Raising Money with Fundraising Events
1. Getting Started - Before you can put on a good event Get involved in your Community
Get involved with the best PR people in town: Chamber of Commerce, newspaper, TV and Radio stations, Convention Visitors Bureau
Go to social events to meet potential business partners – After Hours, Ambassador Groups, Chamber groups, Ribbon Cuttings, Open Houses
Connect with people that your agency could do business/partner with: Printing Company, Computer services and repair, Web Development, Marketing Company, Banks, Staffing Services, Insurance, Phone, Manufacturing, Restaurants (Texas Road House, Starbucks, ChickFilA), Grocers (Meijer) Auto Makers – (Chrysler), Hospitals, Schools, YMCA
Join a Business Networking Group, Professional group, Chamber – good place to speak about agency and may lead to volunteers, donation drives, board members
Join a Service/Civic Group: Kiwanis Club, Rotary – Most of them also give back to the community thru small grants and/or volunteering especially for your events and projects.
Go out and speak at Networking groups, Churches, Schools, Chamber, Companies, United Way companies
Then… “Get them involved as a volunteer” – group from Bank, Starbucks (matching volunteer hours) to clean up yard, etc., church group to do a collection drive of needed items, or get volunteers through United Way - check UW website, WeVolunteer.com, put volunteer info on your web and contact info.
Make arrangements to talk to specific groups, churches, etc. at specific times-Make a Difference, Holiday time, Mother’s Day, National Volunteer Week, National Homelessness Week
Best stories comes directly from client/participant or past program participate, have them tell their story how agency made an impact in their life
That could lead to a project or event – example - MELD Baby Shower is now on 19 years-every Mother’s Day in May
Faith in Action Sunday, Mission Project, Adopt-an- Agency for needed items or supplies. Get Connected with Social Media
Need Website - Promote agency and what your agency does, provide information about agency programs, donate on line, sell items on line and register for events
Web visibility: Sponsors of our events are rolling on our web home page (each company with logo is rotating on regular basis and this is part of their sponsorship package)
Facebook and Email blast program (Constant Contact or Mail Chimp) Twitter and LinkedIn
Get emails and addresses as often as you can and put into database for mailings or email blast Have good Board and good Board involvement
Decide whether you want a “working” board or a board person for their recognized name or company name. Are you asking board to do the work for events or just be on for advice, in name of company?
Do you want them on your committees for events?
Are you asking them to go out and ask for sponsor, auctions item, etc.?
Do you want board that have companies that could possibly give you in-kind services (sometimes as good as cash) i.e. print, host event (After Hours) and/or be sponsors or underwrite events?
For Services In-kind consider: Web/Marketing Company – help with web development and design and marketing
Printing Company – give in-kind printing
Convention center/Restaurant/Hotel – helps with reduce food costs, reduce or waive rental fees
Computer Company –hosts computers, fix, repair etc.
Have good Public Relations Fundraising starts with good PR!
Involve clients – their stories – first hand Get media involved
Have Involvement of Agency Clients/Participants
Have a representative of your programs on the board if possible. Example – We receive State and Federal Homeless Funds- have past homeless participant, now successful adult at business, on the board. Have someone who was a past program client or participant
Have past clients give back to programs and agency by volunteering to speak or assist with events or programs. Includes volunteers in everything you do – events, speaking, public relations, newsletter, mailings, volunteering for projects and events.
Recruit Volunteers
What could volunteers do to replace, augment or supplement staff, programs and/or fund raising events? Use Interns and Students that need volunteer hours:
High Schools – to graduate many have to put in a set number of volunteer hours each year
College – Interns from Early Childhood, Soc and Psych classes, Nursing, Education, Public Relations and Marketing classes and programs are required to have volunteer experience (great way to get volunteers!!) Churches and civic groups-plant garden, build shed
Example of volunteering for Groups and Events at MELD.
Have a Volunteer Coordinator (volunteers to do the works) – Interview potential volunteers, run the background checks, do the paper work, enter them in system so staff don’t have to do that.
2. Fundraising Events and/or Fund Development?
You need both! What’s your timeline to get more revenue coming in? Fundraising events – take a lot of time but get the $$ soon as it is over.
Question is always asked –are fundraising events worth the time and hours put in to plan event- a good reason to have volunteers do much of the work for event – solicit for auction, raffle items, decorate, etc
Fund Development – got to have something to develop. Sometimes takes longer to prepare for the ask and to get the donation (major gifts, planned giving)
Fundraising events raises $$ quicker.
Fund Development – takes longer, long term investment for the agency
Each agency differs – most need a little bit or a lot of both!! Depends on budget and what % of total budget is expected to come from Fundraising.
