A presentation to the Southeastern Land Trust Alliance Conference on event fundraising

1. Smarter Fundraising Events
You WORK Hard to Produce Your Fundraising Event
Optimize Your Event So That It WORKS For You

2. The Next 75 Minutes……
- YOU will participate and there will be Prizes!!
- Use Twitter @SwellFunds
- Find us on Facebook Facebook.com/SwellFundraising
- Rapid Fire Q/A
- Event Team Work - A
- How do you measure your event?
- Event Team Work – B
- Steps to Make Your Event Work For You?
- Efficiency
- Leverage Return

4. Swell’s application suite includes the following:
Online event website
 Ticketing
 Content
 Donation Processing
Event Management App
 Event Check-in
 Onsite Merchant Processing
Big Screen Application
 Instagram / Twitter Feed
 Real-time donation tally
 Leaderboards
 Sponsor Logos

5. Reciprocity
Social Proof
Scarcity
Commitmen
t/Consistenc
y
Authority
Give Something
to Your
Guests/Donors
Don’t Make
Them Attend a
Poorly
Organized
Event
Include Social
Influencers
Leverage
Social Media
Culture of
Giving Limited
Tickets
Rare
Opportunity
Fear Of
Missing Out
Need to Give
Again
Post Event
Communicatio
n Solidify
Commitment
Reward Repeat
Guests
Duty to People
in Powerful
Positions
Board
Event Speaker
Organization
Thought
Leadership

6. Rapid Fire Q/A
Immediate Response – No Thinking
Raise Your Hand For a YES Answer

7. Does your event take too much staff time?
Do you raise a 1/3 or more of your unrestricted budget from event fundraising?
Did you create a social media hashtag for your event?
Do you host events because they…..
Raise Awareness? Engage Donors?
Attract New Donors?

8. In the budget, did your org increase the projected revenue from your event?
Did your organization make other adjustments to the event budget other than revenue?
Is your event FUN?
Would your event be considered successful if it generated LESS revenue but from new donors?
I LOVE MY EVENT FUNDRAISER
I HATE (sort of) MY EVENT FUNDRAISER?

10. Describe Your Event in 5 Words
How Do You Measure the Success of the
Event?
Name the #1 Benefit of the Event for You Org

11. Describe Your Event in 5 Words
How Do You Measure the Success of the
Event?
Name the #1 Benefit of the Event for Your Org

12. Fundraising is the most visible
example of the organizational culture
Innovative
Cutting Edge
Unique
Modern
Multi-Generation

13. Responsible
Smart
Eco-Friendly

14. What Message Does Your Event
Send Donors?

15. Top Line Number
(Net Event Revenue)
Diversity of
Revenue Sources Corporate
New Donors
Current
Donors
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

16. Cause / Organization Awareness
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

17. Planned
Gifts
Major Gifts
Annual Fund Gifts
First Time Gifts / Event Participants
Events operate
HERE
Retention
Number of New Donors?
Recapture
Acquisition

18. Where do you spend the most time
when organizing/planning your
event?
What (other than top line revenue) would you
like to achieve from your event?
@swellfunds

19. Automate to Gain Efficiency
Ticketing
Data Collection Communications
Donations
@swellfunds

20. Communication Efficiency
Ticketing
Data Collection Communications
Table Host
Table Number
Guest Email
Automated email sent
to guests with Table
Number and Map
Ticketing
Sponsor Contact
# of Comp Tickets
Link to fulfill Tickets
Automate Issuance of
Complimentary Tickets
Donations
Name
Amount
Cause/Event
Guest of…
Personalized,
automated thank you
email
#SEConserve201

21. Volunteer Management
Find a Free, Low-Cost Software Tools to Facilitate ….
Calendly
AppointmentCore
GoogleDocs
Base Camp
Volunteer Spot
Better Impact
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

22. Design Tools
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

23. Can we leverage the
event differently?
Is it possible to expand
our event reach through
technology?

24. Engagement
Via the
Ticketing
Process
Learn About Your Cause
- Download Research
- Subscribe to Your Blog
- Visit a Site with Info
Connect with Organization
- Social Media commit
- Email Capture
Tell Your Story
- Online sharing
- Invite friends
Can My Guests
Do More?#SEConserve201

25. How?
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds
Put your event website to work
- Add a button to download information
- Insert video
Use ticket email to send additional information

26. Friends asking Friends
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

27. How Powerful is Peer to Peer?
1 out of 4 emails sent peer to peer yields a
donation
1 out of 1250 emails sent by the organization
yields a donation
#SEConserve201

28. Reach an Online
Audience via
Live Stream
Facebook Live
#SEConserve201 @swellfunds

29. Motivate Social Media
with Social Walls
@swellfunds#SEConserve201

30. Cause / Organization Awareness
SPONSORS
#SEConserve201

31. Sponsor Support
Instagram Photobooth
Facebook Images
Event Social Media Feed
Name of Event
Be a Fan / Follower
@swellfunds#SEConserve201

32. Head in sand photo /
overwhelmed director
#SEConserve201

33. What specific ideas would you like
to apply to your event?
@swellfunds#SEConserve201

34. 1984 2006
“People are naturally nervous about the
unknown and quickly default to how things have
always been done”

35. #1: Make it EASY to Donate
#2: Make it quick/easy to check in
#3: Data Collection
#4:Engage guests to share online
#5: Automate your current activity
#6: Connect