Event Planning Q & A
By Judy Allen, author of the professional
bestselling event planning series
The question:
As a nonprofit, is there any point in holding an event that is not also a fundraiser?
Judy's Response:
There are many reasons to hold an event, and even as a nonprofit organization, they do not necessarily all have to be fundraisers. Some events are held to bring awareness to your cause or to position you with sponsors for an upcoming major fundraising event, (e.g. to introduce your cause to a new target sponsor or potential guest market). Of course, you can always devise a means to accept mail-in donations etc. so you don't lose an opportunity.
What you first must do is clearly define your event’s objectives...all of them. This includes internal (your organization's objectives) and external (your sponsors, guests, potential donors, media). You must also weigh the cost and benefits of doing an event that is not a fundraiser. The long-term end results may justify your short-term expenditures. For example, you may consider doing a press event with one of the main objectives being to develop better professional relationships and to provide insight into why your cause is so important.
You are using the event to establish a working partnership with the media and to fully understand their industry, how they work, and what they need from you in order to ensure that someone will be available to cover your main event or to have their newspaper, magazine, television or radio station be receptive to sponsoring your next major event. If celebrities will be attending, you may find that if you can arrange for media to conduct an exclusive, pre-event interview your VIP guests, they will be sure to have someone their covering your fundraiser as well.
One nonprofit event that ran at a financial loss was a PR bonanza because the nonprofit organization was able to partner with a well-known celebrity for a movie premiere. The dollars raised were not extensive but the press coverage was. The organization was then able to use the media coverage and the favourable write-ups about their event as a marketing tool to attract future sponsors. The resulting press and celebrity endorsement also delivered more awareness about their mission and media outlets sought them out to be interviewed, which was an added ongoing bonus.
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Judy Allen is the author several bestselling books about event planning: Event Planning, The Business of Event Planning, Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette, Marketing Your Event Planning Business, and Time Management for Event Planners. For paid professional event planning consulting - event design, site
selection critique, venue and supplier contract review,
budget analysis,
strategic planning, event logistical and timing
requirements, and on-site
orchestration - contact Judy directly at Judy
Allen Productions.
Disclaimer: Advice and
recommendations are based on limited information provided and
should be used as
a guideline only. Neither the author nor CharityVillage.com
make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability
for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided
in whole or in part within this article.
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