The nonprofit event playbook: How to plan a fundraiser

Nonprofit fundraising events are a powerful way for organizations of all sizes to raise money, build awareness, and connect with supporters. And the good news? A successful fundraiser doesn’t have to be extravagant—or expensive. With the right fundraising ideas, thoughtful planning, and clear communication, you can create an event that resonates with your community and delivers real impact, no matter your budget.

Whether you’re hosting an intimate dinner for board members or a gala for hundreds, the details matter—from choosing the right format to spreading the word and keeping everything running smoothly. That’s where Paperless Post comes in. A Paperless Pro subscription supports you at every step, with customizable invitations and built-in tools that make it easy to manage guests, track RSVPs, and stay organized. 

Read on for a practical guide to hosting a fundraiser for your organization—plus tips to help you plan with confidence and pull off an event your supporters will be excited to attend.

 

8 steps for starting a fundraiser

 

Even if you’ve never participated in fundraising for nonprofits before, you can plan and execute a successful event if you’re organized, resourceful, and determined. Here’s how to get started. 

Step 1: Identify your purpose and goals

According to Janine Repka Guzzone, Senior Development Manager at Crime Victims Treatment Center, having your internal team aligned on fundraising goals is key to its success. “The first question should be, what are you hoping to accomplish with this event? That could seem very obvious—‘we want to raise money.’ But nonprofits have fundraising events for many reasons—and yes, it could be to raise money, but it could also be to celebrate your community, engage new donors, and cultivate existing donors.” 

Clear fundraising objectives help inform event planning, budget allocation, and expectations. It also helps you measure the success of the event based on your desired outcome later on.

Step 2: Set a budget 

Because your goal is to fundraise, setting a budget and sticking to it is an essential part of planning. Nonprofits are often expected to do more with less, even as expectations remain high—and especially when working with high-net-worth community members or asking for significant donations. The pressure to deliver a polished, impactful experience doesn’t disappear just because resources are limited.

To stay on track and meet your fundraising goal, create a comprehensive budget that considers costs like venue rentals, catering, permits, marketing, equipment rental, and other necessary expenses. “Stay realistic with regard to your budget, and stick to your event’s goals,” says Ms. Repka. “You always want to cover costs and have a little extra—I like to think of a 1:2 method. If you’re spending $50,000, you should aim to make at least $100,000 in donations.”

Luckily, there are ways to offset costs and make your budget go further. Look for additional funding sources such as sponsorships, grants, and strategic partners who may be willing to volunteer their time or contribute in-kind donations. Smart planning tools can also help reduce overhead—especially if you’re hosting multiple events throughout the year. When you subscribe to Paperless Pro, you pay one transparent annual price based on your anticipated number of yearly guests across unlimited events. The more you host, the more you save per guest. If you’re planning more than two events per year, a Paperless Pro subscription is often the most cost-effective option.

And even better: Paperless Post offers nonprofits, charities, schools, and universities a 25% discount, whether you’re paying per event with Coins or choose a Paperless Pro subscription plan. “We pay for events out of donor-funded budgets, so we’re careful stewards. The nonprofit discount is meaningful,” says Maggie Walsh, Director of Strategic Engagement at The College Foundation of the University of Virginia.

Step 3: Decide on the type of fundraiser you’ll host

Based on your goals, budget, and target audience, choose the type of fundraiser you want to organize. Pick an event that will get the most action from your donors and play to the strengths of your organization, members, and community. That could mean a 5K with peer-to-peer fundraising, an art show, and a raffle if you work with creative types, or a bowling or mini golf tournament if your community is made up of families. We’ll dive more into different types of nonprofit fundraising ideas below. 

Step 4: Create a timeline and plan of action

Fundraisers take time to plan, and it’s crucial to start organizing well ahead of time. “However early you think you should start planning, back it up by four more weeks,” recommends Ann Marie Elmayan, Director of Development for the nonprofit mentoring organization Spark the Journey. “The last two months leading up to the fundraiser are going to be stressful no matter how much you plan, so just give yourself some grace in that space.” 

Create a plan of action, and delegate tasks to your staff and volunteers—like researching locations and vendors, reaching out to potential corporate sponsors, obtaining permits, making reservations, sending invitations, and promoting the event. Ms. Elmayan recommends turning to the community and getting people involved to help pull off the event. “Who are your biggest champions in terms of helping you get donations, sponsorships, and the right people in the room?” Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for what you need. Chances are, you’ll find many hands willing to help.

Step 5: Determine the incentives

 

The best way to get people to RSVP to your gala invitation or hit the “submit” button on your fundraising page is to sweeten the deal for them with some kind of incentive to show up, like a raffle, giveaway, or door prize. It doesn’t have to cost a lot—you can solicit donations for gifts and integrate the incentives into the theme of your event, such as giving away free water bottles to the first 100 people who sign up for a race. 

