Hosting a fundraising event for your non-profit organization is an excellent way to inspire people to donate and support your cause – especially around the holiday season. Having an event website that allows you to display events, manage volunteers, promote the fundraising event, and sell tickets makes it all the easier to raise funds.
In this article, we’ll show you how you can use Event Smart to host a fundraising event such as a Christmas gala and some Christmas party ideas, this giving season for your non-profit organization. We’ll also share some fun Christmas fundraising ideas for inspiration.
Let’s begin.
How to Plan a Christmas Fundraising Event With Event Smart
Event Smart makes it easy for non-profit organizations to plan, host, and manage fundraising holiday events such as Christmas fundraising events. In this section, we’ll walk you through a quick, step-by-step tutorial to help you get started.
Step #1: Display Events
First, you’ll need to get your event online so that you can start accepting registrations, sell tickets and receive payments! This lets prospective donors and attendees know:
- When and where your Christmas event will take place.
- Your Christmas event agenda along with the date and time each event is expected to begin.
- How to register for your Holiday celebration and pay for the event, if a payment is required.
- How to easily donate by providing optional donation options to your registration page.
- Contact information for any additional information.
Event Smart packs a neat Events Calendar feature that you can use to display fundraising events in a calendar layout complete with images. You have the option of adding a tooltip to individual events in your calendar that displays the event name, description, time, and registration button on hover.
You also have the option to display events in a grid layout using the Events Grid feature. This automatically displays all of your scheduled events in a grid-based layout. Donors and attendees can hover over the image to view the event name, date, time, and registration button.
Step #2: Add Volunteers
As a non-profit organization, you’ll likely need all the support you can get to pull off a successful fundraising event around the holidays. Having a volunteer management system integrated into your event website makes it easy to keep track of volunteers and staff.
With Event Smart, you can use the People Administration feature to display information about your volunteers and their roles on your event website. This is incredibly useful for hosting events like holiday soirees or Christmas tree disposals where attendees might need to get in touch with someone on your team.
Step #3: Promote the Event
Aside from publishing your Christmas fundraising event’s details on your non-profit organization’s event website, you’ll need to promote your event on social media to get the word out. Posting in local community boards and groups and using the right hashtags will maximize your reach.
One great place to start is by posting a link to your site on Facebook or other social channels and letting your network know that they can register online to RSVP for your event.
Step #4: Offer Discounts
Although your primary goal is to maximize funds, offering attendees discounts is a tried and tested strategy for getting them to attend the event.
For instance, you could offer limited-time discounts on tickets or offer a special discount to a guest who donates over a particular dollar amount. Or you could offer discounts for future events.
You might also consider offering sponsors (such as managers of local department stores, restaurants, and orchestras) tickets at a reduced rate in exchange for their support.
Event Smart’s Promotion & Discount Codes feature enables non-profit event organizers to offer prospective attendees promotions through discount codes. It’s a great way to encourage donors and attendees to register for your event. You have the option to restrict promotional offers based on date ranges, usage for an event, or specific events.
Bonus Tip: Build an Email List
It’s important to get in touch with attendees after the fundraising event to thank them for their donations and support. One way to do this is by sending out thank you emails.
Event Smart’s MailChimp integration automatically transfers attendee information to a mailing list in MailChimp after they register.
Pro tip: With MailChimp, you’re able to design custom email newsletters, send surveys, and automate email marketing. Be sure to check out our article on MailChimp for Beginning Event Marketers for more information.
5 Christmas Fundraising Ideas
Christmas brings with it an opportunity for non-profit organizations to host creative fundraising events. Here are some effective fundraising ideas you can execute around the holiday season to solicit donations from prospective donors.
#1: Gift Wrapping Party
Hosting a gift-wrapping party around Christmas time is a great way for non-profit organizations to earn donations. People enjoy getting their gifts wrapped around the holidays – especially if it’s for a good cause. Finding people to volunteer at your gift-wrapping party should also be pretty easy.
Once you have your volunteers on board, you’ll need to schedule your event on a day close to the holiday break. During this time, people can come and have their gifts wrapped in exchange for a small fee.
Pro tip: You can maximize the amount of donation by asking local department stores to donate gift wrapping supplies such as wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, or even a holiday card.
#2: Holiday Soiree
This fancy-sounding party idea can be anything from a local get-together to a Christmas gala dinner. As a non-profit organization, you can ask local restaurants, orchestras, and department stores to help you organize a dinner party for donors.
