In the pantheon of fundraising techniques, special events would be considered one of the minor gods. Costs are high in terms of the return on investment, they usually need many volunteers to work, and they take a lot of time and energy to plan.
In many cases in fact, the costs are as much as 50% of the money raised. Events can be very labour-intensive, and most require an outlay of money before you can even begin — for example, a deposit on room rental, pre-bought liquor, printing, stationary and postage. Many smaller nonprofit organizations do not have this initial upfront cash readily available to them.
In order to put on a special event, a number of questions have to be answered. Unfortunately, however, many organizations do not ask them:
- How much money are you hoping to raise? The answer “as much as possible” is not good enough. If you need a guaranteed $30,000, a special event may not be the right vehicle.
- What human resources do you have available to work on the project – both volunteer and staff? Special events usually need many people to be a success. If you can’t get the people, don’t run the event.
- Have you researched the market for what will work? You would not hold a gala dinner with an asking price of $50 a ticket in an area where everyone is on welfare.
- Have you checked out the competition for the same kind of event? Winnipeg has either a walk-a-thon, run-a-thon, bike-a-thon, loppet, etc. almost every weekend of the year. Are you sure you want to add to this number?
- What is your timing? You’ll have to plan very carefully to hold a major event around Christmas, as the people (including your volunteers and staff) may already be committed.
- How would inclement weather affect your event?
- Have you researched what is “in” for this year? Swing parties? Disco parties?
Another big problem with planning a special event is that it is perceived to be an easy chore. “Heck, anyone can plan a gala dinner. All they have to do is call the hotel, select a menu and have someone at the door to collect tickets. Right?” Wrong! There may be sponsors to be contacted, tickets to be printed, speeches to be written, and tables to be sold. At a recent function, no one ate the fancy hors-d’oeuvres. Why? The organizer forgot the cutlery, and fingers could not lift the food alone. They also forgot the waste containers, so people were carrying smelly shrimp tails around until garbage cans were provided. This was not a successful evening.
Finally, there is always the possibility that the volunteers do not show up as promised. The organizers then must scramble to find people to fill in the empty spots, a very difficult situation overall.
Special events can play an important role in an organization’s fundraising plans. They should be considered one of rather than the only method of fund raising. They should and can be part of an annual appeal, provide names for a direct mail piece, or kick-off a capital campaign to generate publicity. A well-organized special event can boost morale, generate excitement and recruit volunteers. Don’t dismiss them out of hand.
The principal and owner of Cedars Communications Services Inc, 602-365 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3M 3T4, Carolyn Rickey is a communications consultant, active volunteer and much-sought-after event organizer. For more information, call (204) 453-5770, fax (204) 453-1698, or eMail rickey@cedars.mb.ca.
