Apr 25, 2019

Top 3 missed fundraising opportunities

3 big missed opportunities

We understand when “The Big Event is impending, fundraisers may be drowning under the weight of increasing attendees, streamlining check-in and checkout, and ensuring an overall smooth run of show. This is hard work. Seriously. But what weve learned from working closely with thousands of nonprofits is, when you solely focus on basic logistics, you likely miss really important opportunities.  

When GiveSmart clients (who are the best at digging into the data) take the time to step back, capture and analyze data insights, theyre finding big wins right under their noses.   

So, what are the three biggest fundraising opportunities often missed at fundraising events?  

1. Analyzing Trends and Data. Sure, you’re done with your event and youreally just love to kick back and relax. Post-show analysis can be a drag, but it’s also crucial because there is so much juicy donor information you can discover right away.   

Who won the most auction items? Who walked out the door without giving? Who bid, but didn’t win? What auction items did the best? Which items sold at the greatest percentage over market value? Which items had the most bids overall?  

 Details like these can help your organization: 

  • Determine what’s working and what’s not  
  • Identify new donor prospects
  • Inform your next event by identifying what items resonate with your event attendees

2. Making the Most of the Room. Once you take the time to get the right people in the room, be sure to give every guest who attends your event the opportunity to participate in giving at a level thats comfortable for them.   

This can be accomplished by having auction items at multiple price points; a raffle at a lower amount; and/or flexible donation options, including the option to give monthly rather than a one-time donation. This can be built directly into your organization’s website, event page, and even offered during a live appeal or text-to-donate.  

3. Maximizing Technology. Many organizations make the decision to invest in technology, but then fail to use the tools to their greatest potential. Are there features you currently have through your technology you’re not using? We find that while many organizations use technology like GiveSmart at their fundraising events, they can be using it beyond events for additional campaigns, helping them raise more throughout the entire year. Additionally, using all the great features of a platform reduces the time and energy of staff and volunteers, therefore maximizing the ROI of your technology.  

Let’s talk more about not leaving any money on the table.

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What our clients say

We needed a platform to make sales online and to track and display ads for our sponsors. GiveSmart was perfect. We ended up making close to $15,000 more than we had hoped for. Definite better ROI than we anticipated. The interface is easy to use and provides plenty of options to get help if needed.

Michelle M.

The Rotary Club of South Whidbey Island

Using GS has created ease in auction bookkeeping, payments, and generating post-event thank you/tax letters. While we were online during COVID, our interactions with our GiveSmart via phone, email, and zoom were seamless. A representative always got back to us within the day. I would recommend GiveSmart to anyone doing a large online event.

Julie G.

MicroFinancing Partners in Africa

GiveSmart is highly flexible - you can use it for [a] simple registration and check-in, to full-scale galas with complex order forms, onsite upsells, live auctions, seating management, and more.

Jamie F.

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

GiveSmart is easy to use and ideal for virtual events and can be used for in-person events to manage the silent auction, seating charts, and check-in to the event. Being able to use the platform for unlimited events within the contract year is very useful and being able to add other users and volunteers for different levels of access is helpful as well.

Dawn L.

Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County