How to get it right and watch those fundraising dollars flow in…
Any event, whether in-person or virtual (or somewhere in-between), needs a solid event timeline in order to run smoothly. In this blog post, we’re sharing our top tips and best practices for getting it right.
Why a good timeline is so important?
There are so many reasons why a good event timeline is vital to the success of your event- too many to cover in this blog post! The main reason, however, comes down to the root reason for having a fundraising event in the first place: it has a major impact on your success at fundraising!
Your donors attend your event to support your organization’s mission, and they are there to give. However, long before they even set foot in your ballroom, or log on to your livestream, your event’s timeline or show-flow, has an impact on how much they’ll end up giving.
People have limited attention spans, and if your program runs long or fails to build momentum, you run the risk of losing donors before the time comes to ask them to give. Even if they are still physically in the room, they may become distracted or, worse, disengaged.
How to nail your event’s flow like a pro:
Prioritize your event’s timeline by starting to iron it out early– as soon as possible, really. Things will come up throughout the planning process that will need to be added, removed or shifted around in your program, and the sooner you have a basic framework, the more prepared you’ll be when the inevitable changes need to be made.
As you refine your show-flow, make sure to check in with everyone involved in the event about their particular timing. This can, and should, include volunteers, anyone who will be presenting during the program as well as vendors whose contributions need to happen at a certain time. For example, your caterer should be able to work with you on knowing when dinner will be served, and whether or not to hold dessert because of the Fund-A-Need. When everyone feels confident about when they are supposed to do their part, your event will be more likely to run smoothly, and you’ll be able to adapt to any last minute changes.
Those check ins should be as thorough as you can make them, with the goal of making sure everyone is on the same page, and that you’ve been made aware of any issues with the current version of the timeline.
When we are consulting with a client for their upcoming gala, we like to be hands-on with the event timeline. We can offer guidance on everything from communicating with vendors to creating a solid, all-encompassing show-flow and, most importantly, how to maximize the moment your donors are at peak bliss, so that your event can be as successful as possible.
We at Bliss Auctions think there is an art to crafting an excellent show-flow, and we enjoy the opportunity to look at an event from different angles and find ways to bring an event’s stakeholders together to support the mission.
To that end, whether you’re a client already or just someone checking us out, we’d like to give you a sample timeline to get you started on creating a solid show-flow for your fundraising gala. Fill out the form below and we’ll email you a sample timeline that you can customize to suit your event.
