How to Overcome Event Planning Burnout and LOVE Nonprofit Events

Blog post by A.J. Steinberg

It’s hard to believe, but some nonprofit professionals don’t really love hosting special nonprofit events. In fact, lots of folks seem downright ambivalent, at best.

Does that sound like you?

No worries. You’re probably just suffering from event burnout – an ailment common among nonprofit organizations.

Event burnout isn’t your fault. The issue lies in everyone’s high expectations for special events coupled with dizzyingly tight budgets. You can see how a nonprofit professional could blow a gasket. The pressure is enormous.

Here’s the typical scene:

Your board wants you to produce an entertaining event so their friends can have fun. The CFO wants you to pull in stratospheric sums that will be the savior of next year’s budget. The ED needs an event to touch the guests’ hearts. To top it all off, you are expected to work with a committee of volunteers who have absolutely no training in either nonprofit event planning or fundraising.

Just thinking about all that can give you hives!

Step away from the stress for a moment, put the unrealistic expectations aside…

Consider the upsides of what you can accomplish with a nonprofit event

• Energize your board by giving them a simple plan for soliciting donations and selling event tickets. Watch them light up as they realize how many great assets they have at their fingertips. Most boards just need a little prompting and some easy-to-follow protocols.
• Work with your CFO to create realistic monetary goals, figuring out ways to augment the event’s revenue stream. Let your committee brainstorm on connections they can bring to the table. It’s amazing the amount of auction donations, sponsorships and ticket sales they can drum up with a little help identifying their potential contacts.
• Work closely with your Event Director to ensure she knows the event’s goals and understands your strategy for both revenue and guest engagement. Bring her to a committee meeting so she can strengthen relationships with your volunteers. Take time every couple of weeks to meet and discuss how the process is progressing, giving her confidence in your planning abilities.
• Choose event committee members wisely, as they are the key ingredient in your recipe for success. These volunteers will bring in donations, help with sponsorships and sell a boatload of tickets. Competent committees will also take much of the event production workload off your shoulders.

Truly, the best part of hosting an event is building and strengthening relationships

• A well-run fundraising event brings pride to board members, and encourages future enthusiastic participation
• Your organization’s staff feels satisfied by their experience working as a team
• Your volunteers feel appreciated and excited to work with you on future events
• Your guests have heightened awareness of your organization’s mission, and look forward to participating in more meaningful ways

And don’t forget, your nonprofit event can also make money

A well-organized nonprofit event can make a delicious profit.

Special nonprofit events can definitely be sweet. When else can you have the undivided attention of hundreds of good-hearted folks for your call to action? This isn’t an internet video, this is real life, baby! And real life is where meaningful relationships are born.

Sure, there will be hard work and some headaches during the planning process. But you didn’t become a nonprofit professional because it was easy. You chose this work because you could make a genuine difference in the lives of people and communities.

There’s no better pathway to increase fundraising efforts than through special nonprofit events!

Now is the time to pull it together and face your next event with a positive “can do” attitude.  Join me in singing the praises of special events, because we both know their hard-earned, sweet success makes it all worthwhile.

Want to learn more about how to plan for and run successful fundraising events for your nonprofit? Check out my CharityHowTo webinars.

For Further Reading

PS: For other idea’s on nonprofit event planning and event planning resources, check out this article by our friends at Wild Apricot – The Complete Event Planning Guide: How To Plan An Event