How to Create Successful Fundraising and Friendraising Events Dawn Wolf Director of Information Systems Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls
Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls & The Catholic Foundation for Eastern South Dakota 122,000 Catholics in 36,000 sq. mile area Catholic Foundation is 25 years old Separate 501 3 that operates as a community foundation
MISSION: The Catholic Foundation participates with God in the building of His kingdom on earth: To receive God s gifts gratefully, To cherish & tend to God s gifts in a responsible manner To share God s gifts in justice and love with others, To return them with increase to the Lord.
Vision To drought-proof the ministries of the church of eastern South Dakota. To be the most effective organization for receiving, stewarding (nurturing) and providing financial resources for the church and people of our region To call staff and donors alike to conversion a new, more spiritual relationship with our needs and our resources To provide leadership resources (time, talent, money) to the church of eastern South Dakota
Special Events Are they really worth it?
Argus Leader May 2007 The Harvard Business Review May 2003
What Special Events Should do Meet a LOT of PEOPLE Make a LOT of FRIENDS Do NOT compete with traditional fund raising efforts Good team building experience for staff and committed volunteers
How special events fit into a comprehensive stewardship & development program
Mission: To encourage the sharing of our God-given gifts to advance the Kingdom of God. 10,000 2,000 750 Ultimate Giving Planned Giving Major Gifts Special Events Dir. Planned Giving Asst Director of Planned Giving President Dir. Special Projects Dir. Special Events 23,000 Annual Giving & Stewardship 38,000 Communications
Seven goals 1. Raise funds now and raise more funds later Event participation is often the first personal contact a prospect has had with your charity or organization it is the beginning of the stewardship process Handled properly, this personal contact can lead to a future major or planned gift for your charity
2. Educate the public about your organization s mission Special events become a forum for concrete examples of your organization s impact in the community Use testimonials, graphs, videos, posters, volunteers, participants, etc.
3. Motivate board members and major donors Special events are friendly, not intimidating Fire up board members -- they are often caught up in the activity and excitement of the event
4. Recruit volunteers and future board members Identify participants who discover your organization and its good work Involve them in your mission Volunteers often become board members
5. Expand your Organization s network, build a donor base By design Special Events bring together large groups of people Recruit the largest possible committee The primary responsibility of volunteer committee is bringing people to the Special Event (not the logistics of the event)
6. Market your organization Special Events are one of the primary marketing tools of many non-profits Special Events provide unique opportunities to get well-placed editorial news coverage (the kind you can t buy in an advertisement) Take great care in inviting the press Spread your key volunteers amongst the participants Recruit a PR person to join your board or volunteer committee
7. Make endorsements Identify a prominent community citizen or celebrity to receive an award or emcee the event Take care in selecting a master of ceremonies who can bring credibility to your organization and endorse your mission
Some thoughts on how to organize special events...
Timelines Emphasize growth of the event based on realistic goals Year at a glance timeline
Assignments Make sure assignments specific Make sure assignment is accompanied by a realistic timeline Recommend no more than 3-5 assignments per volunteer per meeting
Meetings Recommend regular schedule of planning meetings with your volunteer committee Meetings bring a sense of urgency to assignments given to volunteers Have volunteers report on their progress at the meetings Keep your meetings on time
Sales Emphasize marketing/selling your event with your volunteers this is their key responsibility to the success of your special event Beware it is a lot easier for people (staff and volunteers alike) to talk about the logistics of the events instead of the sales
Volunteers Create Challenging positions for volunteer involvement Let volunteers know constantly that you appreciate them. Thank them! Thank them! & Thank them again! Review volunteer tasks to determine if they are still meaningful, valued & worthwhile.
Volunteers Make the volunteer environment fun! Send handwritten thank you notes, special occasion cards and more. Re-assign volunteers new tasks or projects occasionally. Give them a few options from which to choose, matching their skills and interests. Communication is key! Address issues as they come up.
Details Pay attention to detail Recommend doing a run through Script your event with program notes and assignments for staff and key volunteers Event should be scripted in such a way that if you were not at the event, it could be run by someone else
Mission Focus on your mission The messages communicated (both verbal and non-verbal) are opportunities that should be taken advantage of In what ways can you creatively communicate to your participants?
Basic Criteria Corporate or major gift underwriting (we have a minimum of $5,000). Secure in-kind media, publicity sponsors Volunteer committee (ownership) Tie event to specific beneficiary (helps to sell the event)
FUN!! Make sure you, your staff (and especially your volunteers) have fun!
Special Events, Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fund Raising - Alan Wendroff Special events are not isolated from an organization s overall development (and stewardship) program. Just the opposite your other fund raising methods can, and must, feed off the networking and recruitment results of the event, or the event isn t truly successful.
Special Events Are they really worth it?
Special Events YES! They really are worth it!