At the event, you can charge per person (or per plate) to secure donations. In addition to this, you can also host a raffle to earn some extra fundraising dollars.
#3: Christma Card Making
Printed, handwritten Christmas cards make for excellent products to trade for donations. People buy cards around the holidays to give to their friends and family.
You could design your own holiday cards and sell them through your non-profit organization’s event website. Tools like Canva make it easy for just about anyone to create custom holiday cards. Or, you could gather volunteers and ask them to create cards.
#4: Santa’s Village
Creating a Santa’s Village event at your non-profit organization is an easy-to-host fundraising event that’s perfect for the whole family. The best part is that there are many ways to modify the idea.
For instance, after making a small donation, children can get their pictures taken with Santa. Or, if you have the resources, you could charge a little extra and give children a treat or gift to go along with the picture, such as a Santa hat or a candy cane. And for the parents, guardians, and visitors accompanying the children, you can set up food stalls selling hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.
#5: Disposing Christmas Trees
Disposing of Christmas trees is more of a post-holiday fundraising idea that spells success. Right after the holiday season, begin offering Christmas tree disposal services in your local community for a small fee.
This works great for non-profit organizations that have access to moving trucks. And if you’d like to save some money on fuel, you could set up a few collection points around the community.
5 Holiday Party Ideas
Perhaps you are also considering a party for your team. Here are office Christmas party ideas to add to your activities and extend the holiday cheer.
#1: Christmas Movie Marathon
Gather friends and family of your event team for a cozy movie marathon featuring beloved Christmas classics. Set up a screening area with comfy seating, festive snacks, and a lineup of everyone’s favorite holiday films.
#2: Christmas Cookie Decorating
Host a cookie decorating party where your team or guests can unleash their creativity with icing, sprinkles, and edible decorations to make delightful Christmas treats.
#3: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Embrace the holiday spirit by organizing a Ugly Sweater Party for your team. Encourage everyone to wear their most outrageous holiday-themed sweaters for a fun and festive gathering.
#4: Gingerbread House Decorating Contest
Challenge your team to showcase their architectural skills by constructing and decorating gingerbread houses. Hold a friendly competition to see who creates the most impressive gingerbread masterpiece.
#5: Virtual Christmas Party
In this digital age, a virtual Christmas party is a fantastic way to connect without having to go out, in case it gets too cold. Host party games, quizzes, and virtual gift exchanges for an interactive celebration.
5 Christmas Gala Ideas
Here are extra enchanting Christmas gala ideas to expand your fundraising possibilities. There’s no limit to creative fundraising, and these additional ideas aim to amplify your repertoire for engaging donors and the community during this festive season.
#1: Christmas Tea Party
Transform your venue into a cozy tea setting with holiday-themed decorations. Offer various tea blends and scrumptious treats for a sophisticated yet festive atmosphere.
#2: Winter Wonderland
Create a magical winter wonderland gala with shimmering decorations, faux snow, and elegant white and silver accents to transport guests to a snowy paradise.
#3: Santa’s Workshop
Design an event that captures the whimsy of Santa’s Workshop, featuring crafts, activities for kids, and opportunities to meet and take photos with Santa Claus.
#4: Christmas Carol
Host an evening filled with the joy of Christmas carols. Invite local choirs or singers to perform, or encourage guests to join in for a heartwarming caroling session.
#5: Christmas Eve Dinner Party
Organize an exquisite dinner gathering on Christmas Eve, showcasing a delectable menu and festive ambiance to usher in the holiday.
This collection of ideas, including a Christmas tea party, a winter wonderland gala, and more, offers a range of options to create memorable holiday celebrations. Incorporating elements like Christmas decorations, Santa Claus appearances, and engaging activities will ensure a delightful experience for attendees.
Conclusion
Hosting an entertaining Christmas gala for your non-profit organization will help with your fundraising efforts around the holidays.
Event Smart takes the heavy lifting out of planning, organizing, and managing fundraising events. You’re able to display your events, manage volunteers, promote your event, and offer special discounts. And along the way, you can build an email list of attendees and donors in MailChimp.
Event Smart helps non-profits, charities and NGOs get maximum funding by not charging any additional commission fees. Every time a donor buys a ticket, the money immediately goes straight to the organization or event organizer. By doing this, you get to gather funds to cover the event expenses.
What are some Christmas fundraising ideas you’ve used to ask for donations for your non-profit organization’s cause? Let us know in the comments section below!
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