Multiple Events Crucial To Overall Nonprofit Success
Multiple Events Crucial To Overall Nonprofit Success
Nonprofits face three “intrinsic” challenges: never enough time, never enough money (from donors and/or sponsors), and never enough resources (from volunteers and/or sponsors). In spite of these challenges (all of which may now be exacerbated due to the recession) nonprofits must still find effective ways to continue cultivating donors, volunteers, sponsors, advocates, etc.
While some cultivation activities can effectively occur online and even through electronic and/or snail mail, truly productive relationship building can only take place in person. This means more events. Specifically, understanding the habits, emotions, aspirations and rituals of prospective donors, volunteers, sponsors, and advocates should be used to plan more affordable, effective cultivation events. Nonprofits can overcome fundamental challenges by way of free event planning resources.
Some nonprofits may argue that hosting too many events is simply asking too much of a given support base’s time and commitment, and may even annoy them to the point of diluting their commitment. This may be true, but I would also counter that there are multiple bases to be addressed, and doing so is most effective via formalized “environments” or “experiences” most akin to their interests and most likely to capture their attention.
Hoping a prospect reads a piece of direct mail, or notices a “wall posting” on Facebook – and in turn decides to respond to the call to action – is simply not as reliable as an in-person dialog. Creating occasions to focus relationship building, sponsorship solicitation, and overall messaging efforts is critical if nonprofits hope to realize ROI from their (inherently challenged) development endeavors.
Some nonprofits only host one major event per year, and only look for support for that single event. Why can’t they host smaller sponsor cultivation events? Why can’t they host smaller volunteer cultivation events? What if this networking activity at events like these lead to the identification and acquisition of resources in other areas? Examples:
- What if a volunteer cultivation event results in a guest – initially in attendance because of their volunteer interest – offering up sponsorship support from their company?
- What if a sponsor cultivation event results in a prospect offering more than originally discussed because they are compelled by the energy, emotion, and engagement activity at the event – that can only truly manifest face-to-face?
Bottom line: Events are affordable, measurable, and again crucial components to the advancement of nonprofit objectives. Nonprofits with more frequent event activity will enjoy greater success on all fronts. Again, nonprofits can overcome fundamental challenges by way of free event planning resources. For more information on these resources, please e-mail fundraising20@gmail.com
Marc-Portugal
Fundraising 2.0 Live 
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