And it does start with a plan.
- The event should fit the mission: it should be clear to participants what the money is for, how it's going to be used, and the NPO gratitude for hard work to raise $$ for mission.
- There should be a mini-business plan with a timeline, job assignments, and a budget. Members of the event committee should know their assignments and commit to get them done to keep things moving along the agreed-to timeline.
- If it's a run or walk or bicycle deal, building in a pledge component will leverage your $-raising capacity significantly. If you've got an event that's been going a few years, it's hard to convert it to pledges if it hasn't been. Time to think of a new event.
- Expect to earn a few net dollars the first year, but realize that the best events grow because the committee is smart, it learns-by-doing, and is committed to continuous improvement: how are we going to make this better?
Events can be a great source of substantial net dollars for your nonprofit mission. In the 1980's, we (American Lung Association of NH) morphed a canoe event that raised $10,000 to a bike trek that raised $80,000 in the third year. How did it happen? The stars and moon were aligned: we were lucky we hired a great event planner, and we were first NPO out the gate in NH with a big time bicycle event. Over time, MS and others caught up with us.
Strike while the iron is hot! Interested in a conversation on how we could work together to make an event work for you? The conversation only costs a cup of coffee. s.p.99smith@gmail.com.
