The key to a successful Fundraising Event: a step-by-step guide

Fundraising events are a fun and memorable way to create awareness and raise money for your charity or not-for-profit organisation. Although the idea of running an event can seem daunting, with the right tools and some careful planning, your event is sure to be a success!

Keep reading for our step-by-step guide to fundraising events.

Planning: Fundraising event checklist

The planning stage is by far the most important in determining the success of your event. If you spend the time making a plan upfront, you’ll be far more relaxed come event day!

This checklist will help you make sure you’ve included everything in your plan.

1. State your purpose

The key to any successful fundraising campaign is knowing your purpose. Before you start planning your event, you need to decide exactly what it is you want to achieve. In most cases, it will be a financial goal, but it could also be to increase awareness for your cause, boost numbers for your email list or enlist advocates and loyal supporters for your charity.

2. Decide on a goal

Once you know your purpose, you can craft a specific goal. This will help you in your planning and also determine if your event is a success. Your goal needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART).

An example of a SMART goal for your fundraising event is:

“To raise $5,000 (specific) through ticket sales via the icause Event Manager (measurable) from 100 people purchasing a $50 ticket (achievable) between the event announcement on 1st September and the event date on 15th October (time-bound). Because event attendees tend to become loyal supporters, hosting the event will raise funds and grow our supporter base (relevant).

3. Define your budget

Equally as important as your goal is your budget. This will set out how much you can spend on your event, and make sure you don’t end up out of pocket. You need to think about all aspects of your event that will cost money, including, but not limited to, venue hire, staff wages, insurance, products/merchandise and marketing.

4. Choose the type of event

There are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to fundraising events, so you need to choose one that suits your cause and your guests. Some ideas include:

• Gala dinner with guest speakers
• Morning tea
• Barefoot bowls
• Funfair
• Markets
• Art auction
• Fun run

5. Insurance and legalities

You need to check the insurance and admin that is required around your event. This will be different for every type of event, so it’s best to check with your local council to see what type of insurance you need. If you are hiring a venue or using a catering agency, they should have their own insurance, so make sure to check first so you don’t double up.

If you have the event in a public area, there might be some additional paperwork to book the site with the council.

You should also check that you understand and adhere to the Fundraising Laws relevant to your state. Read more here: Fundraising Laws in Australia.

6. Gather a superstar event planning team

Events are hard work, so don’t try to do it all alone! To make it all run seamlessly, give each member of your team specific tasks to complete, along with deadlines. The type of event you are running will affect the size of your team and the timelines. 

Things to include in your task list could be booking the guest speaker and entertainment, booking the venue, setting up the crowdfunding page, arranging insurance, sending out invites or designing the theme. 

Book regular catch-ups with the team to make sure everything is on track.

7. Book a date and venue

Before you can start inviting guests to your event, you need to book your date and venue. The date you choose might be pre-determined by the cause - for example, the World’s Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation is in March or Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea for the Cancer Council is in May. Otherwise, try to select a date that is significant to your cause and when you know your supporters will be available. Try to avoid public holidays and school holidays whenever possible.

8. Ticketing and donations

You’re nearly ready to start inviting guests, but first, make sure you have set up a platform to sell tickets and/or receive donations. There are a lot of free online options to streamline this process. Try the icause Event Manager to take care of all the details.

It’s important to make sure your chosen platform has a good reputation, a proven track record and a thorough security and privacy guarantee so that your guests are reassured their money is in safe hands.

9. Invite your guest list

Send out your invitation at least 3-4 weeks in advance to ensure people don’t have prior commitments. Depending on the demographics of your guests you can send out paper invitations, use email or set up a Facebook event page. 

10. Marketing and promotions

If you want your event to reach as many people as possible, then you need to put a lot of planning into the most effective way to market it. 

Your marketing and promotions will also be important on the day, to make sure your guests feel connected and informed about the cause they are supporting. Some things you can consider are:

• Sponsorship
• Branding
• Promotional items
• Gift bags
• Publicity and media

Event day

Now that you have made it to event day, you can see all your hard work pay off. But it’s not time to relax just yet! Keep on top of these key areas to make sure your event runs smoothly.

• Bump in

If you’re new to events, you might not have heard the term ‘bump-in’ before. It simply refers to the process of setting up your venue. Make sure you allocate plenty of time for the bump-in to avoid the stress of running around putting on the final touches when your guests start to arrive.

• Event hosts and MCs

Ask your hosts or MC (if it’s not you) to arrive at least an hour before your guests so that you can make sure they understand your expectations of them and are familiar with the venue.

• Itinerary

Have multiple copies of the itinerary with you so you can share it with all the key stakeholders, including the MC, volunteers, catering staff, guest speakers and entertainment.

• Social sharing opportunities

Throughout the day, be sure to encourage your guests to share the event on their socials. You can have signage or promotional material with your event’s hashtag or even set up a photo booth to get people in the spirit.

• Donations

Depending on the type of event, you might be able to collect donations on the day. You can have QR codes linking to your crowdfunding page on signage or promotional material around the event so people can easily donate in a few clicks.

After the event

The days following an event are the perfect time to thank your guests and donors and make sure your appreciation is known. You can do this by sending out emails, thank-you cards or a shout-out on social media.

This will set you up for success in the future by making guests more likely to return to your next event.

icause Event Manager

icause has made event planning a breeze! Check out our Event Manager to make your next fundraising event as smooth as can be!

Some of our fabulous Event Manager features are below.

Easy Set-up

Use one of our fundraising templates or tailor your own campaign page on your icause dashboard.

Complete control

Add and manage team members, track your progress, and send out communications all from one place.

Promote your event

Use automated emails, SMS, and social sharing to reach your supporters.

Ticketing

Our API integration and ticketing function make event registration easy.

Merchandise

Add your merchandise products to boost fundraising.

Security guarantee

Our payment and privacy guarantee gives you and your supporters peace of mind.

Next steps

If you are considering a fundraising event for your next campaign, let the team at icause support you every step of the way!

You can give us a call to discuss your unique fundraising needs, or get started online today.