Increase participation at your fundraising event

If you are organising a fundraising event, you will want to ensure that your time and effort result in a substantial amount of money being raised. Here are six tips to help increase participation at your fundraising event…

Tip One – Invite the right people
First of all, it is vital to get the right people in the room. Compose a list of the names of people that are going to help you achieve your fundraising target. Don’t invite just everyone, be strategic – who is it that is more likely to care about your cause? Look at previous guests, newsletter subscribers, social media fans/promoters etc.

Tip Two – Create awareness
Use all the marketing communication tools that you have at your fingertips to actively communicate your event so that your target audience is aware and on the same page as you about what your fundraising program is about, and what needs to be achieved at the event. Make your audience enthusiastic about your fundraiser, which will help you raise as much money as possible for the cause that you feel so passionately about.

Tip Three – Entertainment
If you have entertainment planned for your event, make sure that it kicks off after the actual fundraising activities. People naturally get distracted when the entertainment starts, and you may also lose them to alcohol and music – which may jeopardise your fundraising goals.

Tip Four – Create competition
If possible, it is preferable to create a competitive environment where your guests are encouraged to outbid each other. Having desirable, high quality items to bid on (in an auction scenario), will drive the bids and overall the amounts you raise. Spend as much time as possible getting your auction items in place and create as much desire as possible for your ‘most precious’ auction items.

Tip Five – Host selection
A good host has the ability to create excitement and momentum around fundraising. The right host will also keep the event on track and positively motivate people to give money for your cause.

Tip Six – Countdown
To help to create a sense of urgency, introduce a countdown for the last few minutes of the auction or other time specific activities that you have in place to encourage as many last minute bids as possible. An electronic timer may be a good way to display the countdown to the broader audience.

Keep in mind that in order to be successful, it is important that you have a clear idea of what the end result should be, who your target audience is and what you want them to do. Setting up a specific goal makes you able to communicate your plans and measure your success. Good luck!

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