3. Event ideas and suggestions:
Find a niche: Raffle, Sell something – MELD Cards, Wine tasting, restaurants that would give a % of sales to agency, A walk and/or run, sports event (Bocce Ball), Gift wrapping at holiday time – stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders, the local shopping Mall. Give Gift wrapping example.
Find business/ group to do the fundraiser for the agency:
Examples: ASA raffle – Fix Your Car raffle (Automotive group), Chrysler-Dunking tank, Flower Sale- Churches Blue Cross/Blue Shield (match volunteer hours with $$
Wine tasting – pay at door – and a portion of cost comes back to agency
Holiday Yard Lighting – Decorated their yard for holiday, had lighting and invited friends, and then asked for donations to our agency.
Birthday, Baby Shower, Anniversary Celebrations – getting more common – No Presents please – instead donation to agency. Example: Board member 60th Birthday Party
4. Find Matching $$
Example - Thrivent, working with Lutheran churches
Example: MELD Cards – Churches participate and Thrivent matches hours with dollars Blue Cross Blue Shield, Starbucks, Big store that comes to town - Meijer
5. Event Suggestions
Can you tie in event with agency’s mission or work? Or what will draw your community to attend – Sports Celebrity, Woman Business Owner with a story, Motivational Speaker.
Example; women’s and men’s agency – get motivational speaker or sports celebrity. Or just do a fun and/or healthy event to include men, women and children (run), Golf (men and women), speaker (all groups) or dinner/dance (adults)
Dinner/Dance vs. Guest Speaker:
Dances draw couples and need to be on Fri or Sat evenings (and many times conflict with High School sports events
Sports events draw men and women and probably are best on week nights and not weekends. Motivational Speaker may draw a diverse group – ages, men and women and youth depending on speaker and are you including Youth in attendance (then need a youth price)
Spread out event over the year – try to do something each season or each quarter of the year - Spring, Summer and Fall and Holiday Time.
Example: *Sports Celebrity- Feb (Signature I event) MELD Cards – April and May (Tradition) Wine Tasting – May or June
Let It Shine (Tastefully Simple) *Run – July (Signature 2 event) Golf – Aug (Signature 3 event) *MELD on the Rock – Sept Appeal Breakfast - Oct
Holiday – Dec (gift wrapping at local book store or mall) Adopt a family for holiday gifts
Note: Newsletter and Annual Appeal – just to mention – not event, but newsletter are great way to promote and advertise your events. Annual Appeals with letter from Board pres, a client that benefitted from program, etc. – great way to bring in financial support to agency
6. Fundraising Examples
MELD CARD, PRINT AND NOTE CARD SALES Have been doing for 24 years
Local artist donates time to do the artwork for presentation on card
Community looks for it each year, and looks for what we are going to do new and different – new artists, new style – painting, drawing, photography, etc
Get printing costs covered: Businesses cover costs of printing (gets their name and logo on each piece) – they like the publicity and the association with the nonprofit
Get Printer to give donate at least a portion of the printing cost – that gets their name on the back of every card and note card (great advertising for them)
Mailing service - mailed cards/note cards free in exchange for advertising the Mailing Service Company as sponsor (printing their logo and name of company on back of every card)
Find places to have them for sale:
Local card shops: believe it or not the local Hallmark loves it! And so do the local gift shops and churches. Can you have your product at various locations year around? (Note cards sell all year long.
Sell on web site
Community locations for card to be purchased: Churches: (how we got the Thrivent matching $$), Businesses: Banks (your bank), Macys, local pharmacy, gift shops, garden shops, jeweler (offered a Mother’s Day special and part of proceeds come to agency), Individuals – took note cards to their work to sell.
Hold event with a special group -Chamber (draws lots of people). Got bank to match proceeds from evening event. Artist hosted Garden event
It is an annual event – Feature a different artist or Photography each year CALENDAR
Very unique - Would have to sell in fall and only good for one year.
Get paid advertising on each page or business to sponsor entire calendar - Businesses like to have their name and logo visible.
Use Artists’ pictures and/or pictures of local agency work (homeless), youth, babies, etc. RUN AND WALK
Make it fun! Ours is on July 4th Morning
Have to have T-shirts, kids’ stuff, water, food (specialty or new restaurant in town donates a new product) Chick-Fil-A, New ice cream store, race rolls (Texas Road House)
SPORTS CELEBRITY EVENT Your celebrity will be the draw!!
VIP – special price and sign book – Meet and Greet guest speaker before event
Have a Book signing o sell their specialty items – football mouse pads, baseballs, footballs MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
Let It Shine – Tastefully Simple Founder Jill – awesome story from rags to richest Local Tastefully Simple associates got involved
Continue to do TS parties and part of proceeds go back to purchase TS items for Silent Auction Basket GOLF PLAY DAY
Everyone loves a fun Golf Outing!!
