Staging Repeat Performances
“We did it that way last year.” That statement can be positive or negative, depending on how well the fundraiser went the previous year. A successful fundraising effort certainly bears repeating. However, how much you should repeat becomes a question that is often debated by fundraising committees and boards. The tendency to fall back on tried-and-true plans can sometimes diminish the opportunity for forward thinking and new ideas. On the other hand, repeating a fundraiser, sometimes with only a few changes, may bring in even more money than it did the year before.
Why host the same fundraiser year after year?
Good events are worth repeating — and something your supporters may look forward to annually. What's more, your organization will have conducted much of the legwork already and now you can work on building the event's branding and following instead.
Points to Consider
If you repeat a fundraiser, plans, organizational materials, and contact numbers for sponsors, special guests, vendors, and donors should all be easily available in your database. People who handled specific tasks last year will have a running start this year.
But there are also compelling reasons to change direction this time around. New members might have new ideas, additional resources, and contacts to more significant donors. And times change; what was in last year may be out this year. In addition, you may not have access to the same resources, site, number of volunteers, or budget to work with.
Expanding for New Ideas
Ultimately, the best answer is often a variation on a theme. A successful golf tournament one year might be a tournament with a dinner the next and a tournament with special prizes for side activities (like sinking the longest putt) the following year. Building on a theme or changing certain key elements is often the manner in which fundraisers become annual events.
