Increase Your Event Revenues 25%

Bike Works completed its sixth annual nonprofit auction March 15. This was my second year helping with the event.

In 2006, I was the auction chair – overseeing an 88% increase in revenues. In 2007, my friend Kendall Williams was the auction chair. This year, Duy Tran, Bike Works’ president, chaired the event; I managed procurement and worked with Duy to increase revenues.

This year’s fundraising event grossed an all-time high of over $70,000, a 25% increase over 2007 – another record-breaker. A record 225 attendees showed up at UW’s Gould Hall to support Bike Works youth programs.

If you need help with event planning, please contact me.

The Essence of Fundraising

“In the first place, I advise you to apply to all those who you know will give something; next to those of whom you are uncertain whether they will give anything or not, and show them the list of those who have given; and lastly, do not neglect those who you are sure will give nothing; for in some of them you may be mistaken.”
- Benjamin Franklin

From Donor Centered Fundraising by Penelope Burk.

Also,

1. there are over 865,000 not-for-profits in the U.S.
2. over solicitation is donors’ number one complaint (among the top 3 reasons for discontinuing support; 38% of individual donors will not give to a nonprofit that sends duplicate or multiple solicitations)
3. Bequests account for 8% of total giving nationwide
4. 50% = industry standard renewal rate (90% disappear within 5 years; the largest numbers of donors, are lost between the first and second donation [50%], followed by between the second and third donation [30%])
5. 88% of not for profits store donor records in a specialized fundraising database (68% of records go back at least 5 years)
6. individual donors have been contributing to charitable causes for an average of 32 years
7. 90% of individual donors single out one particular nonprofit for special/unusual support
8. Corporate donors support the following types of organizations
   education: 77%
   welfare/social services: 54%
   environment: 39%
   arts: 30%
   health care: 23%
   sport/recreation: 15%
   United Way: 8%
9. 89% of American households contribute to charitable causes
10. 86% of individual donors will not support a not for profit that sells or trades their name
11. individual donors on average support over 25 not for profits annually
12. 81% of individual donors, and 71% of corporate donors, say having their names published in a nonprofit’s annual report, newsletter, or program has no influence on whether they will give again

Event Promotion: Bike Works Auction

During a time of staff and board transition, Bike Works recruited me to coordinate its fourth annual auction – its largest annual fundraiser. In less than three months, my marketing efforts delivered a record 220 attendees to the event at Gould Hall, which grossed a record $50,485 – an 88% increase over 2005!

www.bikeworks.org