We’ve all attended fundraising events at some point in our lives. They are gatherings planned to create public awareness about a cause while increasing financial support for it. While we may know what a fundraising event is, we may not be familiar with different types of fundraising ideas. In this post, we’re going to look at 6 phenomenal ideas for fundraisers. But first, why fundraising events?
Benefits of Event Fundraising
Fundraising activities come in all shapes and forms. Most people know them for the benefit of raising funds for a noble cause, particularly for non-profits. They also provide opportunities for employees to participate in charity volunteer days. While that’s an incredible benefit of event fundraising, they come with many other benefits including:
- Enjoyable experience for supporters
- They expand the network of supporters
- Increase interaction among donors
- They make team members feel more committed to the cause
- Raise more money to invest in new programs and resources
Fundraising events are more than just about money. They are used by nonprofits to support their missions by encouraging their members, increasing interactions, and expanding their reach. Such events enable donors and other members of the community to actively interact with NGOs. If you’d like to reaffirm your mission and motivate your team to stay committed, this is the way to go.
Types of Fundraising Events
Every event, essentially, may be transformed into a fundraiser. Some events are, however, more profitable than others. That’s because some provide NGOs additional chances to advertise their goal and demonstrate to donors how their money truly makes a difference. Here are some ideas for your next fundraising event:
- Concert
- Silent auctions
- Half-marathons
- Neighbourhood barbecues
- Trivia tournaments
- Talent shows
- Charity galas
- Golf tournaments
- Fashion show
Popular Charity Events
1). Galas
A gala is a social event that features entertainment, food, and drinks. It serves as a platform for fundraising whereby the nonprofit earns money for the event by having guests buy tickets or tables for the gala. Galas may also include other events such as auctions in their schedules to raise more funds.
2). Auctions
These could either be live auctions or online auctions. They are events where items are sold to the higher bidder. In most cases, these items are usually donations from companies and other individuals, after which the nonprofit put them up for sale to the highest bidder.
Live auctions are held in person, generally with an auctioneer who describes the auction items and supervises the bidding for each item. Online auctions can either be held on an auction site, social media page, or the non-profit’s website. Here, supporters electronically enter bids and the highest bid wins.
3). Donor Appreciation Events
Donor appreciation events are free events held by NGOs to show their appreciation to donors. These occasions are used by nonprofits to express gratitude to donors, share their mission, and highlight ways donors can stay involved with the group such as volunteering.
This one shouldn’t be focused on raising money. It should be developed as a gathering of gratitude. It helps you concentrate entirely on connecting with your supporters and developing relationships. In essence, the event is exclusively centred on your supporters, which helps to foster stronger bonds and improve donor retention.
4). Virtual Fundraising Campaign
This is an online-based charitable event that aims to raise money or other donations. It is a good substitute for in-person events in situations where they are not practical. Even when in-person events are practical, you could opt for this one simply because people love them and they do not have to leave their homes to attend.
5). Silent Auctions
Just like live auctions, this one involves bidding. The only difference here is that donated objects are presented for attendees to examine and bid on “silently”. They do this by placing their bid on a sheet in front of the item.
This differs from a traditional auction in that there is no auctioneer to announce and describe each item. To make such an auction successful, you could use some clever fundraising strategies, such as punch walls, grab bags, and mystery boxes to help you sell some of the cheap auction items.
6). Hybrid Fundraising Events
These take advantage of the benefits of in-person and online events. They blend offline and online experiences asynchronously or concurrently. One way to do this would be live-streaming your event, but the best way to go about it would be to have a multi-channel and interactive event.
Ready to take your next fundraising event to the next level? Try either of these events to increase your donations, awareness, presence, and support, and scale the heights of your cause!