We often talk about the need to have a successful fundraising event. But what does that mean? Just because your event made money doesn’t necessarily mean it was a success, financial or otherwise. In today’s episode we’re going to talk about the different ways you can measure event success.

In this episode I share:

• The most common goals for nonprofit events

• Two formulas to measure financial success

• Why it’s important to track and monitor your goals as you plan your event

If you are a relatively new nonprofit, or new to events, you might be wondering when it’s a good time to host your first fundraising event. In this episode we’ll talk about what you need organizationally and personally to be ready to host your first fundraising event.

In this episode I share:

- The most important thing your organization needs

- Why you need board support organizationally and personally

- The skills you need to be able lead an event

Without systems, planning an event can easily become chaotic and overwhelming. Systems enable you to delegate tasks and create consistency.

In this episode I share:

• The difference between a system and a process

• The seven core systems you need for nonprofit success

• Four tips for creating systems & procedures

Having a successful event year after year is a great thing! There are times, though, when you need to change things up slightly to refresh an event to keep it from getting a little stale.

In this episode I share:

- The difference between the Flywheel Effect and the Doom Loop

- Seven ways to refresh or breathe a little fresh air into your event

Are you heading into the new year excited and ready to take on your first event? Or are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious? If it’s the latter, it may mean you simply need to do some year-end tasks that will set you up for success for next year’s events.

In this episode I share:

Why you need a recap for all events

Why you should start recruiting your planning team now

The importance of organizing your digital files and event “stuff”

How to create an event kit and what you should put in it

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.      

In this episode I share:

- Why you need an event script, no matter how small your event or program

- What should be the maximum length of your program

- The format and content of your script

Being nervous on event day is understandable. Your mind is filled with all kinds of scenarios of what could go wrong.

In this episode I share:

• The three ways to minimize issues

• The five areas where problems tend to arise

• How to keep your cool on event day

There are many lessons learned each time you and your team plan a nonprofit fundraising or awareness building event.  An internal recap document is how you capture those lessons and use what you've learned to build on and improve your event the next time around. 

In this episode I share:

• What an internal recap is and why you need one

• The input you need for a thorough recap

• The structure + dos and don’ts for your recap

The weeks leading up to an event can be chaotic. There’s a lot happening and there will be lots of questions about what’s happening and when. The easiest way to ensure everyone is on the same page and minimize questions is to create two documents that will keep you on track on event day; a Show Flow or Run of Show and a packing checklist.

In this episode I share:

• What a Show Flow or Run of Show is

• How it’s different from a timeline and why you need one.

• How to create an event packing checklist.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a nonprofit. They provide staffing and labor in areas where nonprofits typically can’t afford to hire staff, especially when it comes to events.

In this episode I share:

• The types of event volunteers you need

• The structure of your planning team

• How to create a volunteer grid for the day of the event

• Why and how you should plan for continuity when changing volunteers

A theme can turn a ho-hum event into a memorable experience. When done well, a theme can seamlessly tie your mission to something fun and interactive.

In this episode I share:

• The purpose of event themes

• The best type of theme for a nonprofit event

• A brainwriting process for coming up with a theme

The Listener Action Item for today's episode has the exact steps for hosting a brain writing session to come up with an event theme.

After a year of producing a large number of events, I hit a wall.  I experienced event burnout.  

I don’t ever want anyone to go through what I did.  While this isn’t a foolproof method for avoiding burnout, it’s a cautionary tale.  

**I am not a therapist or a mental health professional, so if you are feeling there’s something more than just event burnout happening in your life, please seek help from a professional.  

Giving someone hope can change their life. The word HOPE, however, should not be part of your event, especially a fundraising event.

Planning an outdoor event comes with its own set of unique challenges and tasks on your to-do list. Learn about the logistical factors you need to consider and how to handle them.

This ONE thing is actually several things; systems, processes and procedures. Having processes & procedures for your event can provide clarity, ensure nothings falls through the cracks, create consistency and will help you conserve your time and energy.

Are you the leader of a nonprofit and are looking for someone to chair your next event? Maybe you’ve been asked to lead an event or are thinking about stepping into the event leadership role,

Before you start recruiting or before you say ‘yes’, learn the 7 skills or traits event leaders need.

There are three key areas where you should have firm deadlines when planning a fundraising event; sponsor deliverables, auction donations and event registration. When you don't have deadlines, or worse yet, when you don't stick to your deadlines, you're adding extra work and stress for yourself and the planning team.

Find out why these deadlines are important, why I often get pushback on them and how to kindly but gently stick to your guns on them.

Many planning teams get stuck on finding THE perfect date.  They either overthink it or just don’t know where to start.  

It doesn’t have to be that complicated.  There are 6 factors you need to take into account in order to narrow it down to find the best date options for your event.  

After listening to this episode you’ll understand what those six factors are and how they affect your date options. 

There are two big mistakes nonprofits make when it comes to planning a fundraising event. One is not leaving enough time to plan the event. Second is not having an event planning timeline. In this episode, host Alicia Baraga talks about how to avoid making these two mistakes.

Setting specific goals for your event is SO important. I’m not going to lecture you about SMART goals.  You can find tons of resources on how to do that with a simple online search.  

What I am going to talk about are FAST goals.  These are goals that should be set for any and every nonprofit fundraising or awareness-building event.  Learn about what they are and how to define those goals.