It’s also important to entice donors to give—even if they can’t make it to the event, says Ms. Repka. “Make a ticket available for those who can’t attend and would still like to donate. Make it fun, and give it a cute name that ties into the theme of the event. Or simply let them choose an option that reads, ‘I can’t make it, but please accept this donation in my place.’” If you’ve enabled donations on social networks, let people know in a Details Block on your Paperless Post invitation that they can also donate to your fundraiser event on Facebook or Instagram if they can’t make it.

Step 6: Create different ways to give

Kara Hoover, Marketing Event Director at Press Ganey | Forsta and a volunteer for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stresses the importance of offering donors different ways to give—and in various amounts. “You can have different levels of tickets for entry, you can have easy grabs, like baskets of stuffed animals for sale, or you can sell an event t-shirt.” Providing inexpensive options—like selling raffle tickets, low-priced merch, or auction items with a range of values—enables everyone to participate, even if they don’t have a lot to give.

It’s equally important to simplify and streamline the donation process, says Ms. Elmayan. “Make giving easy for donors. Make registration easy and automated, if you can—have it automatically link back to your CRM. Have a process for gift collection and processing after the event.”

Step 7: Promote your event

Planning a successful and professional nonprofit fundraising event relies on diligent promotion. Create a compelling story that’s at the heart of your campaign, whether you’re raising money for disaster victims, seeking program funding, or looking to raise awareness and attract partners or volunteers. Craft promotional materials with physical print-outs, email marketing, radio and TV commercials, press outreach, or social media posts. If you want to reach the masses with your invitation, you can create a Shareable Link to blast across social media or other public touchpoints. The more channels you use to promote your event, the more people you’ll reach. 

Step 8: Share the good news—and give thanks

 

You’ve made it through the hard part: planning and hosting the event. Now you can focus on the road ahead, which begins with thanking those who provided you with money and support. Donors want to know their money has made an impact, so use the same channels you promoted the event with to announce the amount of money donated—and how you will use it.

It’s also essential to express appreciation for the contributions of others—donors, participants, volunteers, your community, vendors, corporate sponsors, and invaluable team members. Send your thanks through an online thank you card, or send out a broadcast message through your Paperless Post invitation to keep things quick and seamless. 

“Make sure you send acknowledgments in a timely manner—no later than one week after the fundraiser,” recommends Ms. Elmayan. Make it personal when needed, depending on your relationship with the donor. “Getting a standard acknowledgment is nice, but it’s not personal. Giving it that personal touch will go a long way.” 

 

What to do after completing a nonprofit fundraising campaign

Once the event is in the books, the money is in the bank, and the donors have been thanked, take time to evaluate the outcome of your fundraiser and make notes of what you might like to do differently next time. Did you meet your goals? Did you stay in budget? What went smoothly, and what could you do differently next time to make it even better? 

One simple but effective way to gather insight is by sending a post-event survey via a link in a broadcast message to your guests. This gives attendees a chance to share what they enjoyed, what could be improved, and how likely they are to attend or support future events. Even a short survey can uncover valuable feedback—like whether your timing, format, or messaging resonated—and help you make more informed decisions the next time you plan an event.

Beyond qualitative feedback, it’s just as important to review and retain your event data. “We track responses pretty closely, and at the end of an event, we’ll upload that final attendance into our CRM as an event record,” says Andrew Scott, Assistant Director of Special Events at Duke. That data can be imported into your donor database or CRM, such as Raiser’s Edge or Salesforce, so it’s easy to track who attended, who registered but didn’t show up, and how events factor into an individual donor’s overall relationship with your organization.

 

Get the word out with Paperless Pro

 

When you’re planning fundraisers, donor appreciation events, volunteer meet-ups, or anything in between, the tools you use to invite, communicate with, and manage your guests can make a real difference. “Invitations need to feel warm and intimate, but professional,” Kimber Hartmann, the VP of Advancement for Advocates for Community Transformation, told us.

That’s where a Paperless Pro subscription really shines for nonprofits. With one transparent annual price based on your anticipated number of yearly guests, you get unlimited access to Paperless Post’s full suite of premium design and event-management features across all of your events—no need to pay per invitation or worry about constantly buying Coins.

Paperless Pro helps you bring every event to life in a way that feels on-brand and thoughtful. You can customize invitations and event pages with your organization’s colors, fonts, and logo, so every donor, volunteer, and board member feels welcome from the very first touchpoint. You can also add a Sponsor Block to your event page to acknowledge corporate partners and sponsors in a polished, public way—giving them visibility while keeping your event experience cohesive.

