7 Ways to Grow Sustainable Giving at Your Event
Events are one of the most effective channels for growing sustainable giving. In fact, for some organizations, they can be the number ONE channel for sustainer acquisition.
In this Wave Report, I’m going to unpack why events can be so effective in growing recurring revenue, and share seven ways to grow sustainable giving at your next event.
But first, speaking of events, let’s celebrate. 🎉
This past week, we hosted our first Sustainable Giving Workshop, just outside Seattle.
Sustainable Giving Workshop
Twenty-four leaders from 20 organizations gathered for 2.5 days to be inspired, informed, and connect at our inaugural Sustainable Giving Workshop.
It was encouraging to see these leaders leaning in, investing in themselves and their organizations. And the feedback so far has put a smile on my face:
“I left with renewed energy and enthusiasm.”
"It was accessible and actionable. Can implement changes right away."
“I am more determined than ever to grow my monthly giving program.”
Cecilia shared that for her, “What changed was my overall view on the critical importance of using sustainable giving as our fundraising ‘bread and butter.’ It was the 10X exercise that helped me realize the incredible potential for sustainable giving to help us focus more intently on the work we do, instead of year after year panicking/scrambling to meet operating goals. Thank you for an incredibly enlightening, inspiring, and enjoyable experience!”
If you are interested in attending a future workshop, we’re already hard at work for early next year. Stay tuned for an announcement shortly.
Continuing on the theme, let’s talk about why events can be one of the most effective channels for growing sustainable giving, and how you can tap into it at your next event.
The Intersection of Events and Sustainable Giving
Following an appearance on the Hey Nonprofits! Podcast earlier this year to talk about The Rise of Sustainable Giving, Trevor Nelson and his co-founder, Jason Ledlow at HGA Fundraising, invited me to a fireside chat on the opportunities facing organizations to grow sustainable recurring giving at events.
If you’d like, you can view my conversation with Trevor and Jason on YouTube at 'How to Create Monthly Giving Opportunities at Your Next Fundraising Event,' but that got me thinking…
Why are events such fertile soil for inviting people into recurring giving?
What Makes Events Good for Growing Sustainable Giving
Events can be effective in engaging with recurring giving for several key reasons.
1. Events are embodied
In an in-person event, you quite literally have a captive audience. In so many other mediums, we don’t fully have our audience's attention – they might scan an email or direct mail piece, or watch part of a video, but we rarely have their full attention. When people gather in a space, they are fully present.
2. Events are experiential
Events can tap into all five of our senses. Events can create peak moments – moments that are memorable and powerful, and move our hearts and minds to align. I’ve written about peak moments before – and lessons we can learn from Disneyland circa 2000 about how to transition into an elevated peak experience. Powerful experiences create the conditions in which people are primed to be generous.
3. Events are community
One thing that events can do exceptionally well is show people that they are part of a shared community of people passionate about the cause. At an event, you can see the social proof in the room.
For example, imagine at your event asking everyone who is a monthly donor to stand up, and recognizing the impact that their faithful giving has made. In our fireside chat, Jason shared an example – you might say something like “because these monthly partners stepped up, 133 kids were able to go to camp this summer. Isn’t that incredible? Let’s celebrate.” Events inspire us to be part of a community of others like us who care about issues like these.
4. Events interrupt our routine
The best fundraising includes an element of interruption. It might be a disaster or crisis that grabs our attention and breaks our routine.
Certain channels are more likely to interrupt our routine. Direct mail typically has a higher response rate than email, partly because you physically interact with the direct mail letter when going through your mailbox. Phone has a higher response than direct mail, partly because you are talking directly to the donor.
Above all, events are the ultimate form of interrupting our routine – we choose to take several hours out of our busy schedules to go to a place and experience something that we don’t normally experience in our typical routine. Events cause us to pay attention in a way we never would during our day-to-day routines.
💡 Takeaway: Events are ideally suited to drive recurring giving – attendees are more fully present, they can create powerful, moving experiences, a sense of community and social proof, and they interrupt our typical routines.
Now, let’s explore some strategies to foster sustainable giving at your next event.
7 Ways to Grow Sustainable Giving at Your Event
1. Incorporate recurring giving into your event.
The simplest and most important thing is actually to include it in your event. And don’t make recurring giving a sideshow – “Hey, if you maybe are interested in joining our monthly giving program, please consider stopping by the table in the back on the way out.”
No.
Be bold, and make recurring giving a core part of your event experience. Every event is different, and I’m not suggesting that recurring giving should be the only or even primary ask. If you are hosting an auction, for example, the vast majority of your effort should be focused on raising auction money. However, find creative ways and moments to encourage people to make an ongoing impact through recurring giving.
2. Recognize that events don’t always have to be galas or golf tournaments.
Some of the most impactful events are living room gatherings – as Sanjay Bindra shared on Episode 5 of the Sustainable Giving Podcast - receptions at homes are the primary fundraising strategy for the GOSUMEC Foundation.
We work with multiple charities that have hosted open houses to have people come and see their work, and incorporate recurring giving into those events. We also have clients who have hosted dinners at board members' houses or a local restaurant.
