Episode 24: Why you need an event script

Hello and welcome back to That Sounds Like a Plan!, the podcast where we talk about all things related to nonprofit fundraising events. I had to take a little break from recording episodes of the podcast. As you probably know, fall is one of the busiest times of year for non-profit events, at least it is here in Minnesota.

On top of all that, I decided to run for mayor in the small suburb I've called home for 27 years. I'm still in the thick of my busy season and mayoral campaign, but I'm carving out some time because I want to keep bringing you the content and info you need to get through your busy season. New episodes won't be released as frequently as they were this spring and summer, but I will continue to bring you what I hope is the very best and most useful information. Once I get through the busy season, I'll be back to weekly episodes.

We've talked about several documents that you need for your event. I've already talked about the first critical document, which is your event planning timeline. If you need a refresher, go to episode number four, Leaving enough time to plan your event. In episode 21 - Two Ways to Stay on Track On Event Day - I talk about the importance of having a show flow and packing list. Today I'm going to talk about a document that I believe all nonprofit event planners and hosts need to create, and that's a script. So, let's get started.

In case you don't know what a script is, or what its function is, a script outlines everything that is said and done on stage during your event program to make sure everything runs so smoothly. This includes stage direction and AV cues, such as music, lights, video, if you're using av, and voiceover or vog, which we'll talk about some of the lingo in a little bit.

And then of course, all the spoken words. From here forward, I'm going to use the word “stage”, I'm using quotes here, I'm gonna use the word stage to represent wherever you are projecting your program from. Whether that's an actual stage, it could be the front of a room, or let's say you're at a golf tournament and there's a balcony on your clubhouse and you're going to host your program from there.

So, the point is, I'm using the term stage generically here. Before we move on, I want to point out one thing. If you're hosting a nonprofit fundraising event and you don't have a program built into your event where you're telling your story and asking for donations, you need to rethink that and make sure you factor in a program, even if it's just a brief five minute one.

I've spoken to many nonprofits who were reluctant to make a hard ask, but then lamented the fact that their event didn't raise as much money as they'd hoped.

I've said this before on this podcast, and I'll say it again…If you've made it clear in your event promo that you're hosting a fundraising event, your audience expects to be asked to donate at some point. They know why they're there. They're just waiting for you to give them a compelling reason why they should give.

So why do you need a script? There are three main reasons. One is to keep things on time. The first mistake a nonprofit can make is not to have a program. The second mistake is to let your program go on way too long. I've heard horror stories where event attendees have walked out mid-program because it went on too long.

This is why a script is so important. I'll talk about the length and format of your script in a bit, but having a script helps you time everything out so that you know how long it's going to be overall and if you need to cut something so that it isn't too long. The goal should be to keep your program succinct.

The second reason you need a script is to hone your message. As we just discussed, your audience is waiting for you to give them a compelling reason to give. Now, some people can get on stage and wing it and create a compelling speech. Most people cannot. Writing everything out helps to craft and hone your message.

And then lastly, having a script keeps things organized. A script outlines what's happening and when on stage. Let's say you have a PowerPoint presentation that's going to go along with the program. The person running AV needs to know the timing of when to advance each slide. Now, if you're the person speaking or the one who wrote the script, you probably know the flow and the timing intimately. The AV person on the other hand, is probably just seeing everything for the first time. So having a script leaves nothing to chance. And the more organized you are, the more professional you're going to look.

Now, I'm not opposed to someone getting on stage and speaking from the heart. However, there should be at least bullet points for what that person is going to say, so that everyone who's following along with the script, your mc, your AV people, the people who are waiting to speak next, so that they have some sense of when that speaker will be done, they're going to know what that last bullet point is.

There is no magic formula for the length and format of your event program and script. It's going to depend on your audience, the type of event and your setup or circumstances. For instance, if you're hosting an outdoor event and your program is scheduled to be 15 minutes long, but it's drizzly and cold that day, you're going to want to cut out some of the script and shorten some things so your audience isn't standing around freezing their buns off. That's just going to turn people off.

