Planning a fundraising event is one of the most demanding tasks you can ever do. Not only is it time-consuming, but also expensive. In fact, most seasoned fundraisers will agree that hosting such an event involves a lot more than simply asking for donations.
Managing this process is even more challenging, especially in a team setting. You have to put a lot of effort in sourcing for donors and keeping in touch on a constant basis, something which takes a fair amount of resources. The hustle involved in following up on your correspondence with well-wishers when isn’t necessary or, at the very least, ensure that all the paperwork is on record. Not forgetting that making donor and staff liaise is also an issue.
This is where a fundraising event calendar becomes so much important, especially for organizations and structures that rely on fundraising to carry out their functions smoothly. The main reasons for having fundraising calendars is to detail donor correspondence, keeping track of your campaign timeline and targets, dates, and any other important activity that your fundraising team will be involved in during that period.
Here’s a quick guide to help you develop and maintain your fundraising event calendar.
The first thing to do with your team is to plan, start to think about the things that can make your fundraising successful. Depending on your organization’s operational timelines, you should try as much a possible to a team meeting before your fiscal year commences. This will give you ample time to start asking for contributions.
To start with, check your annual event calendar and take note of the key dates with events and activities already planned for. These are the dates and events that are likely to be fixed. It’s also important to keep in mind the season and period that donors are likely to contribute. For instance, summer period is known to attract less fundraising. Make use of this period to streamline your fundraising campaign effort.
After linking the events you’ll be conducting throughout the year with their respective dates, now take time to deal with the details of each event. Work with action deadlines to help manage the process more effectively. Develop right and appropriate channels to approach the donors and start asking for donations. Usually, the first fraction of the contribution is 20-30%, which is given before the campaign starts. Follow up on this upfront is an organization has shown interest.
For your campaign to be a success, ensure that your fundraising event calendar is developed in line with the communication and marketing calendar. Every department within the organization must work very closely in driving a sound campaign message. Also, have monthly targets to keep you on track with the dates and the essentials of the campaign.
In conclusion, fundraising is somewhat like an investment, the more you put in the more you are likely to get. So, take enough time and resources to develop a thorough fundraising agenda.
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