A Nonprofit’s Timeline For Building A Successful Event

What’s one of the best ways to bring your nonprofit’s mission to life?  A well-planned event. 

Events can stand as a real-life demonstration of the critical difference your organization makes within your community.  Plus, they can be an unparalleled way to generate excitement and inspiration among your staff, volunteers, supporters, and sponsors.  In fact, 56% of donors say they regularly attend fundraising events and view them as a positive way to support the causes they believe in.

What’s the downside?  Events aren’t always easy to execute successfully.

Too often, nonprofit staff members find themselves tasked with throwing a big event – in addition to all the other responsibilities they regularly juggle.  But you can increase your chances of success by guiding team members through a deliberate planning process.

6 Months – 4 Months before Event: Building the Framework

Big events can be a lot of work.  Months of planning and preparation go into an event that’s quickly over in a day or a weekend.  But the effort invested in the time leading up to your event will have a significant impact on its ultimate success.

• Pick your event date.  This decision can be a “make or break” moment for any event.  Be sure to consider the timing of other community events to avoid a calendar collision which might hurt attendance.  It’s also a good idea to have a back-up date in case you run into conflicts booking vendors or locations for your preferred date.

• Define success for your event.  Is your goal to bring in a certain level of contributions?  Do you need to attract new volunteers?  Are you seeking publicity to finish a project or awareness of an issue?  Use your definition of success as an ongoing guide as you continue planning your event.

• Choose a theme.  Building your event around a theme can be a smart way to bring your organization’s goals to life.  Fun themes can inspire team members and volunteers while also helping to catch your community’s attention as you begin marketing for your event. 

• Plan the size of your event.  While you may have a “stretch” goal for your event, try to be realistic in estimating how many people will actually attend.  Consider planning your event using a range of plus/minus 20% of your attendance estimate to help guide ongoing decisions.

• Set a budget.  If you’re planning an annual event for your nonprofit, you have the advantage of historical costs to help form the foundation of your budget.  This can be a smart baseline as you begin initial planning. 

If it’s the first time your organization has staged this type of event, consider reaching out to other community groups who may have sponsored similar events. You might also want to contact local vendors to get multiple estimates to get a baseline view of current costs.

• Reserve a venue, caterers and other vendors.  Depending on the size and seasonality of your event, you may find yourself competing with weddings, graduations, festivals or other community events.  Reserving your venue and caterers will be a critical building block for planning your event.

• Start your speaker search.  Many events feature an attention-grabbing speaker.  Research similar events to uncover popular topics and speakers. Consider conducting an online search of trending topics which might reveal enticing topics to help bring more eyes to your event.  Begin compiling a list of ideal speakers and reach out to them with an invitation email detailing your event’s focus, the topic you’re interested in exploring, potential speaking fees, and the benefits to them such as reach and exposure.

• Begin searching for sponsors.  Sponsorships can be an effective way to stretch your event budget farther while also potentially broadening the audience for your event.  Research companies or organizations that have supported similar events in the past and brainstorm potential sponsors who may be a good fit with your event’s goals.  Get creative by developing a range of sponsorship options at varying cost levels to attract more wide-ranging support for your event.

4 Months – 2 Months before Event:  Ironing Out the Details

As the date of your event draws closer, you’ll begin nailing down financial details and setting your communications strategy.  Getting a firm handle on your costs at this point can be important in developing the types of promotional activities your organization may be able to afford.

• Finalize speaker and venue details.  Before you begin promoting your event, you’ll want to verify your speakers by making sure their paperwork is signed as far in advance as possible.  Venue details, catering and schedules are other important items to finalize within this time period.

• Organize your budget.  Once you’ve locked in big-ticket items such as speakers, the venue, and catering, it makes sense to get a firm picture of how finances are shaping up for your event.  If you’re running ahead of your target, you may be able to add more features to your event.  If ticket sales or sponsorships are slower than expected, now is the time to revisit your plans to see if there might be ways to cut costs or potentially launch a bigger communication campaign.

• Develop the marketing communications plan.  Plan a consistent voice and tone for event communications.  Once you’ve developed base communications messaging and event logos, run them by stakeholders within your nonprofit to make sure people agree about the look and feel of your event promotions.

Determine if your event budget can include costs for advertising in traditional media such as newspapers and radio.  You can also work with local media to generate publicity through on-air interviews or articles. 

Don’t forget tools such as email, social media and online event calendars.  Emails sent to your organization’s members, volunteers and other contacts can be an effective way to build enthusiasm for your event.  Posting event notices through social media such as Facebook and Instagram can be another tool that stretches your promotional budget farther.   Be sure to submit your event to online event calendars to catch the eye of community members who may be looking for activities within a certain timeframe.

Are you looking for more information on building a communications strategy?  Take a closer look at “5 Steps to Create an Effective Nonprofit Communications Strategy” in this blog post for UST members. 

