Running an event is not for the faint of heart, but with these tips below you will be a pro in no time! Events are powerful tools to raise awareness for your cause!

Know your Goal: Before you send out any invitations, you need to know your goal. What is the purpose of putting on your event and who are you targeting? Make sure you think through what will attract and keep your audience/donors! There is no need to spend time or money on an event that doesn’t serve those you are trying to gather support from! Make the event fun and memorable.

What is your Budget: Putting on events does not have to be expensive, but costs can stack up quickly without a plan. Figure out how much you want to spend on your event and then go from there. Build the event with thought and care. When building on a budget, make sure you communicate to others your “why.” Many people are willing to help when they can get on board with a cause!

Venue / Date: Now that you have a bit of a plan and budget in mind, locate your venue and choose your date! Be sure to secure your venue before sending out any invites or date information. We are inching our way to putting tickets on sale!

Branding: No event is complete without branding. This can be as simple as picking a great picture or putting together a simple graphic for your event or you can spend quite a bit of time and money developing a theme that will be seen throughout aspects of your event. *If you plan on having multiple events, I suggest taking the time to brand up front.

Volunteers: Events do not run themselves sadly, but luckily with faithraiser you can also gather volunteers to help you put on a spectacular event. Recruit them early as it is always better to have more than you need than not enough. Look for a variety of skillsets to make your day come alive!

Vendors / Guests: This is a good time to decide if you will be inviting others to participate in your event. Do you want vendors there (such as coffee or food for your guests or those selling products that help support your cause.) Do you want someone to come and speak at your event? Outside speakers can help raise awareness through touching a wider network of people! * Remember to include this part in our budget.

Share your Event: The time has come to share your event! We have provided you with a link or QR code that you can easily place on your social media! Another suggestion is to send an email to those interested in your cause! Put together a simple but effective marketing plan. Every plan will be slightly different, depending on who you are trying to attract!

Reminder Emails: You have planned and planned! You have recruited volunteers and people are signing up to come to your event. You are so close! This is a simple reminder that as you get close to the event, it is important to send out reminder emails to your volunteer team and to attendees. People have a lot going on in life and often forget!

Day of Process: Before the day arrives, put a plan in place for the flow of the event and assign people to different aspects of the event. This plan will help you and your entire team stay focused and guide you through the day. You have put so much effort into your event, having this plan in place will help you pull the day off with ease!

Your big day has arrived! Enjoy the day and be present. Your event is going to be a hit and make such impact!

Our last suggestion: Wait, I thought I was done!? You are close, but we do recommend that you debrief your event. Especially if you are thinking about hosting future events. Debriefing always teaches you and guides you for your next event. Celebrate your wins and allow any challenges to teach you what to do differently for the next event.

All the best,
The Faithraiser Team