Large-scale events – from silent auctions to shareholder meetings – require careful planning, monetary resources and manpower. And a few tried-and-true tips for event planning don’t hurt, either.

In a recent podcast and whitepaper from promotional product retailer 4imprint, Paulette Wolf and Donielle Levine, authors of the book “Event Planning Made Easy,” offer what they consider the first and most important tip for successful event planning:

Establish the 5 “W’s” and 1 “How.”

One by one, those 6 elements include:

1. Who are the guests or attendees?

2. What is the event being planned?

3. Where will the event be held?

4. When is the event scheduled?

5. Why is the event being held—i.e., what’s the goal of the event?

6. How much is in the budget?

Of course, those steps are just the start. From there, the detailed work begins. We’ve come up with the next 6 “W” and “How” tips for event planning:

7. Who in my organization is willing and qualified to assist in the planning?

8. What channels should I use to promote the event?

9. Where can I find tools available to ensure full audience participation and interaction?

10. When should each planning milestone be reached leading up to the event?

11. Why did similar past events succeed or fail, and what lessons learned can be taken from those events?

12. How can I maximize fundraising ROI?

What tips for event planning would you add to the list?

12 Must-Read Tips for Event Planning was posted at Purple Carpet Event Blog. | http://www.purplecarpeteventblog.com

Whether hosting a fundraising event for a school, church, non-profit organization or any other entity, certain planning requirements remain the same. In a recent post on The Fundraising Authority blog, several steps were identified to incorporate into planning. We’ve added to the list to create the 13 essential steps of any successful fundraising event.

1. Determine the event’s purpose. Is the goal to raise funds, gain publicity or develop a presence in a new market? In some cases, events have a combination of goals. For example, a charity dinner might be hosted to gain publicity for a non-profit organization, with a secondary purpose of raising funds.

2. Set a fundraising goal. The goal should be based on what the organization would like to net after accounting for all expenses. The event host committee, organization staff and key fundraisers can all help in determining this goal.

3. Plan for a budget. Budgets must encompass staffing, venue, food and drinks, entertainment, invitations, and security costs, among many other possible items. The most successful fundraising events also account for unexpected costs during budgeting.

4. Decide on a host committee. This group of donors, business leaders or celebrities can help an organization reach its fundraising goals by contributing funds and encouraging others to do the same. They may not be responsible for planning the event, but they’ll be vital to reaching fundraising goals.

5. Pinpoint the target audience. Determining who will be invited to the event will dictate much of the planning. For example, is the event geared toward a group of business leaders, parents of school children, families or other specific group?

6. Nail down event details. This includes choosing the location for the event, the food and drinks to be served, the required dress and special activities or entertainment for guests.

7. Ensure audience participation. A host of resources exist to help ensure maximum interaction among guests, including audience response text messaging systems or keypads with interactive quizzes.

8. Market the event to the target audience. Whether organizers choose to market the event through direct mail, telemarketing, word of mouth or via social networks, creating a marketing plan is critical. It may be helpful to think of the event as you would a product launch.

9. Create a procedure for ticket sales and donations. In addition to determining logistics like who will sell tickets and how they will be delivered, organizers should consider setting different contribution levels. For example, organizations could set a general ticket price for the actual event, and also offer a VIP level that would give attendees access to an additional reception.

10. Brainstorm ways to maximize fundraising. Successful fundraising events involve raising the highest amount of money possible. One way organizations can achieve this is through automated silent auction software. This technology allows guests to place instant bids during silent auctions directly from their seats.

11. Hold a quick event run-through. For all parties involved in running the event, organizers must ensure their roles and responsibilities are clearly communicated and understood. The larger the event, the more preparation needed.

12. Encourage audience participation. Audience participation is crucial for two reasons: First, it ensures all participants engage with one another and enjoy themselves. Second, the more audience interaction at an event, the more likely guests will be to donate funds. Discover how one high school was able to maximize donations at a fundraising event by soliciting audience response through electronic keypads.

13. Show appreciation to donors and participants. It’s important to keep all donors, vendors, staff and volunteers happy, so they will want to participate in future events. Saying “thanks,” even through simple notes, can go a long way.

Keeping these 13 steps in mind – whether planning a large or small affair – will ensure a successful fundraising event for all parties involved.

13 Essential Elements of Successful Fundraising Events was posted at Purple Carpet Event Blog. | http://www.purplecarpeteventblog.com

Every year, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stony Ridge, Ohio, undertakes one major service project. This year’s service project, the Community Rehab Project, involves renovating the home of a local woman in need, according to The Press in Ohio.

To raise $15,000 for the project, St. John’s is hosting multiple church fundraising events—sometimes weekly—to involve as many people and raise as many funds as possible.

One fundraising event, the “Celebrity Serve,” involved local celebrities serving ice cream to town residents. The celebrities, including the church pastor, local politicians and local public figures, were able to raise $450 in tips alone.

As a second event, the church hosted a drive-through chicken barbecue in its parking lot. Combined, the two events raised $2,000, the church reports.

Other events supporting the Community Rehab Project include:

• A book sale during the Stony Ridge Festival

• A spaghetti dinner, where guests dined on spaghetti, coleslaw, desserts and more

• A pie sale

• Several McDonald’s nights, where a portion of the fast-food restaurant’s sales were donated

• A Max & Erma’s night, where a portion of the local restaurant’s sales were donated

St. John’s has hit on an effective way to ensure maximum interaction and participation: By offering a variety of fundraising event options, the church is:

• Speaking to diverse interests and involving many different talents

• Allowing more people to participate since they aren’t limited to one date and one time

• Keeping the charity case top of mind in the community and in the local media

Discover other ideas for how church fundraising events, like those hosted by St. John’s, can take participation and interaction to the next level in “Audience Interaction: The Recipe for Success for Cookbook Signing.”

Church Fundraising Events Leave No Stone Unturned was posted at Purple Carpet Event Blog. | http://www.purplecarpeteventblog.com

A recent article in Profit Quests Fundraising titled “A New Trend in Fundraising,” details both the history, and per its title, unique new ideas in fundraising.

In regards to historical fundraising, the article offers an interesting history on the emergence of fundraising galas and events.  When discussing new trends, the article cites new philanthropic support companies, like eTapestry.com and Kintera.com, “that have put an electronic twist to the old fundraising methods.”

At IML, we’ve seen hundreds of fundraising events achieve unprecedented success when using new technology to support unique fundraising ideas.  Below, are two of the best:

• The Silent Auction: Paul VI Catholic School, needing money to upgrade school technology, hosted a silent auction where attendees could electronically bid for items at their own pace.  Since bids were placed electronically, attendees were also alerted electronically and could immediately respond if someone dared to outbid them.  The results were $30K more in donations than projected.

• The Prize-less Silent Auction: Much like the example above, but with one difference you can probably already guess – not a single prize was up for bid.  At this silent auction, attendees in numbered table sections were encouraged to bid for no prize other than outbidding the table section directly to their left or right.  Results updated instantly on mammoth screens in the middle of the gala, spurring more bids by turning the night’s event into a contest.  The result was over $72 million raised for the New York poor.

Full disclosure, the events above achieved success, in part, because of electronic innovations like audience response systems and silent auction software created by IML.  While we may be a bit biased in bragging about these stories, we would also be remiss in not sharing these stories.

Now, we want you to share your stories.

What other unique fundraising ideas, supported by technology, have you seen translate into success?

Unique New Fundraising Ideas Heard on the Purple Carpet was posted at Purple Carpet Event Blog. | http://www.purplecarpeteventblog.com