https://bloomerang.co/resources/research/events/ Fundraising events have become an increasingly important and ubiquitous tool for nonprofit organizations. But what is it that ultimately makes an event “successful?” and how can events provide new and potentially exciting forms of value for participants? This session will dive into new Bloomerang-funded research from the Rogare Fundraising Think Tank at Plymouth University, which outlines for the first time what overarching factors may have a part to play in distinguishing genuinely outstanding fundraising events from merely ‘average’ ones. Learning Outcomes: Discover how your own efforts compare with an international focus group Learn the critical success factors that lead to event success Uncover key recommendations for creating memorable experiences

1. Great Fundraising Events:
From Experience to
Transformation

2. Your Presenter
Jay B. Love
• 33 Years of Technology Leadership
• Over 20,000 Database Installations
• Former Founder & CEO of eTapestry
• Former CEO of Master Software/Fund-Master
* Former Senior VP of Blackbaud
• Conner Prarie Museum Board Member
• AFP Ethics Committee
• Rogare Research Institute Board Member
• Innovation Fund at Butler University
• Co-Chair of Indianapolis YMCA Capital Campaign
3

3. Nonprofit events are like a High
Wire Act without a Safety Net!
Allen J, 2009 “Event Planning”

4. Question:
How many of you have attended
a charity event that truly changed
your opinion of the charity?

5. What distinguishes genuinely
outstanding fundraising events
from merely ‘average’ ones?

6. Two Experts Wanted An Answer »
Harriet Day
Adrian Sargeant

7. And Three Sponsors wanted the “Truth”

8. Why Special Events?
•Difficulty in recruiting
donors via other channels
•Ability to drive awareness
of your “cause”
•Difficulty in engaging
donors
•Aid in identifying high value
supporters

9. Study Methodology »
• A review of events fundraising
literature
• International advisory panel
event expertise from the UK, USA
and Canada
• Organizations identified who had
particularly successful events
• 30 interviews with key event
leaders in these organizations

10. What made these 30 orgs unique? »
• Conducted in-depth audience
research
• developed profiles or “personas” of
prospective attendees
• focused on the needs of attendees
• planned experiences that were
deeply moving and personally
meaningful
• Event impact doubled annually!

11. “Proper events can create lifetime
memories & give a significant boost
to the quality of the relationship”
Allen J, 2009 “Event Planning”

12. “If you can find a concept meeting audience
needs, raises attendee appetite for your
cause, and marry that up with an unique
experience, there is a formula for success.”
Interviewee thoughts »

14. “You want it to exceed attendee expectations
so if they have the expectation that it will be
fun then it needs to truly be fun, and if they
desire being entertained or informed, then it
needs to be those things.”
Interviewee thoughts »

16. What distinguishes genuinely
outstanding fundraising events
from merely ‘average’ ones?

17. PROVIDING A DONOR-CENTRIC
EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSFORMS
THE ATTENDEE

18. A fundraising event should not be »
• Where individuals pay for the privilege
of enjoying the activity
"I've personally gone to mass participation events, and not seen
any advertising for the charity, so nobody had you a clear idea
of the cause or mission.
You were just sort of running for the sake of running.”

19. A fundraising event should not be »

20. A fundraising event should be »
• an experience creating attendee
EMPATHY towards your mission
“It is important is making sure that your event is experiential.”
“I always want attendees to feel or have an experience with
the cause in some deep manner."

21. Study Findings

22. 1. A High Degree of Donor Centricity »
• focus on / satisfy the needs the donor
• make the donor the hero of the story
“Stewardship ties it all together.
It must be much more than the ticket price!
They leave knowing and feeling the mission.
They're plugged in at that point.”

23. Put your attendee in the middle
of the fight for your mission!

24. Case study »
• Save the Children's Forced to Flee event
Groups led into the space and given a number, a headset to
listen to real stories of children affected and a child’s rucksack.

25. Case study »
They experienced the journey of kids searching for safety and being in
a classroom with bullet holes in the walls, windows and blackboards.
http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/pictures-save-childrens-forced-flee-event/brands/article/1395683

26. Case study »
Eventually attendees reach a play area, which represents the work
the charity does in areas of such conflict to bring play to children.
http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/pictures-save-childrens-forced-flee-event/brands/article/1395683

27. Case study »
• Water Aid – dirty water-themed obstacle course
http://www.wateraid.org/uk/get-involved/events/events/tough-shit

28. Case study »
• London Zoo - Streak for Tigers
Dressing up or in costumes heightens the experiential factor…

29. “The Experience Pyramid” »
• Individuality
• Authenticity, Genuine
• Story
• Multi-Sensory
• Contrast, with normal routine
• Interaction
Source: Tarssanen and Kylänen (2005)

