Special events can go so well, or oh so badly. During Fundraising Day New York 2013, sponsored by the New York City chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP), a variety of tips for increasing revenue, decreasing expenses or miscellaneous items were offered and discussed.

Increasing Revenue:

• Engage the committee in setting revenue goals.
• Use local networks and contacts to help get things donated.
• Give a lot of visibility and attention to in-kind donors at events.
• Squeeze board members to use their contacts.
• Offer “payment plans” for larger sponsorships.
• Ask corporate board members to open doors for corporate sponsors.
• Set a minimum value for donated auction items.

Decreasing Expenses:

• Get stuff donated.
• Cut deals with in-kind donors (e.g. “Give us free wine, we’ll give you a nice ad in the journal”).
• Don’t spend money on giveaways if they’re not expected by guests.
• Do an on-screen journal instead of paper.
• Segment the mailing list instead of sending huge mailings.
• Ask for bids from new vendors — don’t assume “our guy” is still giving the best price.

Do Not Get Cheap on:

• Anything to do with the organization’s image or branding.
• Items that need to be high quality, such as music and food.
• Audio/visual or other technology.