• Build the event website.  A professional-looking website can help build your event’s image.  The website should prominently highlight details such as the schedule, location and featured speakers.  Copy highlighting your organization’s mission and how this event ties into your ongoing efforts within the community can be a good way to introduce the event to community members who may not be familiar with your work.  Of course, sponsors should also be featured.

When developing the website, make sure the web designer understands the goal and traffic expectations of the site.  For instance, if you plan to sell tickets via the website, the designer needs to build that process into the site – including setting up a secure online purchase experience. 

Additionally, it’s critical that the website is mobile-optimized.  Studies show that approximately 60% of web traffic is viewed on phones. 

2 Months – 2 Weeks before Event:  Getting Ready to Host Your Event

As the date of your event draws closer, your event planning will become more specific.  You’ll focus on telling community members about the event, lining up volunteers to help everything run smoothly and renting equipment you may need for the big day.

• Roll out event communications.  Once your marketing communication plan is approved, work with local media to begin placing paid ads and issue press releases to various media.  Consider developing a media packet with multiple press release documents and publicity photos.  The goal of this packet is to help traditional and online media outlets see different angles of your event … whether it’s the challenge you’re addressing, local community members who are directly impacted by the situation or even highlighting a well-known speaker to bring “star power” to the event.

Once you’ve deployed these communication pieces, don’t hesitate to reach out to local media personalities your group may have worked with in the past.  Their previous interviews or stories may be an idea starting point, and your personal contact could help draw more attention to the media packet.

• Recruit volunteers to help with the event.  Volunteers often form the backbone of nonprofit events.  Begin reaching out to trusted volunteers your organization has worked with in the past.  Set up volunteer teams for various aspects of your event to help spread the workload. 

• Reserve any necessary audio/visual equipment.  Regardless of whether your event is a more informal outdoor occasion or a dressy fundraiser held in a hotel ballroom, you’ll most likely need microphones, speakers and other A/V equipment.  If your nonprofit or the venue do not already own this equipment, it’s important to plan to rent any equipment you may need.

• Plan event signage and attendee communications.  Approach event signage from the viewpoint of a person coming into your town for the first time.  Will they know where to park?  Is the entrance to the venue clearly marked?  Would a map of the event be helpful?  What’s your plan if it’s an outdoor event and it rains that day?  This information can be a smart addition to your event website and can also be included in a pre-event email sent to all ticket holders.

Week of Event:  Putting the Finishing Touches on Last Minute Details

The last few days before your event are the time to “dot your ‘i’s and cross your ‘t’s.”  Attention to details will be a top priority.

• Schedule a “final concerns” meeting with key event stakeholders.  Confirm that any outstanding issues are being addressed and have honest conversations about details which might not go as anticipated.

• Reach out to the venue, speakers and other vendors for a final check-in. Verify that they have everything they need to successfully execute their portion of the event.  Confirm set-up schedules and any other timing details to help avoid unpleasant surprises on the day of your event.

• Conduct a practice run-through at the venue on the day before your event.  This is the time to make sure all equipment works, seating and catering tables are arranged as specified, signage is in place, and your team members and volunteers understand their responsibilities during the event.

Day of the Event:  Breathe and Enjoy

After months of planning, your event vision is coming to life.  While unexpected issues invariably arise, your weeks of planning have most likely kept them to a minimum.  Focus on embracing your organization’s mission and making the most of your event.

1 Week – 2 Weeks after Event:  Evaluate How Everything Went

Your reflections on the event can help provide your nonprofit with a solid base as it considers future events.  Documenting the steps your team took, the timeline they used and other details can be an invaluable tool.

• Ask a team member to document planning for the event.  This would ideally include information such as budget, event goal, whether the goal was met, the timeline used, vendors and speakers, examples of marketing communications, and any publicity generated.

• Develop a confidential event review worksheet and ask stakeholders, sponsors, team members and volunteers to fill it out.  The goal is to generate feedback from multiple viewpoints to get a clearer picture of successful aspects of the event and areas of improvement.

• Create a financial close-out of the event’s budget.  Tracking funds initially budgeted, actual expenses, sponsorships and donations can give your group important guidance as you consider holding other events.

If you’d like more details on how UST helps nonprofit organizations plan for and budget events, claim your 60-day free trial of HR Workplace powered by Mineral.  You’ll get full access to a wide range of templates and guides designed to help your nonprofit support your mission through successful events.

SOURCES:

“The Importance of Nonprofit Event Planning”, Charitybids.com, viewed 7/2/25

https://www.charitybids.com/blog/nonprofit-event-planning#why

“The Ultimate Event Planning Checklist,” Eventbrite, downloaded 6/30/25

The Ultimate Event Planning Checklist | Eventbrite

“Nonprofit Event Management:  Checklist and Tips for Success,” Kindful.com, viewed 6/30/25

https://kindful.com/nonprofit-glossary/nonprofit-event-management/