Back to the Future – The Best Tech and Non-Tech Solutions for Fundraising Events
At Growth for Good, for the most part, we embrace technology – especially when it comes to fundraising events. But sometimes “old school” strategies still work better.
Here are the technologies/software solutions we love and the associated benefits.
| Technology | Benefits |
| Online Ticketing (e.g., OneCause or 501 Auctions) | Money in bank immediately Donor contact information captured Event check-in automated Guest names entered Donor IRS tax receipt generated automatically Benchmarking data useful for year-over-year comparisons |
| Electronic Journal (e.g., EVENTjournal) | Environmentally friendly Sponsors and donors much more visible during the event Sponsor logos displayed on website year-round Deadline extended for journal ad submission |
| Auction Software (e.g., OneCause or 501 Auctions) | Sponsors and auction donors get more exposure prior to the event Captures bidders’ contact information for easy follow-up Money in bank immediately after auction closes Event purchaser checkout automated and seamless |
| CRM (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge) | List management simplified Communications automated and tracked Relationships to board members & solicitors documented Frequency of giving tracked |
| Donor Research (e.g., WealthEngine) | Giving capacity estimated Interest in other causes documented Research new guests prior to the event Prioritize post-event guest follow-up |
| Social Media | Outreach possibilities multiplied exponentially Sponsors and auction donors get more exposure prior to the event Opportunity to extend nonprofits’ brand and reach |
But hey – technology is not always a panacea! We find that more “old school” fundraising event strategies still have a place. Here are the “Back to the Future” strategies that we depend on for success:
Printed name tags or place cards – Printed name tags or place cards with the name of the guest and the table assignment – arranged alphabetically for the guest to pick up while a staff person simply checks off the name of those who check in – is infinitely faster than any electronic check-in system. It does not work if you need to scan credit cards for an auction, but if there is no auction this is a far superior way to run the check-in table. And, it makes guests happy to see their names in print!
Printed paddles to be raised over bidding on smartphones – Part of the psychology of getting people to bid in a live auction is the raising of a paddle. Throwing your arm up in the air with a number is infectious. It is also much easier and faster than entering information on your phone. Mostly, people love to be seen bidding. It just feels good. Even if the printed paddles are synced up to electronic auction software such as OneCause, physical paddles are a must!
Table seating assignments – While there are software solutions for this very important and time-consuming activity of deciding who is assigned to what table, no software solution has won our allegiance. Turns out, the old-fashioned “names on note cards” is still the most efficient way to make table seating assignments – especially when multiple people must weigh in on who sits where. For those of you unfamiliar with this way of making seating assignments, we find that showing up at the table seating meeting with all of the names on individual index cards – with people who must sit together on one card (e.g., spouses, people from one company) – then building out the tables to seat 10 or 12 is really efficient. A change can easily be made and the cards are all on the table for everyone in the meeting to easily see. It is better than a screen. It becomes like a card game – kind of fun.
The telephone – Emailing and texting is great, as is social media. Still, nothing replaces the telephone for follow-up. With the popularity of emailing and texting, people now receive far fewer phone calls. When the phone does ring, with a friendly voice following up on an invitation or request for support, success usually follows. Don’t forget to plan for follow-up phone calls to your mail and email outreach. Calls to thank board members, honorees, sponsors, and other VIPs is also essential.
Thank you notes – Nothing beats a short handwritten note on a card. Letters are fine – but adding a personal handwritten note makes them more impactful.
Let us know if we can share our event strategies with you or audit your efforts to date.
CREDIT: Hip Hop Public Health, NJTV, and Fiver Children’s Foundation
