Pro tips for a successful fundraising event!

Planning a fundraiser, but don’t know where to start? Take some cues from Moisson Montréal’s Jeunes Alliés committee, who’ve made their annual Soirée sans faim a can’t-miss event. 

Creating an event with a unique DNA

Catherine Coursol founded Moisson Montréal’s Jeunes alliés committee back in 2016 to raise funds for the organization, which lands a hand to over 137,000 Montrealers struggling with food insecurity every month. Thus, the now annual Soirée sans faim was born.

“The first year is always a bit of a trial run,” Catherine says, remembering the early stages of her journey. This is true. Expect to work hard and hope for an enthusiastic response!

From the start, have a clear vision of the event you want to create and make sure it has a distinct personality. Ask yourself the following questions: What kinds of people do you want to reach? What type of event will be most appropriate in reaching your audience? What are you offering that no one else can? Wanting to raise money is not enough. You need to differentiate yourself from the myriad of other charity events out there.

To stand out from the crowd, Moisson Montréal’s Jeunes Alliés committee quickly understood the importance of finding their niche. In their case, this meant hosting the event on a Thursday evening rather than adding one more event to the already busy weekend calendar. It was the perfect excuse to go for a more casual atmosphere that was better suited to their young professional target. 

Furthermore, since food is at the heart of Moisson Montréal’s mission, they thought it appropriate to cater their event toward the foodie crowd. The committee approached sought-after chefs from all corners of the city to offer guests the possibility of tasting some of their specialties.

Getting inspired? Start thinking about your event’s DNA!

Surrounding yourself with the right people

Catherine Coursol rightfully points out that planning a fundraising event is all about teamwork: “It all starts with a passionate, motivated, and diverse organizing committee.” 

Since most solicitation is done through the members of the committee, you’ll want to assemble a team representing different professional communities. Catherine says that, in her experience, cold calls are a rarity. Most partnerships and sponsorships stem from one of the team members’ contacts. As such, you must ensure that the social networks, as well as the abilities of each of the committee members, complement each other.

It’s also important to find the perfect venue that will be appropriate for the type of event you want to plan. For Moisson Montréal’s Jeunes Alliés, who wanted to create a culinary experience by gathering several of Montreal’s most talented chefs, Entrepôts Dominion served as the ideal spot. A venue that isn’t affiliated with an in-house catering service, and where you can bring in your own alcohol with no added fees, provided them with the flexibility they needed to bring their vision to life.

With a spectacular team in place and a great venue that offered them free rein to create the event they envisioned, the committee got to work.

Guaranteeing a packed house

Nowadays, a good fundraising strategy obviously relies heavily on social media. To start of the right foot, make sure you have all your bases covered: a Facebook page and event, an online ticketing platform, sponsored ads, Instagram account, etc.

For your event’s debut, make sure you have a photographer and videographer there to capture the highlights of the night. Those images will be priceless in helping you create inspiring and engaging content to boost your ticket sales when the next event rolls around. 

That being said, it would be a mistake to rely too much on social media, Catherine Coursol says, once again pointing out that most of the work falls on the organizing committee. People attend charity events to support a good cause, of course, but more often than not, they buy tickets because they know someone on the committee or who will be in attendance. They’re hoping for a good time! 

So, don’t underestimate the power of your network. Reach out to your contacts time and time again — your persistence will soon be forgiven if you offer them a night to remember in exchange! 

If you don’t quite reach your ticket-selling goals, offer free tickets to the media and to your sponsors: they are powerful allies that will give your event and your cause invaluable visibility. After all, the objective of a fundraising event is to sell tickets, of course, but also to raise awareness about the organization you’re trying to help. You want to make sure it’s on peoples’ minds year-round, not just for one night! 

Raising as much money as possible

When planning a fundraising event, the name of the game is always to try and lower expenses in order to donate as much money as possible to the charity you’re supporting. To achieve this, don’t hesitate to ask for discounts and freebies. Most vendors will be happy to partner up with a cause they believe in.

To convince them, however, you must come prepared: show them numbers, explain the tangible impact of their contribution, and offer them valuable visibility with an audience that’s relevant to them.

Catherine’s advice: prepare a sponsorship plan including various propositions, but be open-minded and flexible. Your plan should remain a suggestion. If a sponsor shares their vision of how they would like to participate in the event or if they have special requests, listen and find common ground. It can make a world of difference!

Most fundraising events also integrate a silent auction component to the night. Of course, this requires extra planning, but it’s a great strategy to gather some extra donations. It’s also a great way to get support from partners who might not be willing to dish out a large sum to become an official sponsor, but who won’t mind offering a pair of tickets to a show, a basket full of their products, or a VIP package that will make one of your guests very happy. 

In short, if you want to raise as much money as possible, you must be creative and stand out from the crowd. Create a can’t-miss event people will want to be a part of and tirelessly remind them of the importance of your cause. 

The next Soirée sans faim benefiting Moisson Montréal will take place at Entrepôts Dominion on September 17, 2020. See you there!

Check out this video to find out more about Soirée sans faim and its unique atmosphere. And for our rates and availability, please contact Emmanuel Goubard at emmanuel@entrepotsdominion.ca!