Event fundraising can bring in significant revenue for nonprofits—but they demand more planning and resources than non-event fundraising campaigns. We surveyed nonprofit event planners about the planning ease and return on investment (ROI) of major events. This presentation covers the most interesting findings.

1. Software Advice IndustryView:
Best Fundraising Events for Your Nonprofit
Trends and best practices from the industry

2. Special events—such as galas, golf tournaments and competitive races—are a
popular fundraising method used by 82 percent of nonprofits, according to the
Nonprofit Research Collaborative.
Event fundraising, however, incurs higher upfront costs than passive fundraising
methods, like email campaigns. We surveyed 99 nonprofit event planners to find
out which types of major events are best for nonprofits depending on their size.
Some key findings include:
• Fun runs and walks are the easiest event to plan and generate a moderate to
high return on investment for nonprofits of all sizes.
• A-thon events—bowl-a-thons and dance-a-thons, for example—have the lowest
cost per dollar raised (CPDR) and are suitable for nonprofits with low budgets.
• CPDR, number of new donors and number of attendees are the most common
metrics used to measure event performance.
Abstract

3. Fun Runs and Walks Best Event No Matter Nonprofit Size
While all major events are relatively difficult for small nonprofits to plan due to
limited resources, fun runs and walks are the best major event for any size.

4. For any nonprofit wanting to host a major event, but that is also constrained by a
small budget, a-thon events typically have the lowest cost per dollar raised.
A-thon Events Have Lowest Cost Per Dollar Raised

5. CPDR
Number of new donors
Attendance
ROI
Average donation amount
Number of new volunteers
Media mentions
Email/newsletter sign-ups
Website visits
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
22%
31%
38%
40%
64%
65%
75%
80%
83%
Percent of sample
Eighty-three percent of respondents say CPDR is the most used performance
metric, followed closely by the number of new donors acquired at 80 percent.
CPDR Most Popular Event Performance Metric

6. In our sample, 43 percent of respondents represent small nonprofits, 35 percent
midsize nonprofits, 12 percent large and 9 percent are not sure.
Less than $1 million26%
$1 - $5 million17%
$6 - $10 million15%
$11 - $20 million10%
$21 - $50 million10%
$51 - $100 million6%
More than $100 million6%
Not sure9%
Respondents by Annual Operating Budget

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Read about our findings in more detail.Read Report