Community Boost 2025- Event Fundraisers That Shine: Raising More Than Money

In this session our goal is that you walk away with a few strategies and hot tips and golden nuggets whether you are new to event and auction fundraising or have been running your own for years. From our perspective we see thousands of events every year and today we will share some easy and actionable tips.

Starting with types of fundraisers
Put a smile on your donors faces with a fun event, because fun events make more money!
Get to the good stuff for event revenue boosters -honing in on sponsors, tickets, tables and sellable items
Auction revenue boosters that will soar your bids

Transcript

1. Event Fundraisers That Shine: Raising More Than Money and Strategies to ignite giving & create impact and a meaningful connection
2. Auctria | Since 2011 Organizations have raised over $1 billion dollars “Auctria’s mission is to empower nonprofit organizations by providing you with an affordable, easy to use powerful tool for event fundraising”
3. Auctria is built for soaring bids, crushing fundraising goals and making people more aware of your cause
4. GFS Events | Since 2012 GFS Events raises more money for your nonprofit by creating, managing, and executing successful fundraising events.
5. GFS is a minority and woman owned business that specializes in creating and producing successful fundraising events. We can offer innovative ideas and fundraising solutions that can help your nonprofit achieve a fundraising goal that you thought was out of reach.
8. The goal is not just fundraising. Raise spirits, raise voices and possibilities
9. Raise money. Raise awareness. • Types of event fundraisers • Events that are fun make money • Event Revenue Boosters: ◦ Sponsors ◦ Tickets & tables ◦ Sellable items • Auction Revenue Boosters ◦ Biddable items ◦ Gamify ◦ Live auction and Paddle Raise • Other! • Plan the event, run close with Auctria ◦ In person & online Agenda
10. Types of Event Fundraisers 1
11. Which one do we choose? Depends upon your time & resources. We will define and bring along some examples for inspiration.
12. Types of Event Fundraisers In person, Event-based (silent, live, fund-a-need) • Special events attract bidders • Gala, golf, community events • Lead time & planning for auction & event, or add on to a currently highly attended event Online Only Auction & Donation Drive • Audience reach may be broader • Donation only, funding a need • Distribution of items after the auction Use the event to tell the story and engage supporters, this is your ‘stage’ ONLINE iN PERSON
13. Choosing Tip #1: In person events Pros • Special events attract supporters, new and long-term • Chance to celebrate success in person, in a public way • It’s fun and social Cons • Budget • Logistics • Lead time • Organizational Bandwidth • Will people show up?
14. Museum of History and Industry Gala
15. Choosing Tip #2: Online only event Pros • Reach a broader audience (potentially) • Open 24 hours a day • Open for multiple days • Less work • Website show & tell the story • Max bid, bid extension, notifications • Registration is required Cons • No rsvps to bid on an auction item • Fluctuations in activity • Drive audience to the website for participation • No in-person socializing • Distribute items after the auction
16. Hillel Community Day School
17. Rebuilding Together South Sound
18. Choosing Tip #3: How about both? In person with online giving & bidding! Pros • Reason to show up • Dual audiences • Get to mingle and bid, buy and donate • Mobile bidding via qr code • Live appeals connect with the audience • Small talk, networking, thanking Cons • Reason to not show up in person • Online supporters are not part of the action • Once the bidding is over no additional interactions for online only participants
19. Northwest Justice Project’s Jubilee for Justice
20. Big Brother Big Sisters of Puget Sound
21. Auctions raise money in the room • Print bid sheets for paper bidding • Print display pages for mobile bidding Let the soaring bids begin! Bidding in the room OR
22. Make it Fun 2
23. Fun = Engagement Happy people will open their hearts and their wallets.
24. Themed Events Use the theme to attract more people • Make the event stand out • Use it strategically • You can keep within a budget Create FOMO
25. Hospice of the Northwest | Alice in Wonderland
26. Medic One Gala
27. Medic One Gala
28. Social Media
29. Event Revenue Boosters 3
30. Admission Tickets + Levels Tickets for sale • Single ticket • Ticket +1 • Table • VIP table • Easy to purchase online, ticket portal & e-ticket added to the wallet Ease of use as an admin, ease of use for guests
31. Admission Tickets: More than Just Entry
32. Sponsors Yes you can! • Find sponsors • It’s OK to start small • Create multiple levels of giving • Sponsors beget sponsors • Treat them with white glove service
33. Sponsorship Packet
34. In Room Revenue Boosters 4
35. Golden Ticket + Raffle Scarcity Raffles • Multiple price points • Golden ticket raffle • Always set maximum chances for raffles • If sells out… draw winner and start another one!
36. Gamify • Wine Toss • Paper AIrplane Toss
37. Wine wall
38. • 1:1, wine & cheese • Table bidding/donating • Celebrate Amazing what new funds are raised with different participants Dessert Dash
39. Paddle Raise
40. Meaningful donation asks
41. Peer-2-Peer Fundraising 5
42. Peer 2 Peer Friendly Competition
43. Friendly Competition biz 2 biz
44. Tournaments Auctria Smart Templates are ready to GO!
45. Around Town & Community
46. • Think about your WHY • Expectations for the organization and participants • Immediate funding and long term growth Events grow over time (years)
47. Plan-Run-Close Register-Bid-Win
48. 5 passes today! *Attend an AUCTRIA Demo for more chances to win
49. Free Resources from Auctria
50. Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
51. @auctria hello@auctria.com FB Group: Auction Team Talk Let’s stay in touch! info@gfsevents.org 425-985-0208 www.gfsevents.org facebook.com/gfsevents instagram.com/gfsevents linkedin.com/company/gfs-events