#CrushedIt

After 10 weeks of fundraising events, the Slap Cancer team was able to crush our fundraising challenge. We set out to throw a series of fantastic events, raise awareness of the cause, and have a great time doing it. Our dollar goal was to raise a minimum of $100,000 which will fund 2 blood cancer researchers for an entire year. Well, I’m excited to announce that when the campaign culminated at the Grand Finale at the Fairmont last Saturday we ended up landing at $207,792.73! This fundraising campaign was part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year fundraising competition that originated in San Francisco 22 years ago, and the Slap Cancer campaign raised the most amount of any campaign in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area Chapter’s history.

How We Did It

Not only did we throw a series of incredibly creative and fun events, we effectively managed our ticket sales and had specific goals which we used to work backwards. Each event we hosted had a goal attached to it, and we logged in daily to monitor our progress and adjust as needed.

Eventbrite has been so critical in the management piece of our events.  Managing 8 main events in a 10 week period is NOT easy, and in addition to the 8 primary events we focused on selling tickets to, there were actually 32 auxiliary events that also took place throughout the period. Everything from guest bartending nights, to house parties, to jewelry trunk shows… everything added up to a total of 40 events.

I’m so proud of how our team mobilized the young professional community in San Francisco behind this cause through the power of events. I’ve found that when given a fundraising goal, whether you’re a personal fundraiser, volunteer on a board, or just have a cause you’re incredibly passionate about, events are an incredibly powerful way to make an impact. Not only do you raise dollars, you raise awareness and can have a lot of fun in the process. I’ve also found that events are a great way to spread the reach of your donor pool – people you’ve never met are more likely to purchase a ticket to a fabulous event you’ve put together rather than make a $50 donation to your fundraising campaign.

Have your own fundraiser coming up? Check out my previous posts on tips to crush your own fundraising challenge, and check out our upcoming webinar next Wednesday with Social Media for Nonprofits on leveraging social media for nonprofit events.

Part 1: Planning

Part 2: The Good, The Bad, and the Straight Up Ugly of Ticket Sales

Part 3: Managing your Marketing

Brianna’s 10 week fundraising campaign has come to an end. Check out the Slap Cancer website and Facebook page to check out photos from all of the events. Brianna hopes her tips help other nonprofits to be more effective with their fundraising as they crush their own fundraising goals!