It’s not just about how things look, though. Paperless Pro also makes guest communication and planning easier, with built-in tools for real-time RSVP tracking, reminders, and follow-ups, plus check-ins on the day of the event. You can manage guest lists, send tailored messages, and save time by importing or duplicating guest information from past events so you’re not starting from scratch every time you host.

“Our guests really do like seeing it come from Paperless Post. It’s more exciting, and we definitely see a greater response rate now,” Julia Corliss, the Development Officer for Donor Events at the Norton Museum of Art, added.

 

Fundraising ideas

Here are just a few of the many types of nonprofit fundraising events that nonprofit organizations, education institutions, and community groups can host to bring people together and raise money for a good cause.

 

Walks, runs, and competitions

• Fun runs and walks: Fun runs and fun walks are a surefire way to get involvement from young families. Make it a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, or hike-a-thon, a color run, or a bubble run. Fun runs and walks can be held at a school, park, or even a parking lot. 
• Races: 5Ks, 10Ks, and marathons can engage a lot of people in the community, bring in large donations, and raise awareness for your cause. 
• Golf, bowling, or other sports tournaments: Sports fans enjoy a good tournament, and these types of fundraising events can raise a lot of money and attract corporate sponsorships. 
• Trivia competition: Everyone loves to show off their random knowledge, and trivia competitions can be a big draw. Participants pay to play, and the contest can involve donation pledges or corporate matches to increase the potential return.

Some of these types of events rely on peer-to-peer fundraising for nonprofits, where participants collect donation pledges from their own network, to be paid upon completion of the event. Others raise money from entrance fees, merch sales, and concessions. The obligatory free t-shirts you’ll definitely want to provide to the participants will help keep your organization on their radar long after the event is over, and are a great incentive for people to sign up.

Sales fundraisers

 

Selling items is a classic and eternally popular method of raising funds for a cause (Girl Scout cookies, anyone?). Community sales are a great way to get the attention of potential new donors and engage the community at large. Hold the event at an easy-to-access, high-visibility location to bring in as many potential shoppers as possible. Ideas for fundraiser sales events include: 

 

• Bake sale 
• Rummage sale
• Used book sale
• Holiday craft fair
• Car wash
• Retail ‘round up for a cause’ or restaurant ‘dine for charity’ partnerships

Benefit shows

Harness the creative talents in your community and host a benefit concert, art auction, wine tasting, or fashion show. Ask local artists, musicians, and other creatives to contribute their talents to the event, either paid, at a discount, or as a donation. Sell tickets and concessions, hold a silent auction, and solicit donations during the event. These types of fundraising events for nonprofits are especially appealing if they involve celebrities, says Ms. Hoover. “Celebrities are an easy way to get a lot of attention, and a celebrity can be a noteworthy local, a media personality, or other individual of interest—you don’t have to secure an A-list entertainer.”

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding through a platform like GoFundMe or Kickstarter is useful for charities that support individuals affected by an event—like a natural disaster—or a nonprofit that wants to quickly get a new initiative off the ground and has a large network. Since crowdfunding requires little effort to set up and maintain, it’s an ideal nonprofit fundraising idea for organizations that are boots-on-the-ground helping people, or that have a small budget and few resources. Donors can give as much or as little as they wish, and you can offer special perks at different levels.

Online donation campaigns

Sometimes the best way to raise money is to take a direct approach. Send a compelling letter or email to your mailing list. Explain the need, make the pitch, and provide a link where they can donate online. Combine this funding drive with a social media campaign to raise awareness and capture new donors. 

Galas

 

No organization is too small to hold a special fundraising gala to celebrate its accomplishments, engage with existing and potential donors, and solicit funding for important projects or causes. A gala can be as formal or casual as you like and can take the form of:

 

• Dinner and entertainment
• A themed dance party
• A black-tie cocktail party
• A costume ball
• An awards or recognition event 

 

Curate your guest list to include a mix of current donors and people or organizations you’d like to collaborate with, says Ms. Elmayan. “Invite board members, representatives from corporate or foundation partners, people who support you via grants, your board members’ networks, your top donors, and your volunteers,” she recommends. “And if you work closely with other nonprofit partners, it’s a sign of good faith to invite them as well.”

 

Plan your nonprofit fundraising events with Paperless Pro

A fundraiser can be as simple or elaborate, and as big or small as the time, resources, and budget you have available. Paperless Pro offers an affordable way to send a handful or an entire spreadsheet’s worth of online invitations to potential donors. Whether you want to send sophisticated invitations for a charity cocktail party or you’re looking for fun and festive Flyer invites for an epic bake sale or benefit concert, our huge selection of customizable invitations makes it easy to find just the right one.