FIVE QUESTIONS:

TURNING EVENT PARTICIPANTS INTO

FUNDRAISERS

February 22, 2010

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Amy Braiterman, Principal Strategy Consultant, Blackbaud

Jeff Shuck, President/CEO, Event 360, Inc.

EVENT FUNDRAISING WITH BLACKBAUD

More than $1.3 billion raised

37,000 events and counting

17M participants & 31M donors

Average participant sends 27 emails

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Average participant sends 27 emails1 in 4 FAF emails convert

FAF emails have a 90 percent greater open rateAverage online gift size: $60

American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, Arthritis Foundation, Autism Speaks, LIVESTRONG,

Best Buddies International, Rodman Ride and National Down Syndrome Society

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Why should I worry about turning event

participants into

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participants into fundraisers?

Mission

Revenue

Gifts

EVENT VALUE CHAIN

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Donors

Participants

Event

WHY TURN EVENT PARTICIPANTS INTO

FUNDRAISERS?

• You need money. Just showing up at the event does not help you achieve your mission.

- Fundraising allows you to carry out your programming.

• You are not a party planner. In the typical event without a fundraising minimum, about 70% of participants

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fundraising minimum, about 70% of participants do not fundraise.

- You end up covering costs and not raising any money for your mission.

• You are a fundraiser. The event is created as the reason for the ASK.

- Make sure you tell your participants why fundraising is important.

Where do I start?When in the lifecycle of

the event?

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the event?

WHERE DO I START?

• With an ASK. You can insert an ask anywhere in your lifecycle.

• Start at the beginning. From the moment a participant registers, emphasize the importance of fundraising:

- Implement a registration fee.

- Suggest a minimum fundraising amount.

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- Encourage self-donation.

• Maintain the momentum. Foster a fundraising culture throughout the event lifecycle:

- Recognize individual’s fundraising progress.

- Encourage participants to enlist others for support.

Who should I focus on?How do I find them?

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How do I find them?

PARTICIPANT DRIVERS

• I like to walk.

Affinity to an activity

• I’m supporting my school/church/office as a team.

Affinity to a third party group

Affinity to participants or individuals

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• I like to spend time with my friends.

Affinity to participants or individuals

• I want to help find a cure.

Affinity to a cause

• I believe in this Foundation’s work.

Affinity to an organization

WHO SHOULD I FOCUS ON? WHERE ARE THEY?

• Cast a narrow net. A successful fundraising event cannot be everything to everyone.

• Be specific. Start with a specific target market to yield the best results.

- People who are directly affected by your cause.

- People who are passionate about your event’s activity.

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- People who are passionate about your event’s activity.

• Find out why. What drives your current constituents to support your cause?

- Build a case for participation and fundraising based upon what motivates them.

Are some participants more likely

to fundraise than

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to fundraise than others?

WHICH PARTICIPANTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO

FUNDRAISE?

• Connected to cause. Individuals who have been personally touched by your cause and mission.

• Team members. People who join with friends and family on a team have more support and more motivation to fundraise.

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• Alumni. Return participants know that they can do it and are willing to continue being an advocate for you.

• If a participant falls into multiple categories, they are likely to fundraise even more.

- Acknowledge these key fundraising drivers and speak to them in your event communications.

WHICH PARTICIPANTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO

FUNDRAISE?

Additional Indicators

• Fundraising goal

• Personalize their webpage

• Sending Friends Asking Friends emails

• Received donations

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• Received donations

• Make a personal contribution

• Not a team of one

• Have they reached out to you?

Are there specific strategies that work to turn zero balance participants

into fundraisers?

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into fundraisers?

HOW DO YOU TURN A ZERO-BALANCE PARTICIPANT

INTO A FUNDRAISER?

• Ask, ask, ask. Make a strong ask to all of your participants. Repeat the ask of your zero-balance participants.

• Be direct. Tell them that participation is not enough and that you need fundraising to carry out your mission and programming.

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programming.

• Use incentives carefully. Use time-based incentives with an expiration date to get them to take action faster.

• It isn’t easy to move this group. It’s often more effective to focus efforts on your actively fundraising participants.

Are there specific strategies that work to get

existing fundraisers

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to raise more?

HOW DO I GET FUNDRAISERS TO RAISE MORE?

• Emphasize the cause. This is the main reason that they are fundraising. Illustrate your impact through meaningful stories.

• Be straightforward. Tell them to do more, because you needmore for your mission.

- Encourage repeat participants to increase their goals from last year.

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• Tell them about everyone else. Letting people know how much the “average” participant fundraises shows them what levels are attainable.

• Say thank you. Acknowledge their specific efforts. Recognition is a powerful motivator.

How can I best use incentives?

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HOW CAN I BEST USE INCENTIVES?

• Recognition, not reward. Focus on using incentives as a thank you mechanism. A prize is nice, but people want to see you achieve your mission.

• Give them a deadline. A time-based incentive can motivate fundraising spikes.

- “Raise $100 by this Friday and be eligible for…”

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- “Raise $100 by this Friday and be eligible for…”

How do I measure the impact I’m making?

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HOW DO I MEASURE IMPACT?

• Totals. More than just overall dollars and participants.

- Total number of donors, gifts

• Individual performance. Look at the amount raised “per” participant, team, etc.

• Median, not average. The middle gives you a more

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• Median, not average. The middle gives you a more representative snapshot of what your participants are doing.

- Median amount raised, gift size

• Growth. Compare your numbers to last year and the year prior. Use the data to make informed decisions on next year.

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EVENT 360

www.event360.com

BLACKBAUD BLOGS

www.FriendsAskingAmy.com

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

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www.FriendsAskingAmy.com

www.netwitsthinktank.com

www.blackbaud.com