How to Make More Money from Your Fundraising Events Jennifer Silva - Suite101
go to original June 4, 2012

Put raffle tables near food tables to encourage lingering. (kajrdj)

A well-planned raffle and/or silent auction can be a great way to raise money and awareness for your nonprofit cause in just a few hours. The key here, however, is to make sure that your nonprofit event is well-planned and well-executed. Without good planning, you'll work harder to raise less money, and who wants that?

Think About Space

If you're planning a silent auction or raffle event, be sure to think about space. How you use the space you have can have a big impact on how well your fundraising event performs. Things like where people will linger, where people will gather, and how accessible your event will be can have a huge impact on how much money you raise, and, best of all, they're all things that are within your control. For instance:

• Place raffle and/or auction tables near food and drink tables. People tend to gather where they can graze. By placing your raffle tables near food, you encourage guests to linger. The longer they linger, the more likely they are to revisit their bids, bid on other items and spend a little more money. And a few extra dollar per guest can really add up. For instance, twenty extra dollars per guest may not seem like much but if you spread that out over 300 guests, that's an extra $6,000 dollars you've made from your fundraising event without any extra effort at all.
• Keep people close. Instead of trying to use every inch of space available to you, use the space that you do have smartly. For instance, unless you have a valid reason for doing so, spreading your donors and guests out over six or seven rooms will make it harder for you to mingle and communicate with them, and harder for them to participate in activities. Instead, pick out one or two power places and focus your event energy there. Not only will this create a busy and vibrant buzz, it will make your charity event easier to "work."
• Recognize how people use different types of space. Don't use transitional spaces like doorways and foyers to display auction or raffle items. More likely than not, people will walk right past your items without noticing them. Likewise, take advantage of captive audiences. If you have a long hallway that donors and guests will have to walk through, use it: Share your story (in pictures), display auction and raffle items here, or greet guests at the end.

Get Outside of Your Comfort Zone

It's easy to rely on friends and family to fund that special mission that's closest to your heart but if you're serious about raising funds from individual donors, you'll need to move outside of that tried-and-true circle. Reaching out to new donors is actually easier than it sounds but it does take a bit of marketing. For instance, instead of selling event tickets to friends and family, pledge friends and family to sell a minimum number of tickets for your fundraising event. Likewise, have specialized events that target different groups (like wine tastings, swing dancing competitions, paint ball parties, bowling competitions, and casino nights). Keeping it fresh with different events raises awareness for your cause and brings new volunteers and donors into the fold. And remember, the more people you get in the door, the more money your event will make, so driving ticket sales is always worth the effort.

Tell the Story

If you're planning an auction and/or raffle, it's vital that you don't let your hard-earned items become mere price points on a score card. Instead of just listing items with minimum bids, get your guests involved and engaged by giving each item (or basket) a story worth reading. Or, better yet, add some fun and frivolity to your charity event with humorous descriptions and catch phrases. Not only do well-written descriptions encourage bidders to linger, they're also likely to drive up bids since they add value to the items that are up for auction. What tastes better: A "$10 bottle of Chilean brandy" or a "bottle of Chile's historic Pisco made from tender grapes lovingly cultivated in the foothills of the Andes in the Elqui Valley region?" Exactly!

Long story short: when it comes to planning nonprofit events like raffles and silent auctions, it's not just enough to get in-demand items and services. To make the most of the donations and in-kind services your donors have so generously provided, you really need to drive ticket sales, get people involved and make it an event that creates warm memories and feelings.

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