You have an important cause you need to raise money for and you’re considering a fundraising gala. You know galas are a great way to get people to open their pocketbooks and give but how do you plan a charity gala that is going to get you the results you want.
The gala costs money to put on so you need to make sure it is going to give you the results you need.
Learning how to plan a gala for your charity won’t only serve you this time but it will serve you in the future when you need to put on other events. Continue reading this article to learn how to do gala organization and bust through your fundraising goals.
Must-Know Fundraising Gala Tips
Before you start contacting Queenstown venues for hire, you need to know how you’re going to set up your event and what your goals are. These tips will help you put together the most amazing gala possible.
Set Your Gala Goal
Before you do anything else for the gala, you need to make sure you have a fundraising goal for the event. Going into the gala without a goal will set you up for failure.
After the event — no matter how well it goes — you won’t know whether it was good or bad because there was nothing to shoot for.
Figure out what you’re trying to accomplish financially and also what you’re trying to accomplish in terms of awareness for your cause.
Don’t Try to Do Everything on Your Own
If you have a type-A personality, you might not like to delegate but it’s important that you have help if you want to plan an amazing gala event.
You’ll want to recruit a team that excels in areas where you might be lacking.
Figure out where you need people in the planning process but also throughout the day of the fundraiser. If you’re understaffed during the fundraiser, it can put some serious stress on the event.
Reduce Paper Consumption & Annoyances by Going Digital
Stressing out over event management?
Technology can save you a lot of headaches when it comes to event management. You can have people register and pay online, display schedules on your website as well as seating arrangements and you can track important metrics online.
Using technology to help you with your event will make it easier to pull off an amazing event.
How Will You Accept Donations?
The main goal for your gala is getting donations but how are you going to accept donations? We’ve come a long way from passing the hat and there are quite a few options for when you want to accept donations.
Part of the money you’ll make from the event is from event registration but you can ask for and accept donations throughout the event as well.
Think about text-to-give, cash, kiosks and donation forms optimized for mobile giving.
Selecting the Venue
Now that you have some of the “boring” stuff out of the way, you need to make one of the most important decisions for the event.
Yes, that’s the venue.
The venue needs to be the first thing you secure when you’re planning your gala. Venues are hard to come by and when you’ve got a limited budget — it’s even more difficult.
Look at the location of the venue to see if it’s easy to access and that it has all of the amenities you need to pull off your event.
Deciding on Entertainment
Your event needs to wow your attendees without breaking the bank. You can get some good entertainment without blowing out your budget. Make sure you know what your attendees enjoy and consider booking live entertainment for the best results.
To Dinner or Not to Dinner?
Dinners are almost always part of a gala fundraiser but more people are opting out of the dinner and having an early event so people can go out to dinner afterward.
Not only does taking the dinner out keep the costs down but it also means more people might commit because the event doesn’t take up their whole evening.
Have a fun event but ax the dinner part of things.
Consider Having an Auction
Some of the fun things you might consider doing is having an auction so people can bid against one another in a fun yet competitive environment.
You never knew a cake could go for $700 — but it could. And that means that your cause is getting a nice donation for a small investment.
Add a Raffle to the Mix
A raffle is another fun part of having an event. People love to win things and it doesn’t have to be something super expensive.
To keep costs low, ask businesses to donate items for the raffle. You can also do this for the auction.
Try an Amazing Theme for Your Event
Themed events are a lot of fun and people want to have fun so try doing something like a masquerade ball or a throwback theme for maximum response.
Get Feedback from Your Attendees
Once your event is over, don’t forget to ask your attendees for feedback. You want to make your next event even better so getting feedback from your attendees is a must.
Ask them how they like the food, entertainment, location and other elements of the event so you know what specifically you need to improve next time.
Ready to Learn More About Finances, Giving and Beyond?
Now that you know how to throw an amazing fundraising gala, why not continue your education? We have many articles related to financing, giving and more.
Navigate through our site, find your favorite section, drop a bookmark and come back soon for more great reads.
