Many nonprofits do it. It is one of the most common fundraising tactics. But there is more to event fundraising than just the event. Events can be the source of future major gift donors.

At the same time the Internet has enabled fundraising events to raise money and raise awareness beyond the geographic boundaries of the past. Supporters can share the organization’s message with contacts around the country, thereby expanding an organizations major gift opportunities. And for many nonprofit organizations, major gifts are an important component in overall donations.

The question is –are nonprofits doing what they can –and what they should –to capture the next major gift donor among event participants and donors?

According to David Lawson, vice president of market strategy for Kintera in San Diego, the first step is to gather data from the event and store it in a system that is easy to maintain and provides wealth-screening data.  By capturing and identifying new donors in real-time, fundraising events become integrated into the overall fundraising efforts of the nonprofit. When done correctly, this process can determine the level of affinity and serve as an introduction for major gift officers.

Additionally, with donor management applications beginning to include wealth screening data within the application, nonprofits can better identify potential major gift donors and establish more appropriate ask amounts.

By using events, combined with the right solutions and processes, nonprofits are able to discover new donors, gather the necessary research, better prioritize major gift efforts, and increase effectiveness.