Why Putting All Your Fundraising Eggs in the Events Basket Is on My Comm Fail List
Personality profiling has been all the rage for decades now, cycling through from Myers-Briggs to StrengthsFinder to Enneagram. Even if you aren’t interested in all that, you are likely aware of the general distinction in the introvert/extrovert personality range.
I’ve often heard that you know which end of the spectrum you lean toward by your reaction when plans are cancelled:
If you are significantly disappointed, you are more of an extrovert.
If you are significantly relieved, you are more of an introvert.
So when COVID-19 shut down much of the world, including all those fundraising events? Introverts were secretly relieved.
But nonprofit orgs were at a loss, literally. Those events provided opportunities for connecting with donors and potential donors. Those events meant money in the bank, either right then or in the near future. Which put nonprofit orgs in a real bind. And that is another common donor comm fail I see in the orgs I work with:
FAIL #3 NO PARTY, NO GIFT 😷
Annual events can serve many purposes, even if the main point is to raise funds for the mission. You may also use the event to share news with your constituents, give them a fun and memorable experience, show your appreciation, and so on.
Most events have a mix of attendees—from long-term, loyal donors to invited guests who have never given a dime.
But somewhere in the middle, there are lots of donors who attend the event each year and are more than willing to give at the event. But afterward? Your mission and work aren’t top of mind… until next year’s event.
That’s a real problem, and not only during a stay-at-home pandemic.
If donors are only motivated to give at the annual event, that’s a transaction, not a relationship.
>> You need a strategic engagement plan for developing strong donor relationships.
Strong connections and relationships will keep the mission top-of-mind for donors, prompting them to invest apart from the event. When your team invests in growing and vibrant relationships with your donor partners, a missed event won’t deter their giving.
So even if most of your donors are introverts—secretly relieved by fewer events on the calendar—that doesn’t mean your bottom line has to suffer. Your team needs to invest in steady relationship building actions that show how much you appreciate and depend upon the donors’ involvement and support.
As pandemic restrictions ease, many nonprofits are planning to host in-person events in 2023. Which is great! Just make sure your team isn’t putting all the focus on the event itself. If you reframe it as the start of a great relationship, you won’t let those connections grow cold after the event is wrapped up.
In-person gatherings should be one part of your team’s annual strategy for growing relationships all year long and beyond. That’s how you’ll make the most of your event efforts.
If you’d like your team’s donor comm efforts to be more effective, send me a DM! I’d love to discuss how to make your mission irresistible to donors.
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