That Sounds Like a Plan!

If you are a relatively new nonprofit, or new to events,  you might be wondering when it’s a good time to host your first fundraising event.  In this episode we’ll talk about what you need organizationally and personally to be ready to host your first fundraising event

In this episode I share:

• The most important thing your organization needs
• Why you need board support organizationally and personally
• The skills you need to be able lead an event 

• Pick the area, organizationally or personally, where you need the most work and focus on it. 

Ep 41 Show Notes

Ep. 1_Are you planning your event backwards?

Ep. 20_Event volunteer basics

Ep 5_Utilizing board members

Sign up for more info about the event timeline workshop

Podcast website:   https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Without systems, planning an event can easily become chaotic and overwhelming.  Systems enable you to delegate tasks and create consistency.  

In this episode I share:

• The difference between a system and a process
• The seven core systems you need for nonprofit success
• Four tips for creating systems & procedures

• Rank the systems from 1-7.  Number one is the most important, urgent or needs the most work.  Seven needs the least.  Block time in your calendar to work on the system you ranked as number one.  

• Ep 40 Show Notes
• Sign up for more info about Plan to Plan - a guided event timeline workshop using a wall calendar and sticky notes + Asana tutorial
• Set up a demo of Qgiv.   See their pricing here.  

Podcast website:   https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmkt

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Having a successful event year after year is a great thing! There are times, though, when you need to change things up slightly to refresh an event to keep it from getting a little stale.  

In this episode I share:

• The difference between the Flywheel Effect and the Doom Loop
• Seven ways to refresh or breathe a little fresh air into your event

• Pick one of the seven ways to refresh your event and explore it fully.  Keep in mind your target audience, goals and team when making any changes to your event. 

Ep 39 Show Notes

Podcast website:   https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Half the battle when researching venues for your nonprofit event is knowing the right questions to ask.  

In this episode I share:

• Eleven questions to ask when looking at  venues

• Download the list of 11 questions.   
• If you’re looking at several venues and want to make an apples-to-apples comparison, create a spreadsheet with the venue criteria that matters most to you so you can see at a glance what each venue has to offer. I call it a comparison grid.  
• If you’ve gone through the list of questions with a venue and you like their answers, ask them to place a hold on your preferred date.  You likely cannot make the decision on your own and will need committee or board approval.  If the approval process takes a while, make sure you stay in contact with that venue so they know you’re still interested. People will often place holds on spaces and then never follow through so make sure the venue knows you’re definitely still interested. 

Ep. 38 Show Notes

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Gathering event feedback helps you determine what your audience liked about the event and identify areas for improvement. 

In this episode I share:

• Why feedback is important
• The best ways to capture feedback
• The types of questions to ask
• How to use that feedback once you have it
• Tips for how NOT to take negative feedback personally.  

• Download the survey template. Edit it as necessary for your event.  
• Copy a link to the survey
• Add a line item to your planning timeline to schedule an email with the survey link to go to all registered guests the day of, or day after, your event.  

Ep 37 Show Notes
Ep. 2_Defining, aligning and tracking event goals
Ep. 22_Creating an internal event recap

Podcast website:   https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Live auctions serve a purpose other than just raising more money for your organization. 

In this episode I share:

• The purpose of a live auction
• The types of events that work best for live auctions
• How to find live auction items
• Why it’s important to work with an auctioneer

• Determine if a live auction is right for your organization and your event.  
• Talk to your board about the types of unique, one of a kind experiences you’re hoping to get for the auction.  Really think about your target audience and what would appeal to them.  Give your board some examples of the types of live auctions you’d like to have   
• Research consignment item sites.  You want to have them in your back pocket if you need to round out your auction.  The two sites I recommend are Winspire and CharityACE auctions.  I
• Talk to other nonprofits in your area to see who they’ve used for live auctioneers. Get pricing for your event.  Auctioneer pricing is based on a number of factors.  Don’t assume because your nonprofit neighbor paid a certain dollar amount you’ll get a similar bid. 
• Let me know what topics you’d like me to cover in future podcast episodes.  Go to https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net/submitaquestion

Ep 36 Show Notes

Ep. 35_Seven Post-Auction Duties

Ep. 34_Day of Auction Details

Ep 33 Online Auction Basics

Ep 32_Preparing to Host an Auction

Ep 22_Creating an Internal Event Recap  

Podcast website:   https://www.thatsoundslikeaplan.net

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

The silent auction has ended, guests have checked out and you’re done.  Well, almost.  There are seven things you need to do to wrap up your auction.  

