Raising $$$ through Special Events: June Question of the Month Results

Do you ever wonder about those charity events that seem to be so prevalent? Do they really accomplish anything for the organizations that sponsor them? According to many GuideStar Newsletter readers, they do.

June's Question of the Month asked, "Has your organization ever raised funds through special events such as walks, auctions, dinners, bowl-a-thons, golf tournaments, or similar activities?" A sizable majority (87 percent) of participants said that they had. We then asked those respondents if the events were successful; a resounding 92 percent replied that they were. And 79 percent of those participants said that they would recommend that other organizations sponsor such events.

Definitions of Success

Asked to rank factors that made their organizations' events successful, participants gave top priority to "The amount of money raised." An anonymous participant wrote, "This was our 14th annual golf tourney—the only fundraiser event we have. Will net close to $60,000 this year, which puts this event in a category of a 'large donation.'" Jean LaCross of St. Mary School stated, "Annually our Catholic school holds several major fundraisers. We could not exist without them!" Another anonymous reader asserted that the "amount of funds raised has been amazing."

"The chance to connect with potential donors" came in second, followed by "The opportunity for people to have fun while supporting a worthy cause." Macy DeLong described Solutions at Work's annual tournament: "We keep it fun and let kids play with parents."

"The publicity generated for our organization and programs" and "The publicity generated about our cause" ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Laura Kaplus of the SouthSide Film Institute commented, "Small affordable events are fun and generate great buzz for smaller organizations." Dale D. Gramaje of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club reported, "We use special events to support our branding efforts."

"The sense of community generated among staff and volunteers working on the event" was next. "We have successfully used fundraising events as a way to build Advisory Board for several different programs. Giving a group a finite, targeted goal can be a good way to develop camaraderie, given the right mix of people," wrote Theresa Kump of Family Services of Westchester.

Special events have also had a positive impact on the board of the Deep Fork Community Action Foundation, Inc. "We have a murder mystery dinner theater with a silent auction every year," said Sherry West. "The greatest thing that has happened is board member involvement. Board members that had lost their passion for the agency have become revitalized, even volunteering to act in the events."

"The chance to connect with current donors" ranked last. Last was not necessarily least, however. As Lori Tessel of Beit T'Shuvah pointed out, "Each item you raised is important and all feed into each other. The success of one or two usually guarantees the success of the others. All involved in the event must be truly dedicated to the cause because they are selling the cause and event."

On the Other Hand …

A handful (8 percent) of readers said either their organizations' events were unsuccessful or that they unsure about the events' success. They gave three reasons for the disappointing results: "Didn't have enough staff and/or volunteers to do it successfully," "Too much work for the amount of money and/or publicity it brought in," and "We needed more expertise to sponsor a successful event."

Not surprisingly, the 13 percent of participants who responded that their organizations do not sponsor special events echoed two of these points: "Don't have enough staff and/or volunteers to do it successfully" and "Don't have the expertise needed to sponsor a successful event."

Think Outside the Box

Donna Bridges of Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, reminded us that fundraising events can take several forms: "Your basic question dealt with the more common fundraisers like auctions, dinners, golf tournaments, etc. Organizations can be more creative than that and tie into their mission in some manner and raise funds and friends! Also, listen to suggestions for fundraisers that volunteers bring to you. They represent your public. If they would be interested in such an event, very likely others would also."

An anonymous participant echoed her comments: "A lot of work. Be creative, be different."

More comments, words of wisdom

Suzanne E. Coffman, July 2005;
© 2005, Philanthropic Research Inc., (GuideStar)

Suzanne Coffman is GuideStar's director of communications and editor of the Newsletter.