Building a Fundraising Team That Drives Event Success

While extremely rewarding, creating a fundraiser can also be incredibly stressful and time-consuming.In order to run your fundraiser successfully and to manage your time properly, we recommend building a team to help you prepare and run your fundraiser.  Below, find a description of the four major roles your fundraising team should consist of (you may have multiple members assigned to each role):

1. The Fundraiser

The Fundraiser is the backbone of any fundraising team.  This member’s sole purpose is to make sure your event raises as much money for your cause as possible.  As a key member of your fundraising team, the Fundraiser will focus on the following tasks:

• Creating and sharing your cause and telling the story of how your team is connected to that specific cause
• Engaging donors and sponsors in order to increase proceeds and lower costs
• Acknowledge gifts made by donors, and maintain  the relationship with your best donors post-event

Most importantly, the Fundraiser will constantly ask the question “will this decision help us raise more money for our cause?”  If the decision does not lead to increased proceeds, the Fundraiser will not advocate for the proposed idea.

2. Logistics

Another crucial member of your fundraising team, the logistics manager will keep your fundraising plans moving as your team prepares.  Specifically, the logistics manager will:

• Manage and prepare checkpoints and timelines
• Contact vendors for your event (food, beverage, supplies, decorations, etc.)
• Coordinate all volunteers on the night of the event
• Setup the event venue

3. Marketing

Your fundraising team would not be complete without a member in charge of marketing.  This member’s focus is on spreading the word about your cause and fundraiser by any means necessary.  Your marketing team will focus on:

• Creating your fundraiser’s marketing plan - this can be as simple as setting a goal for how many people you would like to reach via social media
• Developing marketing materials: Facebook & Twitter posts, invitations, posters, etc.
• Managing Public Relations - reaching out to local organizations (newspapers, blogs, local news stations) to help generate buzz around your upcoming fundraising

4. Finance

The final role in your fundraising team is the finance manager.  This person/team will create a budget for your fundraiser in order to ensure that costs are low enough and proceeds are high enough to generate a profit that can be donated to your cause.  Functions of the finance role include:

• Managing your fundraising budget
• Itemizing and monitoring receipts
• Securing gifts and donations from vendors
• Submitting final paperwork and tax information for your fundraiser

Building a strong fundraising team focused on these four roles will ensure that you are prepared to run a successful and (partially) stress-free fundraiser!