The primary occasion - 101 Fundraising

I’ve labored with many charities and lots of occasions groups in my 20-year fundraising profession. Presently, I’m working as a advisor and I’ve the privilege of being introduced right into a charity to troubleshoot and discover options to challenges. I’m confided in; financials and survey outcomes are shared and I get to talk to dedicated passionate workers about points they’re dealing with and potential resolutions. It’s flipping nice.

One of many extra frequent challenges I hear in my function as an Occasions Fundraising Specialist is the (perceived) decline in Particular Occasions. Now I do know that plenty of charities generate very first rate earnings from Gala Dinners, Christmas Concert events, Auctions and the like and for some charities they’re one of the vital profitable fundraising mechanisms, however many wrestle. There’s the gargantuan workforce efforts to promote tables at a Gala Dinner which has been organised by the identical committee for a decade or extra, the securing of ever extra authentic public sale prizes, the makes an attempt to lift a good web revenue when tens of hundreds might be sucked up by the expense of a glitzy dinner at a complicated resort.  And it’s, fairly rightly, main Fundraising Administrators and Heads of workforce to ask: Are the times of Particular Occasions numbered? They’ll really feel a bit inappropriate in at the moment’s world of falling public belief, the place charities are beneath fireplace for overhead and ambiguity.

However fundraising occasions do greater than fundraise. One of the best outcomes are seen when charities view their occasions as a catalyst for deeper engagement, a key that unlocks future help, the place fundraising just isn’t the primary driver. We have to redefine what a fit-for-purpose occasions programme seems like as we enter the 2020’s. It is going to require change, and an urge for food for threat, however on this publish GDPR period, occasions have by no means been extra vital to the charity sector. 

Listed here are a number of pointers that
I share with groups I work with who want to rework & future-proof
their particular occasions mannequin.

1. Park (or ditch) underperforming exercise. Working for months and months on an annual fundraising occasion which is just going to web a number of thousand kilos (earlier than workers prices) is senseless. By shelving underperforming exercise, time might be freed as much as innovate and discover different exercise, which is able to in the end increase extra long run. It could be simpler to influence committee members when you say you might be parking it briefly or giving it a fallow yr, identical to Glastonbury does!
2. Contain the entire charity in planning. Once more, this sounds easy however the tradition in fundraising groups is so hard-wired in the direction of particular person workforce targets that planning may be very typically carried out in silo. If you happen to contain the division and wider organisation within the goal and worth of the occasions from the outset, there might be a shared sense of possession and colleagues usually tend to work in the direction of its success understanding it advantages the complete charity. (Word: All KPIs should mirror that.) 
3. Cease calling them ‘Particular Occasions’. Probably controversial, however it’s an inside charity time period and doesn’t mirror their goal. If we wish these occasions to succeed, they must be extra accessible. Engagement Occasions is a extra becoming time period.
4. Take away monetary targets. If earnings technology stays the primary driver for these occasions will probably be nigh on not possible to make any significant change. Take away the monetary targets and instantly these actions might be measured in a much more vital method. Let’s not overlook occasions are unequalled alternatives to have interaction, recruit, steward and domesticate supporters. They’re way over an earnings goal on a spreadsheet.  We should shift the narrative about charity occasions and provides them the chance to work in a extra sustainable and significant method.