​We’ve all been there. The CEO, Emcee, or Board Chair comes up to the stage just as dinner is finishing up, and begins, “let’s take a moment to thank our sponsors”. It’s a nice thought, and showing gratitude to sponsors is very important. But does it have to be so boring? Does it have to be so routine and by the book that it makes your guests tune out from listening to your speaker and tune in to talking to their neighbor?

How can you both thank your sponsors meaningfully while keeping it interesting for everyone else, and better yet, how can you go the extra mile in thanking your donors beyond the perfunctory podium “thank yous”?

Looking for simple ideas of how you can make your next fundraising event an unforgettable night for your donors and make them fall even more in love with your mission? Read on!

For many organizations, their annual fundraiser serves multiple purposes. The top three that are pretty universal are:

• To raise money for the organization with existing donors.
• Introduce new donors to the work of the organization.
• And to celebrate organizational accomplishments.

At any given event, the emphasis on these main areas might shift, but generally speaking, these areas tend to be where most of the focus remains for many nonprofit fundraising events.

Planning and executing a benefit event for your organization takes a lot of time, energy, and goodwill from your staff, board, volunteers, and donors. In fact, it’s one of the most time intensive ways to raise money. That’s why you want to make sure every resource you put into your event has the greatest return on investment. If you’re looking to maximize success and generate more revenue to put towards your mission and programs then be sure to follow the 3 P’s of event success

Purpose
First, you need a clear purpose for the event. Events come in all shapes, sizes and flavors. There really isn’t a one size fits all answer to what is the best type of event. There are however best practices depending on what the main goal of the event is. Is the purpose of the event to raise as much money as possible? Is the emphasis on having a good party and celebration of your work? Having time to honor special guests through awards? To cultivate new donors, or deepen relationships with existing donors? Each of these priorities will represent a different approach and event night timeline and structure. ​