A good restaurant makes holding a fundraising dinner easy. Unlike many other fundraising events, such as major silent auctions or balls, fundraising dinners do not represent nearly as much organizational work for fundraisers. Here are five simple tips for a successful fundraising dinner.
1. Plan Fundraising Dinners Far in Advance
Major donors are major for a reason: they are busy, successful people who lead very busy lives. As such, their calendars are often booked months – and sometimes over a year – in advance. That means an early announcement regarding a fundraising dinner is crucial; the first announcement should go out at least three to six months before the event, and the invitations should be mailed at least a month in advance.
2. Build Awareness in Advance
The earlier a fundraising dinner is promoted, the sooner it begins to generate a buzz. Whatever methods of publicity are available to the fundraising organization should be utilized as soon as possible – from websites to newsletters and postcard mailings. Creative ideas for getting potential attendees to mark their calendars also helps: one organization passed out jars for collecting change to its members, with an invitation tied to the top with a ribbon that noted the fundraising date. Members were to throw their spare change into the jar, and bring the jar with them the night of the fundraising dinner.
3. Handwritten Invitations are a Must
Most professional fundraisers have been taught to give out handwritten thank-you notes, but what about handwritten invitations? A handwritten invitation sends the message that someone in the organization cares about the donor, and isn’t just pulling his or her name off a database. The more handwritten invitations can be sent, as opposed to computer-printed invitations, the better.
4. Keep the Dinner Moving
No one likes to show up to a dinner on time, only to find themselves awkwardly standing around, waiting for the next thing to happen. Have a schedule of the evening’s events printed and ready for donors as soon as they check in at the registration table, and pick an emcee for the evening who will keep things moving along and will keep to the schedule. Most importantly, if the schedule says the evening will end at 9 pm, don’t keep talking when it’s already 9:30 pm. Donors and potential donors feel more confident giving to organizations that show a high degree of organization and professionalism – tugging on their heartstrings isn’t enough if the organization doesn’t demonstrate an ability to manage its time at something as simple as a fundraising dinner.
5. Door Prizes, Raffles, and Silent Auctions are Great Additions
Donors like to have something to do and something to look at during a fundraising dinner, rather than just listening to talking heads and enjoying the food. Livening the evening up can be as simple as hiring a jazz band or handing out door prizes at the end of the evening. Alternatively, collect donations from local businesses and hold a silent auction or a raffle at the dinner. Donors who buy raffle tickets in advance of the dinner will be more likely to attend the evening, because they want to see if they won! Selling raffle tickets, by the way, is also a great way to support point #2 – building awareness for the dinner in advance.
By following these five tips, the fundraising dinner will run smoothly and earn good money for non-profit organizations.
K. N. Singer - There are some pros and some cons to being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. The pros are that I can and do write about anything ...
