From Flop To Fantastic: The Event Planning Questions You Should Be Asking
Everyone Loves a Party
Events are a great way to share the mission and vision of your organization to a larger group of people all at once, building awareness about your work and often raising money, too. But if you’ve not tried an event before, or you HAVE tried one but it’s not gone so well… don’t be too quick to think events aren’t for you.
Long before you begin planning the activities and booking a caterer, gather your team and do 2 important things:
Write a mission or purpose statement for your event.
What is the purpose and goal of this event? Hammering this out on paper first may seem unnecessary but is quite crucial to guiding all of your future planning.
Make it Specific:
Put an actual dollar figure to it. The phrase, “we want to raise as much money as we can!” while true, is an impossible target to shoot for because you don’t know if you ever really hit it and a fuzzy goal is actually a turn off for a lot of potential donors. Givers want to know how their giving fits into the big picture, and if there isn’t a clear goal, they’ll likely give less, not more.
Follow this formula to create the purpose or mission statement for your event:
This purpose of this (event) is to (specific goal, ie $’s or Names, etc) which will do (potential impact).
Here’s a couple of real-life examples -
The purpose of this golf tournament is to raise $50,000 which will provide 20 state-of-the-art workstations in the computer science lab at the community center.
The purpose of this silent auction is to raise $10,000 which will provide all the hay and food needs for the winter for the entire horse community at our equine therapy center.
Why This Matters:
Taking the time at the beginning of your event planning to put together a well-crafted mission or purpose statement will make it easier for you and your planning team to refine your focus later, so that your event is well executed, fun for all, and ends in a stellar guest experience.
2. Determine who your “target attendee” is.
If you could only have 1 “kind of person” attend your event, who would they be? Describe them with as much detail as you can (It can help to think of the ideal supporter that you may already have that is “all in” on what you do).
Make It specific:
Resist the temptation to say that your target attendee is “everyone” or “anyone who is interested in what we do”. Instead, make a list of traits / qualities about your ideal attendee…
For example, an ideal attendee for the silent auction for the equine center referenced above might be:
40 – 50 years old
Horse / Outdoors lover
Have an understanding of health and wellness for horses
Connected in the community (how many friends can they invite?)
Connected in the equine community
Philanthropic in spirit
They have giving capacity
Why This Matters:
Having both an event mission or purpose statement and a target attendee provides a filter to pass through all the future decisions related to your event. “Will the idea / tactic we are considering for this event directly help us fulfill the purpose, and does it make sense for the target attendee?” If the answer to either question is “no” or “we’re not sure”, then you might be wise to pass on the idea.
Not Every Great Idea Works
Years ago I worked with a faith-based men’s mental health nonprofit that was hosting a “wild game dinner” as a fundraiser – a couple hundred manly men getting together to talk about the outdoors and eat different kinds of strange, grilled meat.
The event organizers had a well-meaning supporter who was a professional clown and balloon artist (for kid’s birthday parties, etc.), that was adamant about “providing his services as a donation for the dinner.” Unfortunately, the events team thought it was a “great idea” and included him in the night’s festivities. Suffice it to say, the whole evening was just a little weird, and the involvement of the clown and balloon art in a room full of manly man ended up with lots of teen-boy snickers, and “oddly shaped balloons” (if you get my drift). Not the outcome they were hoping for. Had the events team gone through the exercise of creating a event purpose statement, and a target attendee profile, they could have easily seen that the “clown balloon guy” wasn’t a good fit.
Getting crystal clear on your event's purpose and exactly who you're trying to reach isn't just some fluffy, feel-good exercise. It's the difference between a flop and a fantastic success. Think of it as your event's North Star… guiding every decision, from the catering to the entertainment, and keeping you from those, shall we say, unfortunate balloon incidents. Bottom line? Do the groundwork, nail down your event’s specific purpose and your target attendee, and you'll be well on your way to throwing an event that not only hits your goals but leaves everyone buzzing with excitement. Trust me, your future event-planning self will thank you!
Want to chat more in-depth about event planning challenges you might be facing? Book a free meeting with me today!