Fundraising Event Planning Template

Fundraising event planning template

Fill in each part with your committee at the first planning meeting, then review it at every meeting after that.

FUNDRAISING EVENT PLAN

1. OVERVIEW
Event name: [ ]
Cause or program the money supports: [ ]
Format: [gala / auction / dinner / run or walk / online / hybrid]
Date and time: [ ]
Venue or platform: [ ]
Expected guests: [ ]

2. GOALS
Gross revenue goal: [ ]
Budgeted costs: [ ]
Net fundraising goal (revenue minus costs): [ ]
Other goals: [new donors / sponsor renewals / volunteers recruited]

3. AUDIENCE
Who we are inviting: [past donors, members, corporate supporters, community]
Guest list owner: [name]

4. REVENUE PLAN
Tickets: [ticket types and prices]
Tables: [number and price]
Sponsorships: [levels and benefits]
Donations: [online, at the event, matching gifts]
Auction or raffle: [number of items, who sources them]
Other: [merchandise, paddle raise, peer-to-peer pages]

5. BUDGET
Venue and catering: [ ]
AV and production: [ ]
Decor and printing: [ ]
Entertainment and speakers: [ ]
Technology and payment fees: [ ]
Marketing: [ ]
Contingency: [ ]

6. COMMITTEE AND ROLES
Event chair: [ ]
Sponsorship lead: [ ]
Auction lead: [ ]
Ticketing and guest list: [ ]
Marketing and communications: [ ]
Volunteer coordinator: [ ]
Day-of manager: [ ]

7. PROGRAM
Arrival and check-in: [time]
Welcome: [time, speaker]
Mission moment or story: [time, speaker]
The ask or paddle raise: [time, speaker]
Auction close: [time]
Thank you and close: [time]

8. KEY DATES
Save the date: [ ]
Tickets on sale: [ ]
Sponsorship deadline: [ ]
Auction items confirmed: [ ]
Final guest numbers to venue: [ ]
Event day: [ ]
Thank-you messages sent: [ ]

9. RESULTS (after the event)
Gross raised: [ ]
Total costs: [ ]
Net raised: [ ]
New donors: [ ]
What to change next year: [ ]

Fundraising event planning timeline

A gala or auction usually needs four to six months of planning; a smaller community fundraiser can be done in two or three. Use this as a starting point.

Fundraising event budget and revenue lines

List income and costs side by side, so you know the net figure the event has to reach. Every cost you cut, or get donated, raises the net.

Fundraising committee roles

Give each area one owner. Small events can combine roles; large ones may need a team under each lead.

• Event chair

  Owns the goal, runs the meetings and makes the final calls.

• Sponsorship lead

  Builds the packages, asks companies and delivers the benefits they bought.

• Auction lead

  Sources items, writes descriptions, sets opening bids and runs the auction on the night.

• Ticketing and guest list

  Runs registration, tables and seating, and tracks who has paid and who is coming.

• Marketing lead

  Invitations, emails, social posts and the event page.

• Volunteer coordinator

  Recruits, schedules and briefs volunteers for check-in, the auction and setup.

Fundraising event day-of checklist

Run through this on the day, before doors open:

• Check-in ready

  Guest list loaded, devices charged, badges or name cards printed, volunteers briefed.

• Payments tested

  Card readers and donation links work, and someone knows what to do if they do not.

• Seating set

  Table plan printed or on screen, VIPs and sponsors placed, place cards out.

• Auction ready

  Items displayed with descriptions and opening bids, bid sheets or bidding app tested.

• Program confirmed

  Run of show shared with speakers, the host, AV and catering. The ask scripted.

• Sponsor benefits delivered

  Logos on screens and signs, mentions in the script, tables in the right places.

After the event: donor follow-up

The event is the start of the relationship, not the end. Follow up in this order:

1. 1

   Thank everyone within a few days

   Guests, donors, sponsors, volunteers and auction donors, personally where you can.

2. 2

   Send receipts

   Donation and auction receipts with the information donors need for their records.

3. 3

   Collect pledges and payments

   Follow up promptly on pledges and unpaid auction items.

4. 4

   Share the result

   Tell supporters how much was raised and what it will pay for.

5. 5

   Report to sponsors

   Show the exposure they received and invite them back for next year.

6. 6

   Debrief

   Compare results with the plan, and write down what to change while it is fresh.

Running a fundraising event on Eventdex

Eventdex runs fundraising events in person, online and hybrid, from registration through check-in and reporting.

• Tickets, table packages and donations

  Paid, free and donation tickets, where the registrant enters the amount they want to give, plus packages for tables and groups, and promo codes.

  Zero-commission ticketing

• Fundraising tools

  Online donations, live and silent auction management, a live donation display and sponsorship tracking.

  Fundraising event software

• Guest list, RSVPs and seating

  Branded invitations with RSVPs, guest lists imported from Excel, and drag-and-drop table and seating plans.

  Gala dinner software

• Check-in and payments onsite

  QR check-in that works offline, and contactless tap to pay in the Scan Attendee app with Stripe or Square.

  Contactless tap to pay

• Live trivia and leaderboards

  Trivia rounds and a live leaderboard to keep a gala audience involved between courses.

  Trivia and leaderboards