In this episode I share:

• The first thing you should do.  It might surprise you
• The things you need to document for the organization
• The things you should document for yourself or the future auction chair

Go through each of the seven post-auction duties in order.  

Ep 35 Show Notes

Ep. 34 Day of Auction Details

Ep 33 Online Auction Basics

Ep 32_Preparing to Host an Auction

Ep 22_Creating an Internal Event Recap  

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Podcast Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thatsoundslikeaplan

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

There are a number of things you must do in the month or two leading up to and on the day of the auction to make everything run smoothly.  

In this episode I share:

• • When to open & close your auction
  • Determining your layout at the venue 
  • Creating a seamless process for check out
  • Common Volunteer Roles
  • Merchandising items 
  • What to do if someone doesn’t pick up their item at the end of the night
  • Packing up and heading out.  

1. Determine when you'll open & close your auction
2. Find out the quantity and types of tables available at the venue.  Work with your rep to create a layout. 
3. Determine your volunteer needs and recruit volunteers for the day of your event, including setup and tear down.     
4. Purchase items you plan to use for auction merchandise and display. 
5. Create a seamless process for check out and put together clearly written instructions for volunteers.
6. Create SOLD tags to put on Buy it Now items.  
7. Determine your procedure for items that don’t get picked up at the end of the night.  Put that information on your auction site and in all your communications with potential bidders.  

Ep. 34 Show Notes (includes more links to resources)

Ep 33 Show Notes (Part 2)

Ep 32_Preparing to Host an Auction (Part 1)

Ripple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Podcast Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thatsoundslikeaplan

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Online, mobile, or virtual auction.  No matter the name, they all mean the same thing; an auction conducted over the Internet where people can bid through a website or mobile device. Not paper sheet bidding.   

In this episode I share:

• The benefits of an online auction
• What to look for in a platform
• How to structure your planning timeline for an online auction
• Suggestions for dividing the work amongst your auction team
• Tips for adding items to your auction site

1. Start researching platforms.  
2. Set up demos so you can see the platform in action.  If you haven’t already, recruit your auction team and divide up the tasks.  
3. Decide who will be the platform “expert” (it should be the auction chair) and have them learn as much as they can about it and teach the rest of the team. 
4. Create a standard format for how you write descriptions and add items to the site.   

Ep 33 Show Notes

Ep 32_Preparing to Host an Auction

Ep 22_Creating an Internal Event Recap  

Download:  Online auction platforms for small nonprofits

RIpple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Podcast Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thatsoundslikeaplan

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.

Silent auctions are a popular fundraising activity for nonprofits and their supporters. Sometimes auctions are viewed as easy money.  If you’ve ever organized an auction, you know it’s anything but easy.  They are a lot of work!  

When you put processes in place, it makes everything go more smoothly and makes you look more professional.  BEFORE you ask for a single donation, you need to prepare to host an auction.  Find out what you need to do and how to do it, step by step. 

In this episode I share:

• Why it’s important to prepare to host an auction before asking for donations. 
• How to determine the ideal number of items to have on your auction.
• A process for soliciting and tracking donations.

This episode outlines step by step the actions you need to take to prepare to host an auction.  If you need more information, head to the Show Notes.  

• Ep 32 Show Notes: 
• Ep 31_Putting Together Your Planning Team
• 300 Auction Basket Themes

Ripple Event FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/RippleEventMktg

Ripple Event Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rippleeventmktg/

Podcast Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thatsoundslikeaplan

Text me with a comment, question or topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode.