The End of the Gala*

I know what you’re thinking:

Ours is different!

Can you imagine what BoardMember X would say if we canceled it?!

We always talk about our clients at the event!

What would our corporate sponsors give to then?!

Our CEO loves to give that speech, though!

I mean, we DO raise $100,000!

We stopped calling it a gala years ago!

We’ve looked at the ROI. It’s decent.

Or you may be the fundraiser who’s been trying to kill the event for years. I know it takes big courage to make that type of change. I know it immediately means you have to raise that $100,000 another way. I know that’s scary. I’ve been there. I’ve canceled the event and found a way to keep those donors. In doing so, it gave me the opportunity to look at each event guest or sponsor and tailor-fit a program or appeal with what they care about most. And in a few short years, those event sponsors and guests gave over $200,000 annually. AND we got rid of that pesky linen budget!

So ask yourself this: Is this event adding to the lifetime value of your donors? What are the activities in your organization that add to the lifetime value of your donor? Do those activities have your time and attention? Are you investing staff time and energy in activities that are not serving your donors or your organization’s mission?

Ready to think differently about the value of your event and creating activities that build donor value? Let’s chat.

*By gala, I mean any event in which you have a linen budget.

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