Focus on the Special Appeal: Pre-commits

When planning a fundraising event, it’s tempting to get caught up in the decorative details like napkin colors, centerpieces, event themes or music. But the majority of your time should actually be spent on the main focus of your event – raising money for your organization. A large part of your fundraising during the event will come from your special appeal. Making sure you have a great story for this is imperative. But just as important is acquiring pre-committed gifts from your guests and donors. This will help ensure maximum fundraising.

Adelante Mujeres, an organization that empowers Latina women, did an amazing job of cultivating their donors for the special appeal at their Fiesta of Hope Gala. They made sure there were going to be people raising their bid cards at every level of giving. How did they accomplish this? Communication. Adelante Mujeres’s board members were asked in advance to commit to some level of giving during the special appeal and 100% of them agreed to do this. Past donors were contacted and asked to commit to a specific level of giving.

But Adelante Mujeres didn’t stop there. They continued to communicate to their donors about the giving levels. They recognized donors who gave, even if they couldn’t be in the room. This not only gave their donor recognition for their gift, but also created momentum and inspiration for other guests to raise their bid card, too.

Adelante Mujeres kept their focus on fundraising in planning their Fiesta of Hope Gala and this helped them surpass their goals. Communication to their biggest donors and asking them to pre-commit to a specific amount in advance of their event took it to the next level. What a great example of how you can have success at your next fundraising event, too.