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The Nonprofit Fundraising Event Planner

Get All The Event Planning Resources

Decide What Type of Fundraiser to Hold

Create an Event Team

5 to 6 Months Before Your Event
5 to 6 Months Before Your Event

Set Goals for Your Fundraiser

Mile Marker 3
Mile Marker 3

Set an Event Budget

4 to 5 Months Before Your Event - Mile Marker 4
4 to 5 Months Before Your Event – Mile Marker 4

Pick a Date, Venue & Platform

Mile marker 5 with a water bottle beside it
Mile marker 5 with a water bottle beside it

Create an Event Planning Timeline

Rally Point sign marker
Rally Point sign marker
3 to 4 months before the event
3 to 4 months before the event

Secure Event Sponsors and/or In-Kind Donations

Mile marker 7 with an aid station icon next to it
Mile marker 7 with an aid station icon next to it

Set Up Ticketing & Registration

Mile marker 8 with a flashing camera next to it
Mile marker 8 with a flashing camera next to it

Market Your Fundraiser

Marketing your event means more than just informing people about it. It means getting them excited about it. Here are some ways you can market your event and build anticipation about it using established communications channels.

Common Event Communications Channels

Ace, from the One Bunch, extends beyond a computer screen holding a voice amplifier bullhorn to illustrate communications capabilities

Email

This channel works best for your existing supporters. It’s the nonprofit equivalent of “turning out your base.” Create an email campaign—or even better, multiple campaigns that target different audience segments—highlighting what your event has in store, why people should attend, and how they can help spread the word.

6 Nonprofit Email Benchmarks You Need to Know

Social Media

Don’t just post about your event. Tell a story. Better yet, use social media to highlight the behind-the-scenes work that goes into your event. Make your team the stars! Those sorts of posts will be a great supplement to your more traditional channels and play to the strengths of social platforms by highlighting individual people.

7 Steps to Create a Nonprofit Social Media Strategy

Direct Mail

Direct Mail is very expensive, but it can also provide a great ROI. Be targeted with your direct mail, but don’t be stingy. If you’re sending out an official event invite, take the time to do it right and spend the extra money on fancy paper. And make sure you include a way to register, like a QR code that takes people directly to your page where someone can buy tickets.

Here’s How QR Codes Work in Neon CRM

 

Local Press

While earning actual press coverage for a nonprofit event is always a crapshoot, sending out a press release (and posting it on your website) is still a good way to spread the word. When crafting a press release, think like a journalist: What makes your event notable or unique in a way that their readers or listeners would want to hear more about?

Nonprofit Public Relations Strategies That Build Trust and Credibility

Posters

Posters and flyers are an old standby, but they come with some serious downsides. First, putting them up takes a lot of time. Second, a nice poster is expensive to print. If you’re going to make a poster, make sure it’s a poster that excites people instead of just informing them. Look for local graphic designers who might be willing to donate (or at least discount) their services.

3 Nonprofit Branding Tips (Plus Examples!)

Marketing for nonprofits is both an art and a science. It means pairing your skills as a copywriter and graphic designer with tried-and-true best practices and a data-backed understanding of your organization’s specific audiences.

2 to 3 months before the event
2 to 3 months before the event

Recruit & Train Volunteer Event Staff

A finish line gate with colorful fireworks going off behind it
A finish line gate with colorful fireworks going off behind it

Hold Your Fundraiser

Within 1 week after your event is over
Within 1 week after your event is over

After the Event, Follow Up

Confetti rains down and balloons are around while Genesis and Una dance and celebrate joyously
Confetti rains down and balloons are around while Genesis and Una dance and celebrate joyously