30. It does not have to be elaborate »

31. 2. A Focus on Fundamental Human Needs »
• Make A Difference
• Autonomy
• Connectedness
• Growth
• Purpose in Life
• Self Acceptance

32. Key drivers of donor commitment »
1. Donor perceives your organization to be effective in
achieving its mission
2. Donor feels they are part of an important cause
3. Donor feels their involvement is appreciated
4. Donor receives information showing mission impact
Source: Roger Craver (2015)

33. 3. A Focus on Transformation »
Source: Pine and Gilmore (1998)

34. At everyone's table, there were books. In the middle of the breakfast we
asked: what was one of your favorite books when you were a child?
Now think about that and how excited you were to have it
Too many children have never had a book of their own…
You WILL HELP change that today for a child!
Pick out a book and write a message about what such books meant to you
All of these books will be given to children to take home
and your message will be inside.”
Case study »
• Children’s Literacy Organization

35. 4. Driving Emotion w/ Storytelling
Detailed attendee research (gathering data on lifestyles, connection to the
cause, feelings about fundraising etc.) can lead to “personas”
Event planners were then
able to focus on the needs
of those “personas” and
plan experiences they
would find deeply
moving and personally
meaningful.

36. 4. Driving Emotion w/ Storytelling
• Foster Care/Adoption Organization
What would it be like for you to find out tomorrow that you weren't going
back to your family and you may never see them again.
A youth speaker then shared his story
He told attendees what it felt like to know that there was a family waiting
for you at the end of the day because nothing is forever except for family.
Afterwards, attendees went through an adoption process and the
celebration that happens once a child gets adopted.
We then informed the donors they made this happen!

37. 5. An Investment in the Team »

38. Avoiding Burnout (true stories)»
“We had a fundraising event every single month. It's insane.
It's just not sustainable. It's not good. There was a ton of turnover in
the position that was organizing all these events!”
"We used to hold 10 events a year. Now we have ratcheted down to
three events a year and we're primarily a major gift shop.
Our revenues have doubled because all of those events were a drain
and yet people didn't want to give up all events.”

39. Development Activity
Percent
Online training tools/webinars 56.4
Ad hoc or occasional training 54.5
Mentoring by a member of your organization’s team 25.3
Mentoring by an external consultant or fundraiser 22.4
Training is not often invested in »
http://masteringmajorgifts.com/report/

40. 6. Constantly Driving Innovation
“We decided to do a formal survey to find out what it was
that they liked and didn't like about the events.
A lot of people said they didn't like the event, they just
came because they were loyal to. It didn't inspire them.
We realized that we weren't bringing any new people in
through the events, just the same people year after year.”
• Gather feedback and solicit new ideas!

41. Internal sources of ideas
• Informal discussions with supporters
• Informal discussions with employees and/or volunteers
• Analysis of complaints received
• Focus groups with supporters
• Organized team-based brainstorming sessions
• Senior managers’ insights
• Accidental discoverys from existing activities

42. External sources of ideas
• Informal discussions with people in other charities
• Analysis of the activities of other charities
• Attendance at exhibitions, conferences or conventions
• Perusal of professional fundraising publications / blogs
• Information from a trade association
• Books devoted to fundraising
• Advertising/Creative agencies
• Fundraising consultants
• Suppliers of charity technology or merchandise

43. 7. A Focus on Technology
• Most events studied used technologies to
enhance supporter satisfaction.
• CRM
• Social Media
• Mobile
• Peer-to-Peer
• Email

44. 7. A Focus on Technology
• Automate
processes and
gather actionable
data to use for
building
relationships

45. 7. A Focus on Technology
• Make it easy
for participants
to engage and
support your
mission

46. 8. Creating Board Champions
Potentially outstanding events can still be stifled by
management and board!
• Need to involve leaders from the outset for new
event planning
• Actively consider when would be the best stage in
the innovation process to involve specific individuals
and how

47. 1. Proper board recruitment
2. Proper board orientation
3. Strategic discussion in every meeting
4. Utilize former board members
4 Steps to Board Engagement »

48. Final Thoughts

49. Don’t forget the follow-up »
1. “Thank you for coming.”
2. “What did you think?”
3. Be quiet and listen.
4. “Is there any way you could see yourself becoming involved
with us?”
5. “Is there anyone else you can think of that we ought to
invite to a __________?”

50. Our Recommendations »
• Put donor in mission recipients shoes!
• Move beyond golf tourneys and galas
• Don’t be afraid to experiment!
• Leadership buy-in is key
• Research and network with colleagues

51. Executive Summary & Full 62 Page Report »
bloomerang.co/resources/research

52. https://bloomerang.co/resources
•Nonprofit Wrap-Up
•Bloomerang TV
•Bloomies
•Daily blog post
•Weekly webinars
•Downloadables

53. Questions?
jay.love@bloomerang.co
@JayBarclayLove
Free eBook »
https://bloomerang.co/staytogether/