Equity at Events: Creating Financial Access

For many nonprofits, there is a disconnect between the people you serve and work with, and the donors who support the work. This separation can become particularly apparent at fundraising events when ticket prices exceed $100.

Fundraising events are incredibly fun, festive and energizing spaces—so what if you want more people who make your work possible in attendance?

It starts with creating financial access, and access requires planning.

A few of our nonprofit partners wanted to invite their clients to the fundraising event but knew the ticket price would be a barrier. So, they created a lower-cost sponsorship level and asked their partners, donors and sponsors to purchase a table for community members. Available seats were then offered to clients, volunteers, staff and community members as “hosted” tickets. This was built into the budget for the event.

This verbiage is important—you never want to offer “free” tickets to your event, even if they are sponsored and can be given at no-cost to a guest. When people attend an event with a “hosted” ticket, they are more likely to see that someone has invested in their attendance and they will be more likely to show up and be more motivated to give at the event.

You can also provide volunteer opportunities for people who want to attend but may not be able to afford the ticket. This gives people a chance to give their time as a gift and to be a crucial part of the event’s success.

Having more people in your room who are connected to your work in different ways also allows you to move from donor-centric fundraising to community-centric fundraising. This distributes the value of people’s giving so that you create a culture of belonging in your fundraising.

When you’re thinking about increasing access at your fundraising event, build it into your budget. Because reaching your budget goals keeps your mission moving forward, and this is something that everyone wants to get behind.

Interested in other ways you can plan equitable events? Read our blog on Inclusive Language here.

Photo by Phototainment PDX at the 2019 NxNE Community Supper