For indoor programs, they should be no longer than one hour. If your audience is younger, you want it even shorter than that. And if your program is an hour long, it has to be very entertaining, compelling, or both.

No matter the length, you want to focus on quality over quantity. You also want a variety of speakers to keep things interesting.

Let's talk about the script format and content. When I create a script, I do so in a document such as Word or Google Docs, and then within that document I insert a table with three simple columns.

The reason I don't use a spreadsheet is because a script is obviously text heavy, and spreadsheets aren't great for a bunch of text. So within the Google Doc, within the table, the heading for column one is time and duration. The heading for column number two is stage direction/AV cues, and then column number three is script.

Stay tuned until the end of this episode because I have a free script example that you can download. I have also have a couple of what we'll call bonus freebies that you won't want to miss.

I want to talk briefly about the content of your script. The content is entirely up to you, but I will stress that you should focus your messaging to appeal to your target audience. If you have an audience that's more data driven, provide stats highlighting the need. If your audience is moved by emotional appeals, you should focus your script on that, with one caveat…There's been a trend over the last 10+ years on having a story that brings your audience to tears.

People have grown weary of those gut wrenching stories, and there's a couple reasons why. One is just that they've been overused. And then secondly is that, not only have they been overused, but they have been manipulated.

Organizations that didn't necessarily have tear jerking stories would go out of their way to create one. And an audience knows when they're being played, so keep it genuine. Genuine and heartfelt is always best. That may have worked 10 years ago, but audiences are now looking to be inspired and uplifted, not brought to tears, unless those are happy tears.

I mentioned earlier that I would get back to some of the script lingo, and since my goal is to keep these episodes short, I don't want to go into too much detail about lingo because it's not a critical component of a script as long as the direction is clear. I've created a freebie for you about script lingo, so stay tuned to the end of this episode for more info.

If you're wondering, at the beginning of this podcast, I said VOG, so if you're wondering what that is, the acronym is VOG or Voice of God. And so what that is is when your AV person or somebody who is not seen on stage will say, something like, “ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats for our program”.

Or, “ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage so and so”. They just call it Voice of God because it's this looming voice that you can't see a person, you can just hear their voice.

So final words on the script. The point to the script isn't to remain rigid and have everyone follow it line by line word for word. However, when there is something that is extremely important in your script, make sure you highlight it and let your emcee or anyone speaking know that highlighted sentences or bullet points absolutely need to be covered.

I've worked with emcees who are local TV or radio personalities, and because they're pros, they don't stick to a script line by line, even if it's written that way. They're comfortable adlibbing and being a little more extemporaneous. So, make sure that you highlight anything that absolutely must be said.

Also be sure to include phonetic spelling for any uncommon names, so your host or anyone speaking knows how to pronounce names properly.

Okay. Let's recap everything we talked about today regarding a script.

1. A script outlines everything that is said and done on stage or during your event program to make sure everything runs smoothly, including stage, direction and AV cues.

2. You need a script to keep things on time, in order to craft and hone your message, and to keep everything organized so that you look more professional to your audience.

3. there is no magic number on the length of your program but keep it as succinct as possible and focus on quality over quantity.

4. Lastly, keep your target audience in mind when writing your script.

For today's action item, not only do I have one freebie for you, I have three freebies! Number one is a sample script, so you can see what that looks like. In the script, you'll see examples of stage and AV cues for a 20-minute program that includes an award. Freebie number two is a list of some of the most common script terms or lingo in their definitions. And then lastly are the seven biggest script mistakes.

If you're writing a script for your event, you don't want to miss out on these freebies.

Go to that soundslikeaplan.net/episodes/24. If you've enjoyed the content and free information I've given you so far, I would be so very grateful if you would review my podcast on Apple, which will help improve my rankings.

Now that sounds like a plan. Thanks so much for joining me today. I'll see you next week.

nonprofit event planningEvent Dayscript

Alicia Baraga

Episode 24: Why you need an event script

What is an event script? Why would you need one for a small nonprofit event? I answer these questions and more in this week’s episode.

Listener Action Item:

Episode 25: PPT_A Sprint to the Finish Line

Episode 23: Keeping your cool on event day