhead fundraising initiatives. Contrary to popular belief, your fundraising committee does not have to be comprised entirely of individuals with hefty bank accounts or large Rolodexes. Rather, your fundraising committee should be a balance between those who are willing to perform smaller tasks, including logistic and administrative functions, and those who can connect you with the revenue opportunities, such as corporate sponsors. As you set goals and expectations for this committee, it is vital to remember that a fundraising committee s mission is to do just that raise funds and not to be involved in the minute details of the event. 3 If you find your committee members time is spent more on selecting floral arrangements and linen colors, you have missed the point of the committee. 2 Bonham, Whitney M. "NFE Series: Sponsorship Mistakes Nonprofits Make." Web log post. ConceptLink. ConceptLink, 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Jan. 2012. http://conceptlink.com/sponsorship-mistakes-nonprofits-make/. 3 Eisenstein, Amy. "Raise More Money Selling Sponsorships, Not Tickets." Fundraising Consulting for Your Nonprofit. Tri Point Fundraising, Sept. 2011. Web. 11 June 2012. http://www.tripointfundraising.com/raise-moremoney-selling-sponsorships/.
Once you have established a committee with the right mix of skills and networks, the next step is to manage and inspire them to achieve your stated fundraising goals. A full understanding of your goals will help your committee understand their role in the event s larger context. Setting an ambitious goal will encourage them to work hard and give their best. At the same time, break the goal down into manageable targets and inform each member of what kind of contribution you expect from him. Be as clear and specific as possible: are you looking for 2 ads per person? 1 table? 20 tickets sold? The goals for each person may well be different depending on his network and sphere of influence, so cater individual goals accordingly. If you are unsure of how to do this, an outside consultant with fundraising event experience can help establish targets and committee tasks. When working with a committee comprised primarily of volunteers, many event organizers face the challenge of chasing people down and following up with actions items that have been placed lower on volunteers priority list than they might have liked. One reliable way to ensure your committee performs their expected tasks is to make their job as easy as possible. The fewer barriers your committee faces in making the ask, the more likely they are to fulfil their commitments. For example: B. Staff Write templates: provide suggested language for emails and social media outreach that people can simply cut, copy, tweak and paste. Provide talking points: These are especially important if individuals will be meeting with people in person or discussing your fundraising needs over the phone. Getting staff s participation in your event is a great benefit, as your employees are well informed of your organization s programs, day-to-day activities, and internal politics. They are also ideal from a logistical perspective; they work in your office and their close proximity can facilitate communication. However, remember that unlike your fundraising committee and other volunteers, staff labor is not free labor. While you are not writing an additional check for their time, their work on your special event comes at an opportunity cost to other projects i.e., their jobs. Our advice is not to avoid involving staff in planning your event, but rather to be very strategic about the aspects of the event on which they focus. A good rule of thumb is that event planning will take approximately 40% - 50% of your employees time if they are the sole drivers of the event. A back of the envelope estimate on what that will cost your organization in salaries will help you decide whether the benefits of their efforts outweigh the opportunity cost. Generally, working with an event planner can cut your staff s time commitment in half; those savings in staff time alone might outweigh the consultant s fees. Volunteers are another human resource to factor into your event planning. In addition to serving on your fundraising committee, a team of volunteers can help you with logistics, such as sourcing entertainment, helping with publicity, and managing the RSVP list. To utilize their time efficiently, clearly define the project s goals, leverage the personal interests of each individual, and set realistic expectations, taking into account that, while passionate, volunteers are juggling other jobs or commitments simultaneously.
