Every Nonprofit Marketer/Fundraiser has ran into the same problem while doing their job; a lack of resources and tools to use! I was the Marketing Manager for a Nonprofit for 7+ years and would experience this each day at work. How do I crop and edit an image without Photoshop? We can’t hire a full time designer, but we want pretty invitation flyers for our upcoming event!

Imagine you just had your annual gala supporting an incredible cause for your Nonprofit organization. You ensured every detail was perfect, from the live band to the gourmet meal you served. You created flyers, posted to social media, and even sold the most tickets you have ever sold for an annual gala. But, for some reason, you were unable to reach your fundraising goals. You leave confused, wondering why your efforts did not result in the outcome you were hoping for.

“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, and a soul generated by love.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. From auction item procurement to graphic design, day-of execution and post-event follow up, dedicated volunteers are critical to the success of any fundraising event. Chances are you could use more help, expertise and/or manpower in at least some areas or committees that make up your next event.

The scenario: You've bundled enough donations for four or five big-ticket packages in the live auction. You're confident the group dinner with a private chef, red-hot concert tickets and box suite at the baseball game are going to inspire lucrative bidding wars amongst your donors. That said, your current packages aren't quite enough to fill the 30 to 45 minutes you've allotted for the live auction. Now what?

Have you heard of the “3 E’s of Event Fundraising”? Benefit auctioneer Danny Hooper has shared 3 goals that, if met, go a long way to ensuring the success and sustainability of any fundraising event: Entertain: Make giving fun Engage: Hold the audience’s attention Extract Funds: Keep the focus on fundraising

If you've ever been part of a fundraising auction, you know how important it is to establish not only auction chairs and committees, but an extensive team of reliable, passionate volunteers. On the day of the event, staff and leadership need to prioritize mingling and networking with donors. This means well-trained volunteers are key to the actual execution of your event.

Nearly all fundraising events can benefit from incorporating a fund-a-need or special appeal into the agenda - but a recent Winspire webinar poll revealed more than 1 in 5 organizations are missing out.

With fall fundraising season around the corner, it's important nonprofits put themselves in attendees' shoes and focus on improving the guest experience. Smoothing out the experience at your event, from start to finish, ensures not only this year's success but long-term sustainability.

With fall fundraising season on the horizon, your nonprofit may be gearing up for a special event. And while selling lots of tickets to the general public is great, your development team has an even more critical task: to identify and attract high net worth guests who could become major gift donors.

How would you categorize the typical guests at a charity auction?

Are fundraising events going extinct in 2018?