I love a good auction or banquet, but recognize that there are many different ways to gather people around your cause, including:
✅ Galas/Banquets/Auctions
✅ Golf Tournaments
✅ Living Room Gatherings
✅ Hosted Dinners
✅ Open Houses
✅ Tours
✅ Weekend Experiences
3. Architect the emotional flow of the event.
Every event has a flow to it, and it’s crucial to design the event to guide people on an emotional journey. Like a great movie, we love the feeling of being taken on a powerful journey.
For your event, consider where the energy will be in the room at different points. How can you arrange things so that the most powerful moment aligns with your request?
4. Make recurring giving visible.
So often, generosity is invisible. But in an event, surrounded by other people who care about the cause, we have the opportunity to help people see the broader community of generosity that surrounds them.
Find ways to make the act of recurring giving visible. We had one client who used differently colored signs to hold up with their paddles at the auction. Another created a display on the wall behind the speaker at the open house, inviting people to add their (paper) “brick” to the wall. Still another created a moment where people would come forward with their commitment, and if they chose to give monthly, they would use a different-colored envelope.
5. Prime the audience.
To the point above, recurring giving is a bigger commitment than a one-time gift, so you don’t want the first time they hear about recurring giving to be when you are making the ask. Find ways to indirectly or directly “prime” the attendees.
Depending on the event, you can prime attendees well before the event itself, in how you position the event, and in the pre-event communications. But just as often, it’s fine to do so throughout the event itself - that could be as simple as a few mentions earlier in the event – “In a little bit, we’re going to have an opportunity to make a lasting impact in the lives of the kids we serve, but next…”
You might also make it visible, as per #4 above, so people become aware of it before the ask. The principle here is that you want to give people the time and space they need to go on the emotional journey of considering whether they will commit.
6. Incentivize conversion.
Donating to a charity on a recurring basis is a significant decision. Given everything we’ve discussed so far, donors will likely be motivated to consider making a decision to give. In that moment, there are several ways to spur them into action – consider:
✅ A matching challenge – before the event, ask a donor or donors to consider a matching gift to double or triple the first gift of any new recurring donors at the event.
✅ A raffle or drawing – depending on the event, consider either an exclusive raffle for a prize like a nice basket (or an item from HGA Fundraising, which specializes in securing auction and raffle items). Depending on the number of donors you anticipate, the raffle entries could be exclusive to new recurring donors (or all recurring donors), or they could be open to single-gift donors, with recurring donors receiving 12 entries for every single donation’s one entry.
✅ A premium thank you gift – this could be a thank you for new recurring donors, and can range widely, from swag (water bottles, apparel, etc.) to something even from the auction – a trinket made by someone in the program as a reminder of your ongoing impact, or a centerpiece from the event… the list is endless.
Incentives by themselves don’t cause donors to give, but when a donor is considering a regular giving commitment, incentives can provide that last little bit of momentum a donor needs to act.
7. Have a follow-up plan in advance.
Before the event itself, ask: How will you follow up? Who on your team is going to do what? How will you thank donors (e.g., a call, a handwritten note, an email)? Who will be following up with whom, and what’s the next step, if any?
For example, depending on your strategy, you might invite some donors to a personal tour, or schedule a lunch or a visit to the donor. Sometimes events are more focused on vision casting, and follow-ups need to be set up to deepen the relationship once the donor has given, or to follow up, answer questions, and make the ask if they have not.
Bonus: Bring in professional help.
Events are a deep rabbit hole, and there are so many nuances to running a great event. Whatever your event, consider bringing in professional help. For some of our clients, that has meant bringing in a professional emcee or auctioneer. For others, that’s an event planner. For others, that might be using a company like HGA Fundraising to help secure items.
And if you don’t have an expert walking alongside you to grow sustainable giving holistically, consider bringing us in to work with you to grow sustainable giving.
If you have more than 1,000 recurring donors or $500k in annual recurring giving revenue, we’ve built a Sustainable Giving Accelerator that is designed to uncover specific opportunities for growth. Based on the past four years, working with 35 clients and driving more than $40 million in recurring giving, the Accelerator is a comprehensive assessment that identifies opportunities for growth, followed by hands-on advisory work to grow the program together.
We have limited openings for the Accelerator, so if you’re interested, apply for a 30-minute strategy call, and we’ll explore if it is a good fit for you. (The call is free, and there is absolutely no commitment at that point – if you are still interested and if it’s a good fit, then you’ll be invited to join the program)
👉 Read more about our Sustainable Giving Accelerator
If you are not ready to explore the Accelerator but want to grow sustainable giving, there are two things you can do:
Read the book The Rise of Sustainable Giving
Twenty years of fundraising experience and four years of research went into unpacking how the subscription economy has transformed the way people give to charity, and what nonprofit leaders can do to benefit.
👉 Get a copy of The Rise of Sustainable GivingAttend the Sustainable Giving Workshop
We’ve taken the insights from the book, speaking to thousands of nonprofit leaders, and working with dozens of charities, and condensed them into a 2.5-day workshop, which we host 1-2 times a year.
👉 Learn more about the Sustainable Giving Workshop
💡 Takeaway: Events are fertile ground for inspiring individuals to make a lasting impact through recurring giving. Wherever people gather, incorporate sustainable giving, architect the emotional flow, make it visible, prime the audience, incentivize conversion, and have a follow-up plan in place.
Until next week… Surf’s Up! 🌊
- Dave