Throwing fundraising events can be fun for everyone involved, but is it right for your organization? It can be hard to decide whether you should use your organization’s time and resources into such a task as fundraising, but after these pros and cons, the choice may be clearer.
Pros
- Face to Face: Face-to-face connections are incredibly important. A fundraising event gives organizations and companies the chance to meet clients, audiences, and members face-to-face on a personal level. It can make a significant impact on the group and on the engagement with those who participate in fundraising events.
- Builds Trust: Meeting people face-to-face and hosting fundraising events is an excellent way to build trust within a community, especially for newly formed organizations. It can be hard to get the word out, and some people may not take an organization seriously if the name seems unfamiliar. Hosting an event gives a certain amount of legitimacy and credibility to the cause.
- Better Awareness: Outdoor advertising may not reach everyone. Many people notice billboards and posters pasted on the side of buildings, but people may zone out and miss valuable information about your organization. A fundraiser event is a fun way to build awareness for your cause. People are having fun, which engages them to learn more about the organization.
- Fun Events: Fundraising events can be incredibly fun for everyone involved. This is ideal for a group because people can remember the time they went to your event and enjoyed themselves. It increases awareness and could even encourage more people to attend the next year—should it be an annual occasion. Some ideas are to have an auction, a dinner party where they pay to reserve tables, or a game night (with gambling games).
Cons
- Takes Time: Events don’t happen overnight. It requires a lot of time to create and design activities and awareness campaigns during the fundraiser. Additionally, vendors may be required if the fundraiser is going to be a large event. The time it takes for employees to plan a fundraiser is time taken away from other duties.
- Requires Volunteers: Creating a fundraising event requires volunteers. Many fundraising events have food and drink along with activities. It can be difficult to find volunteers who are willing to spend several hours participating. Additionally, volunteers are required to design and plan the event, so it goes according to plan.
- High Expenses: The amount of money you originally have to spend to plan and host the event can be astronomical. The money may be better suited going toward another cause. After all, you’ll have to feed volunteers, pay for booths, activities, and spend a lot of time contacting companies to come to the fundraising event. Of course, this depends on the size of the event, and how much you expect to receive in donations. Smaller fundraising events can be low-cost.
