Using Special Events to Fundraise


Not for profit organisations are well aware that events can be a highly successful vehicle for raising money and awareness for their causes.

The fundamentals for any fundraising event, however, are that 1) people will participate and 2) the event will generate revenue.

At j2 ideas & events we have event managed some of Brisbane’s most successful fundraising events, helping to raise over $8 million in funds since 2005.  

These successful events include the Enerflex MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride, the SU QLD Frontline Chaplaincy Appeal Dinner, the Gladstone Botanic to Bridge fun run, the 20th Anniversary World Expo 88 Celebrations Charity Dinner and Stockland Caloundra Foreshore Fun Run.

The key, we believe, to successful fundraising is for event managers to adopt a collaborative approach to the project, working with their not for profit client to:
  1. Identify a need
  2. Research and establish motivations for participation
  3. Market to the right channels and
  4. Work together to deliver a seamless and effective event.

It’s one thing to say “we need to fundraise $100,000” but without a strategy to do this, your event won’t be successful.

Event planners worth their fee will work with you to carve out the motivations behind your event and then tailor the event design and marketing side of things accordingly.

The event 360 blog does a really good job of explaining why the general public participates in events:      
  • Interest in an activity.  In these cases, participants will join the event simply because they like the proposed activity.  For example, the majority of entrants in the MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride event participated as they enjoyed cycling.
  • Interest in participants. In this instance, participants might have an interest as a friend is already involved or because a guest speaker is particularly appealing.
  • Interest in the cause. Particularly common for the not for profit sector, participants may already support or have a vested interest in the cause.  A breast cancer survivor for instance might support the Mother’s Day Classic event.
  •  Interest in the organisation. Of course participants may just have a genuine interest in the organisation and the work they do. At this level, loyalty and existing contacts play a large part in the success of events.
First and foremost, event planners need to determine why people would want to participate in their event and make sure that the event is designed accordingly. Then as per our tips above, the event planner needs to work with the client to identify collaborative ways to market and deliver the event.

Below are two highly successful Australian fundraising annual events and their fundraising models. 

MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride

Raised in 2013: AUD$1,247,501 (and still rising!)
Motivations: Interest in the activity and participants and interest in the cause and organisation
Marketing:  With a focus on promoting the activity, MS QLD used database marketing, social media, their website and associations with cycling clubs and organisations to generate interest and participation in the event.
Event strategy: The aim was to deliver a completely professional sporting event that would attract a cross section of entrants from elite riders through to recreational entrants.  Offering riding courses that attracted a range of endurance levels was key, e.g. in 2011 a 100km course was introduced to re-motivate riders who’d ‘been there done that’ on 25km and 50km courses.  j2 also introduced corporate 'team retreat' packages to better support large teams, encourage more corporate team entries and provide a new income stream.
The Fundraising Model:  In addition to registration fees, MS QLD also raised revenue through team and rider sponsorships, event sponsorships and merchandise sales.

Mother’s Day Classic

This isn’t one of j2’s event management projects but we admire what the organisers have achieved.

Raised in 2013: AUD$5,000,000 (from 74 events held right across Australia)
Motivations: Interest in the activity and participants and interest in the cause and organisation.
Marketing:  Event specific website, database marketing, public relations promotion, celebrity endorsements and social media campaigns.
Event strategy: The event offers a running event that is attractive to both serious runners (with a longer course on offer) and recreational walkers (with a shorter course). Despite the professional nature of the event, there is a clear and rather unique focus on the cause in this case with the event organisers doing a great job of creating an emotional connection between participants and the issue of breast cancer.  As an example, runners are encouraged to wear pink to enhance the Pink Ribbon brand and all runners have the opportunity to name on their running bib who they are running for. This adds a very personal touch to the race with runners’ tags stating “I’m doing this for….” which sets a definite tone for the objective of the race – to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.
The Fundraising Model:  The event fundraised through a variety of revenue streams including registration fees, participant sponsorships, event sponsorships and the sale of merchandise.  In addition, the event organisers introduced a campaign called “I can’t be there but…” which encouraged people who couldn’t make the event to instead make an online donation.  Very clever!

The fundamentals to take away from these brief case studies are simple. 
  1. Know why you are holding the event (your fundraising objectives)
  2. Know the motivations for why people will participate and be sure to target market to your audience accordingly. 
  3. Finally, be comprehensive and creative with your event’s revenue streams by facilitating multiple ways for people to participate and support your cause.

And if in doubt – collaborate with your event planner (or your contracted professional event management company) who should be able to provide guidance and advice as to how your fundraising event can best achieve your goals.

For more information on our not for profit experience, visit our website.

The j2 Team x

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