Special Events

Few small non-profits can survive without special events. That’s because they serve a dual function, by not only raising money but raising awareness. If your public doesn’t know you exist, they can’t support you. If they don’t understand your mission, they may not support you. Establishing at least one event annually is a good idea, with as much publicity as possible.

There is a downside. If poorly planned, special events can cost you money instead of making money. They can also burn out staff and volunteers, as they are time consuming. In a nutshell: they can be high energy, low yield.

Go for it if:  a) you are confident you won’t lose money; b) you have a strong pool of volunteers and c) know the event will bring good media and potential donor exposure. Then…

Think of a special event as a mini- business project .  It needs a strategic  marketing plan like any other “business:”

1. Clearly established goals and objectives:  a) raising money; b) attracting new volunteers;  c) creating publicity for your organization;  d) energize board members e) attracting new donors

2. Identify your market for the event: does it appeal to the general public? Or do you need to find animal lovers? Sports enthusiasts? Golfers? What strategies will you use to recruit them?

3. Summary of Market conditions: what kind of event will be successful given the current “market” conditions? Are there already too many black tie dinner/ auctions? Walk-a-Thons? Golf Tournaments? Then plan something different. What about time of year? What months are already packed with events? Do you have committed volunteers? What resources do you have? Does it make sense to rent a facility, or does one of your supporters have an ideal property to use? Can you design an event to become sustainable in a relatively short amount of time? Bottom line: select an appropriate event.

4. Identity Issues: how will you “brand” your event? Good events have their own clever name, tagline or theme, logo so that it becomes recognizable as it grows over the years and develops some equity in the community. The more recognizable the event becomes, the more sustainable it will be.

5. Marketing/Advertising: how are you going to promote your event? Do you need to recruit a media sponsor? Is there money budgeted for that or will you depend on PSA’s and local news stories? Can you use social media  exclusively?

6. Public Relations: who will be the “face” or “faces” of the event…those that make sure it all happens smoothly? Do you have a strong Chairperson  with a solid committee that have done good planning within budget constraints, utilized all in-kind resources, have a plan for supervising volunteers, obtained key sponsors, and act as event “ambassadors”  to drum up support?

7. Income and Expenses: the bottom line. Once you have evaluated your resources, and the type of event that makes sense, line item all your projected expenses as if you had to pay for all of them. Whatever your total is, that is your target amount for sponsorships. You cover those expenses, and the rest is profit. That is always the goal.

8. Sponsorships are valuable to businesses if you design them logically and coordinate it well with publicity.