Special Events: Holy Grail of Awareness and Fundraising, or Quixotic Quest for the Impossible?

For many people on both sides of the grantmaking/grant-getting divide, planning a special event has a “common-sense” appeal. I mean, who wouldn’t want to throw a fun party where everyone has a great time, your organization gets tons of press, and more money is raised in four hours than from an entire quarter’s worth of direct mail?

Unfortunately the special events landscape is not as carefree as it may sometimes seem. The road toward planning, executing, and capitalizing on an event of any kind is marred with potholes, mirages, and bands of roving thieves around every corner. Throughout the decision-making process, the most important thing to keep asking is - is this worth it?

Is the final result worth the time, effort, money (and even the sanity) of your organization?

Many events are worthwhile, but, more often than we’d like to admit to ourselves, the answer to the question above is no. If you are on the fence about planning an event for your nonprofit, take some extra time beforehand to make sure that the purpose of your event is crystal clear. What do you want to get out of your event? With events, the proof is in the planning.

Put another way, what is your desired outcome? Do you want to raise money? Raise awareness? Simply spread happiness and glee? Your objective should be obvious not only to you, but also to the people attending your event.

There is no right answer here, only a well thought-out foundation to make your event a success. Once you make a decision about outcome, as long as you keep it in mind when finalizing your budget, scale, program and invitation list, your event has a much better chance of being a success.

For those who are deciding whether to attend an event on behalf of your organization, the strategy is similar. Ask yourself the important questions before doing anything else. What do I want to get out of this event, and what is the best way for me to get it?

Do I want to meet people and organizations that we may one day fund? Am I networking to expand my database of contacts?

Again, there is no perfect formula; no matter what you are trying to achieve, the first step is to think it through beforehand.

It may sound as if I’m advocating an overly nerdy approach to event planning, where all fun is lost in the shuffle of thoroughness. On the contrary, I will be the first one to tell you that if you’re not having fun, the whole thing is probably a waste of time. What I am advocating is to practice the all but forgotten art of taking a few steps back… before you find yourself buried in the process. Not only will this save time and aggravation – it will take you and your organization closer to your ultimate goal, while making your life easier.

Now get out there and party!