What makes yours unique – sample food on every hole, special golf game, chance to win from Hole-In-One WINE TASTING
Easy to do and easy to promote
Find Wine Business that will charge at door – and portion of proceeds come back to agency $15 - $10 comes back
Agency advertise and promote, Wine place has tasting, charge at the door, agency gets proceeds DINNER ON THE DOCK OF THE ROCK
Dinner on the local river dock restaurant Get jeweler to give a “rock” or gem Have 3-4 piece fun band with dancing Raffle 50/50Cash Raffle
Have weekday in evening after work Have rain plan (indoor)
RAFFLES
YES!!! Easy way to make some $$ Goal – get all items on raffle donated
HOST “FUNDRAISING” REAKFAST OR LUNCH
Each board invites a table of 8 or 10 - 20 board with 10 at table = 200 people
Have a meal, have client/participant tell their stories how agency/program helped them Board Pres and ED – talk briefly about support agency
Have packet of agency info with an “ask” letter and remittance envelope
Give everyone something to remember the agency – magnet, pen, notepad, tote bag, etc. Board follows up with their table guests.
HOLIDAY GIFT WRAPPING
Wrap holiday gifts for donation to agency
Barnes and Noble, local gift shop, Jewelry store, local mall Store provides supplies, volunteers do wrapping for donation EVENTS THAT FRIENDS OF AGENCY HOST
Gift Wrapping – for a donation to agency
Holiday Yard Lighting – friends are invited to holiday party that has lots of holiday lights. Monetary donations are collected for agency (really works at Holiday time for giving to agency. People are thinking end of year end donations and tax deductions and are the most generous at holiday time.)
7. Other considerations
Can you tie in event with agency’s mission or work? Or what will draw your community to attend – Sports Celebrity, Woman Business Owner with a story, Motivational Speaker.
Example; women’s and men’s agency – get motivational speaker or sports celebrity. Or just do a fun and/or healthy event to include men, women and children (run), Golf (men and women), speaker (all groups) or dinner/dance (adults)
Set a Traditional or Signature Event – do every year at the same time ( Sports Celebrity event Andre Dawson -Lucille O’Neil – Shaq’s mom – teen parent with Shaq – Tony Dungy– All Pro Dads, Jill- Rags to top 10 Woman owned company,
Dinner/Dance vs. Guest Speaker: Pro and cons
Dances draw couples and need to be on Fri or Sat evenings (and many times conflict with High School sports events. Check out your dates well in advance.
Sports Events draw men and women and probably are best on week nights and not weekends. Motivational Speaker – draws a diverse group – ages and men and women and youth depending on speaker and are you including Youth in attendance (then need a youth price)
8. Sponsoring or Underwriting Events: 3 Events Sponsors:
Sports Celebrity (Feb) Run (July)
Golf (Aug/Sept)
Or do they just want to sponsor one event – Company would like their employees to run or walk, Their company reps like to golf
What do they get for sponsorship? (Complimentary) Tickets to VIP - Meet and Greet Sports
Signed Book
Run entry and T-shirt Golf for 2 or 4
Business name/logo on ticket
Lots of PR – business logos on invites, in promotions, on raffle, on web, on ads, sponsor radio ad so their names is mentioned as sponsor. Billboards
8. Media
Get media involved in all your events
Get media to match $$. Buy $500 of advertising, station gives $500 match of ad time (so get total of $1,000 of advertising time)
Negotiate with media: If I buy an ad, will you match it with another ad, If I buy radio time to promote will you give us equal time complimentary – in return they get some complimentary tickets (Note Top business directors that come to events, usually spend $$ on auctions and raffle! They did not have to pay for cost of event, so spend their $$ at event to support agency.
Bring a sports celebrity – get the Sports Media interested Consider all avenues of media:
TV, Radio. Newspaper 9. In-Kind Donations
Auction items, gift certificates, prizes, goodies bag stuffers-coupons, etc. are all good promotions for businesses. This could be big – Money for the Raffle, Large items – grill, TV, etc. for the Raffle.
In-Kind for the agency – needed items, supplies, Have a wish list. Then let community know what you need and how the items will be used
Example: MELD Bucks –Positive reinforcement. 10. Database a Must
Donors, Volunteers and Contacts/Businesses Database Collection – got to have. Should you use Excel (keep data internal), Blackbaud, Donor Perfect or In Cloud (Salesforce)? Money is the driver, and what is the ROI. Remember to say…THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Cannot say it enough to ALL donors, supporters, volunteers and board!
My Contact information: Karen Tilly
Director of Development and Public Relations Rockford MELD 107 N. 3rd St Rockford, IL 61107 Ph: 815.963.6353 x11 (w) Ph: 815.979.8669 (c) Fax: 815.963-5351 email: ktilly@rockfordmeld.org www.rockfordmeld.org