When you think of nonprofit event planning, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the venue? Maybe the theme or the decorations? What about entertainment and food?
While all of these pieces of a charity event are certainly important, we have to argue that they aren’t the most vital.
What we consider to be the most important step in nonprofit event planning should happen before the real planning even begins – setting event goals.
Why Goal Setting and Nonprofit Event Planning Go Hand-in-Hand
Knowing the goals of each nonprofit event on your organization’s calendar can help you in several ways.
For one, these goals help you determine the other essentials of nonprofit event planning, such as where and when to hold it, how to market it, and what kind of activities or entertainment to feature.
But knowing your event goals also answers a vital question: “Should we even host this event?”
Ensuring your event’s goals align with your nonprofit’s overall mission and vision – as well as budget and strategic plans – will help you decide if it’s even worth the effort.
So, before you start planning your next charity event, we urge you to sit down and consider your why, who, and what.
The Why, Who, and What of Event Planning for Nonprofit Organizations
When setting your nonprofit event goals, there are three things to focus on: the why, the who, and the what. Also known as your event’s purpose, audience, and return.
Let’s take a look at each of these focus areas and how they contribute to the goals of your next charity event.
Selecting Your Nonprofit Event’s Purpose
First, consider why you are planning this event in the first place. What’s the purpose of it?
Knowing your event’s intended purpose is important because it is a key factor in determining your event’s theme, entertainment, ticket price, and more. It also helps you ensure the event aligns with your nonprofit’s mission.
A few purposes to consider during nonprofit event planning include:
- Fundraising – If the primary purpose of your event is to raise funds, you’ll need to focus on creating an experience that will encourage attendees to donate. Set ticket prices to ensure at least a portion of proceeds go directly towards your mission and look at adding a fundraising activity or two.
- Gratitude – If your “why” is thanking your supporters – whether donors, board members, or volunteers – you’ll likely want to avoid charging them. So, your budget may be lower than if you were planning an event with the goal of bringing in money. Or, look into how event sponsors can help cover the cost of refreshments and entertainment.
- Awareness – If you’d like to build awareness for your mission through your event, plan to include mission-driven activities, speakers, or entertainment that will enable you to do just that. Consider producing print materials or branded giveaways to help your message stick with attendees long after they leave.
Speaking of attendees, that’s what’s next on your list!
Choosing Your Charity Event’s Target Audience
Once you know your event’s purpose, consider who you want to be there. This will be your target audience, which is critical when it comes to choosing how to promote the event.
If your purpose is to thank a specific set of your supporters – perhaps monthly donors or regular volunteers – your target audience will be pretty simple. And it should be easier to reach them, too, as you already have their contact information.
For fundraising events, consider if you want to focus on existing donors or prospective donors (or a mix of both).
Then, create an ideal donor profile for this event, with demographics such as age, location, and household income. Already have one for general fundraising? You can start there!
Once you have your target audience set (and you can have more than one), choose your communications channels and tactics based on what will most resonate with them.
Understanding your target audience will also help with your nonprofit event planning itself. Consider your “who” when thinking through theming, activities, food, and more.
An awareness event targeted to families, for example, will need to feature fun activities and refreshments geared for children of all ages. On the other hand, a fundraising gala might have adult beverages, a sit-down dinner, and a live band.
And that leads us to the last question to ask yourself when setting your nonprofit event goals: “What do we want to get out of this event?”
Determining the Anticipated Return on Investment
Before you dive knee-deep into nonprofit event planning and goal setting, it’s important to determine the event’s anticipated return on investment (ROI). Consider this as looking at what you anticipate your event doing for your nonprofit – and what you need to do (and spend) to make it happen.
ROI is calculated by dividing event revenue by event expenses and multiplying by 100. This calculation offers an objective look at the success of an event using quantifiable data.
Anticipated ROI can be figured using the same calculation, but with estimates for the event revenue and expenses. Include typical event expenses such as venue, entertainment, refreshments, and marketing. But also remember to include staff time as an event expense.
If you’re hosting an awareness or thank-you event that doesn’t have typical revenue streams, consider applying a dollar value to other outcomes. These outcomes may include number of attendees, prospective donor leads, email list sign-ups, social media followers, and more.
Understanding your anticipated ROI will help you finalize your event goals as well as budgets.
It also gives you an opportunity to consider if the event is worth the time and effort that goes into planning and hosting it. If you can’t seem to achieve a positive ROI no matter how you adjust your estimates, it might be time to consider shifting your resources to a different tactic.
Finalize Your Nonprofit Event Planning Goals
Now that you know your event’s why, who, and what – or purpose, target audience, and return – it’s time to finalize your event goals and start planning!
Your purpose helps determine the type of event you will host, the target audience enables you to zero in on the right people, and your anticipated ROI determines what you need to make it happen.
And all three combine to create a set of event goals that makes nonprofit event planning a bit easier!
If you could use additional advice or help with goal-setting and fundraising strategies, reach out to the consultants at MVP Advisors. We’re here to provide an extra hand to teams and nonprofits of all sizes.Â