Fundraising is easy. Said no one ever (except perhaps Bob Geldof).

When someone tells you that <insert your fundraising cause here> is a great reason for an event, and you won’t have any trouble driving community engagement, we suggest that you look at them sideways.

Sure, your event may tick all the boxes, tug all the heartstrings, and be in desperate and well-deserved need of help, but it’s only one of many. After all, there are 60,000 registered charities in Australia and many equally deserving close-to-the-bone community causes championed by organisations like yours.

The days of an event like Band Aid (1985) - the star-studded fundraising concert which saw Sir Bob Geldof unite the world to raise an unprecedented $127 million for famine-stricken Ethiopia – has only ever been matched by The One World: Together At Home event. However, few can hope to compete with events with that level of buy-in from both performers and donors, let alone the money and commitment it took to host the concerts.  

So, what can you do to make the most of your event investment and drive engagement that turns into donations?

You’ve made the commitment to do good, good on you!

You’ve put a stake in the ground. You have an event booked and promoted, venue locked in, speakers or entertainment organised, and a great cause that resonates with the community. And you also know how much you need to raise so you can not only cover your level of investment but make enough money to hit or exceed your goals.

We all know though, that getting sympathetic people in the door is one thing, getting them to then donate, subscribe, or fundraise on your behalf (by becoming an active participant in your event programme – for example, Pink Ribbon Day or StepTEMBER) through sponsorship is another thing.

How can AV help raise the bar? Here are our top tips!

As we’ve discussed in other blogs, AV is a powerful way to connect at an emotional level with the people you wish to motivate or inspire – and helps you convert that feeling to a financial or time commitment.

1. Add video to the mix: If you consider that 57% of people who watch nonprofit videos on YouTube go on to make a donation, you can imagine the power you have to drive giving if those watching it are already at your event and seeing it on the big screen - not sitting passively at home looking at their smartphone. Videos generate considerable promotional value for future events too – so it’s a lasting investment when you tag and share it afterwards on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and of course, YouTube.
   
2. Take a holistic approach to making an impression: Don’t drop the ball by excelling with the quality of your event in some respects and falling well short in others – the overall impression counts! By making sure that professional lighting, sound and other supporting images consistently maximise your messaging, you’ll add to the positive impact of your event and cause.
   
3. Go all out. Consider immersive techniques like projection mapping  - where huge images are projected onto walls to transform ‘ordinary’ surroundings into rainforests, skies, oceans, fields, crowds and more to flood the senses and create that sense of ‘wow’! 
   
4. Tell stories. Storytelling – whether by a single or group of speakers - is a critical engagement tool and is recognised within the fundraising community as powerful way to build donor support. However, if their voices can’t be heard clearly from every corner of your venue – or worse, are punctuated by high-pitched electronic squeals - the importance of the message can be completely lost. So, make sure you invest in professional audio set up where the sound is both balanced to suit the venue and is of a high quality.   
   
5. Enable social sharing. Harness the power of social media by providing a digital photo booth with your branding and hashtags that both facilitates and encourages sharing. Whether it’s to enable visitors to check in from a fundraising event like a ball or to celebrate crossing the finish line of a sponsorship event (like an overnight walk), a digital photo booth not only immortalises the moment but drives interest and future uptake.  
   
6. Make giving easy and dynamic. With interactive touch screen kiosks or sending a text to attendees, you can not only provide on-the-spot information but offer a ‘donate now’ option to capture the moment.

Our last tip?

Be professional. The time and money investment in a fundraising event is usually significant. So, if you’re going to do it, and want to have repeat events based off previous successes, make the most of the opportunity by taking a professional approach that will impress, immerse and engage the community who’ve stepped up to help. You can’t afford to get it wrong.

You know what we’re going to say next – but we’re going to say it anyway.

We take pride in doing a professional job that helps you get the results you deserve. We believe that fundraising events are too important to take a risk on, so opt for experience, high-quality equipment for lighting and sound, and best of all – advice that makes a difference.