IV. Honorees An Honoree is someone being acknowledged at your event for his or her contribution to your organization or the sector in which you work. This person, through their connections and inspiring story, can be a powerful draw for ticket sales and contributions. Begin the selection process by creating a list of key individuals from companies, foundations, and groups that support your organization. You may select someone who is already well ingrained in your efforts, or utilize your committee member s contacts in the community to secure an honoree that has supported a peer organization. At its 2012 Voices of Courage Awards Luncheon, the Women s Refugee Commission (WRC) 4 selected an Honoree who was both a long-time supporter of the organization and women s rights issues globally and who had strong connections in the corporate world. She was a major factor in the event s fundraising success because of her passion for WRC and her considerable corporate reach. 5 Best practice is to encourage your Honoree to make a financial gift as a public encouragement for others to do the same. Erin Oglesby at WRC affirmed that their Honoree s financial contribution to the organization was immensely beneficial. [She] provided the top gift, then used that as leverage to ask companies with whom she is affiliated to make donations as well. We received numerous corporate gifts from her efforts, including a matching gift! She knew the right people to ask within each company, and her request was backed by her financial contribution. Remember that beyond helping to fill seats, an Honoree s participation in your event should be genuine and relevant to your organization. If the only thing your honoree can do is speak in vague platitudes about the importance of your subject matter, you are forfeiting an opportunity for a reputable third party to affirm your organization s incredible work. Her story should motivate people to do something donate, volunteer, contact their congressmen about a policy issue, etc. Oglesby added that for WRC, Our Honoree personally wrote over 300 emails after corporate gifts had been secured. These personal contacts of hers were huge both for selling tickets and creating buzz about our mission and our event. She has an excellent reputation in the corporate and philanthropic community, so when she asks for support for a cause she believes in, people listen. She was personally invested in our organization, and people were inspired to respond. 6 Many organizations opt to have more than one honoree in order to leverage as many diverse networks as possible. Our rule of thumb is to not have more than three to four honorees; more than that will likely dilute the meaning of the honor, both on the invitation and at the event. And logistically, too many honorees create a long and tiring program. V. The Follow-Up Events do not exist in a vacuum, so suffice it to say that your event obligations have not ended when everyone has left the building. In fact, a sign of a successful event is lots of loose ends: new donors to thank personally, potential partners to meet with, and a new audience to engage with 4 www.womensrefugeecommission.org/ 5 Oglesby, Erin. Telephone interview. 11 June 2012. 6 Ibid
in a strategic and timely fashion. Your strategy for handling follow up and outcomes needs to be established before the event so that no opportunities are lost in the after-math. Follow-up communication is a critical step for turning one-time attendees into long-term supporters. Online RSVP tools such as eventbrite.com are an excellent way to track contact information for people who purchase tickets in advance. But many guests purchase tickets on another s behalf, or attend as guests of a corporate sponsor. For these people, plan ahead to collect their contact information. Your approach can be as straightforward as having a sign-in sheet at registration, running a raffle for guests who drop their business cards in a bowl, or training volunteers at the door to personally ask guests for their email addresses. Next, develop a communications plan. Categorize and prioritize your audience both those who attended and those who did not. Establish how key contacts will be contacted and by whom. If your event is being held out of town, schedule a few days post-event for a representative of your executive staff or Board to follow up with important contacts in person. Notify key guests at the event that you will be following up with them so they can expect your call or email. For non-priority contacts, a generic thank-you is appropriate and should be sent within 48 hours of the event. To save time in that 48 hour period, prepare your thank you email in advance then find a way to personalize the message with photos, quotes or major highlights from the event. In addition to personalizing thank-you emails, consider how you can utilize pictures and other multimedia to their full capacity. Creating an album on Flickr is one approach, but other options include: Tweeting pictures and including the accounts (@myaccount) of people in the photos Holding a caption competition on Facebook Using photos in your organization s website, brochure or annual report If you plan to use video or photography for marketing purposes, it is appropriate to notify attendees you will be doing so, either on a sign, an insert in the program, etc. The final component of follow-up is to return to the goals and vision you set for the event in the beginning of the planning process. Did your meet your objectives? If so, what were the major factors to that success? If not, what were your major hindrances, and how can they be avoided next time? Soliciting feedback and debriefing with your staff, Board, and volunteers will provide valuable insight as to what worked well and what did not, so be sure to take time for a post-event wrap-up with those involved in the planning process. If you are seeking some professional assistance with your event planning, we invite you to consider ConceptLink s full service event planning service. Alternatively, we offer a Finishing Touch package, which provides several hours of professional guidance and logistical support, as well as day-of coordination of your event. For more information, visit www.conceptlink.com. Share your thoughts and comments with us at info@conceptlink.com.