4 Ways to Decide On Your Annual Nonprofit Fundraising Events

When you sit down with your team to plan the year’s fundraisers, where do you start? Do you prioritize finances, donor behavior, marketing opportunities, or something else? How do you choose fundraisers that bring in the funds your nonprofit needs to thrive, engage supporters, and inspire lasting support?

The truth is, there’s not one right answer. There are several effective ways to evaluate your options, especially when it comes to events.

If you’re unsure how to choose the right fundraisers for this year, we’ll explore four different places you can start. Use these strategies to brainstorm ideas for your annual fundraising events and narrow down your options.

1. Start with your fundraising goals and budget.

Knowing how much you need to raise in total (and how much you can spend) helps you choose events with the most realistic fundraising potential.

If you haven’t set a topline revenue goal for the year yet, this should be your first step. Compare past annual fundraising goals with actual revenue earned in recent years. Then, factor in any grants and commitments you already have.

Once you have a topline goal, use past event data to determine how much of your budget you should allocate to events. Evaluate if you can raise enough from a single large fundraising event or if you’ll need to host several events throughout the year.

After clarifying your financial goals, the OneCause event planning guide suggests considering smaller goals that align with your organization’s strategic priorities. Identify events that will drive revenue and support other important goals, such as:

• Boosting donor acquisition
• Increasing cause awareness
• Stewarding current and prospective major donors
• Re-engaging lapsed supporters
• Recognizing volunteers and long-time donors
• Gaining new followers on social media

Then, verify that these options fit into your budget. For example, say you need to raise $500,000 from fundraising events this year while also increasing the size of your donor base on a limited budget. You might plan several low-cost virtual events designed for donor acquisition and a large in-person auction to raise the bulk of your revenue.

2. Analyze supporter participation and preferences.

Base your decision-making on data by using donor preferences to choose the events that will attract the most attendance. This method allows you to dive deep into past event data and learn which fundraisers your supporters truly enjoy—and which inspire them to give. With a donor-focused approach, you’ll ensure that any events you plan connect with supporters and increase their loyalty to your cause.

To discover your donors’ favorite types of events, analyze the following data from your constituent relationship management system (CRM):

• Past event attendance: Compare the number of guests who attended different events. Have you attracted more support with online or in-person events? Is there a specific annual event that consistently draws the largest crowd?
• Fundraising totals from past events: The revenue each event generates tells you which are historically the most profitable for your unique donor base. You can also look at the average and median donation sizes for different events to understand their fundraising potential on an individual level.
• Supporter feedback: Analyze guest and volunteer responses to post-event surveys. Which events did they react most positively to? Did any supporters explicitly state their event preferences?
• Fundraising ROI: Some events are more expensive to host than others, so it’s important to consider return on investment (ROI) along with revenue totals. To calculate ROI, use this formula: ([Revenue] – [Event cost]) / [Event cost].

List the most popular and lucrative fundraising events based on the conclusions you draw from this data. If they aren’t the same event, consider ways to combine elements from each one.

For instance, your nonprofit’s raffles might attract the most guests while its galas bring in the most revenue. You could plan both types of events this year, or promote and give away several raffle baskets at your next gala.

3. Take stock of your nonprofit’s strengths and challenges.

Another effective way to choose events is to identify and play to your organization’s strengths. Rely on what your nonprofit does well, whether recruiting volunteers or securing in-kind donations from corporate partners.

If you’re unsure of your nonprofit’s greatest strengths and challenges, conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis or a needs assessment. Then, find events that allow you to take full advantage of what you already do well while mitigating challenges.

Here are a few types of events you might consider depending on your organization’s strengths:

• Silent auctions: In-person auctions work best for nonprofits with active supporter communities and multiple business connections. This way, they can easily secure donated auction items and attract guests who are excited to participate.

• Golf tournaments: These high-profile events are most effective for organizations with many affluent donors and at least one company willing to sponsor the event.

• Walks, runs, and rides: If you have a particularly health-minded or family-oriented donor community, an active outdoor fundraiser like a 5K could be the perfect fit. These events also work well for nonprofits with highly active volunteer bases.
• Virtual events: Nonprofits with national support bases or large numbers of low-level donors can use virtual events to effectively tap into their networks.

Remember that these aren’t the only events you can host. By playing to your strengths, even small organizations and those with limited resources can host vibrant, successful events.

4. Align events with other activities on your fundraising calendar.

Finally, you could begin the event planning process by determining the timing of your fundraisers. You might choose this approach if you already have a major campaign on your nonprofit’s calendar or your donor base has clear preferences for when they give.

For instance, say that you’re in the midst of a capital campaign and already have your public kickoff scheduled for midsummer. In this case, you might plan one large kickoff event and schedule several smaller events throughout the rest of the year. Or, you could focus solely on the capital campaign and year-end fundraising events to tap into peak giving times without exhausting supporters.

No matter what’s on your calendar, consider how fundraising events could enhance or detract from your nonprofit’s other activities.

Planning your chosen annual fundraising events

Once you’ve determined which events to host, it’s time to start planning! Remember all the considerations we’ve discussed as you plan, and don’t be afraid to change course if needed. Fundraising event planning isn’t a one-and-done endeavor—you’re bound to run into challenges or shifting priorities along the way. Return to these strategies if you need new ideas or a reminder of what’s important.