10 Tactics to Take Your Fall Fundraiser to the Next Level

Can you smell that? The pumpkin spice, the cinnamon, the apple cider? Can you feel the cold snap in the air? That’s right – fall is right around the corner, so it’s time to start preparing your autumnal fundraiser schedule.

You may be noticing that your fundraisers are a little, well, lackluster. Perhaps you aren’t seeing the turn-out you want, or you aren’t hitting the financial goals you had in mind. Worry not – there are several tactics you can try to bring your fall fundraisers to the next level. On The Stage can help.

10 Tactics to Try for Your Fall Fundraisers

Get Festive With It

Perhaps the easiest way to see more engagement with your fall fundraisers is by leaning into that intangible autumnal element. After all, most people are insanely jazzed to swap out shorts for jeans and iced coffee for hot apple cider. The best part? There are so many ways to incorporate the season into your fundraising efforts. A few ideas include:

• Corn mazes
• Social events replete with bonfires?
• Hayrides?
• Pumpkin patches
• Pumpkin-carving contests
• Chili cook-offs
• Pie baking contests
• Harvest dinners

Incorporate Virtual and Streaming Elements

The easiest way to see more participation at your fundraising events is by opening up the door to virtual attendance and digital streaming options. If you can welcome donors and guests from across the nation instead of just across the city, you’re far more likely to hit fundraising goals.

Additionally, you’re increasing your accessibility, inclusivity, and engagement – simply by increasing attendance. Higher engagement lends itself to more social media followers, active donors, and eyes on your work.

Promote Other Offerings at the Event

If your fundraiser is solely focused on raising money, you likely won’t see long-term positive effects. Instead, use your fundraising events to tout your other offerings and emphasize your positive effect on your community. A multifaceted event will reap far more benefits.

A few things you can promote at your fundraisers include:

• Other showcases you have coming up?
• Workshops you’re hosting?
• Next season’s summer stock productions
• Any promotional sales or ticket bundles you have on offer
• Season ticket subscriptions?

Secure Fundraiser Sponsors

Procuring business sponsorships for your fundraiser is critical to offset the costs of hosting the fundraiser itself. Additionally, getting these business sponsors can lend itself to ample networking opportunities and the ability to build strong community bonds.?

Ideas for sponsors include:

• Members of your local media, including newspapers, news channels, magazines, and radio stations
• Local influencers who can bring their social media followers to your fundraiser?
• Local or national businesses whose logos can, in turn, be on all fundraising promotional materials to lend credibility to your event?
• Hotel and transportation providers who can help cart around and house out-of-town guests
• Local restaurants who may be willing to donate food and drink to your event

Incentivize Fundraiser Attendance?

While fundraising events may draw a big audience, it’s also imperative to incentivize attendance at your events. In short – give your patrons a reason to attend your fundraiser. Reward them for showing up!

A few ways to incentivize attendance at your fundraiser include:

• Hosting a must-be-present-to-win raffle?
• Creating swag bags or party favors for guests?
• Presenting discounts on season tickets to fundraising guests?
• Leverage big-ticket auction items?

Utilize the Great Outdoors

Fundraisers are far easier (and less expensive) to host if you don’t have to secure a large indoor venue. Eschew the idea of a fancy indoor gala and instead use the backdrop of the outdoors to kick off your fall fundraising.

A few outdoor fundraisers you can try include:

• Walk-A-Thons
• Bike-A-Thons
• Tailgates?
• Oktoberfest-Related Events
• Touch Football, Pickleball, or Tennis Tournaments?
• Grape Stomps or Wine Festivals?

Tie in Back-To-School Fundraiser Themes

Does your theatre work to help children or education programs? Do you have connections with area schools? If you answered yes to either of these, perhaps incorporating a back-to-school element into your fundraiser is a great idea.?

You can partner up with a local school to secure a venue. Ask area community partners to donate school supplies alongside ticket purchases. This way, you’re helping your theatre and an area school as well. In short, you should capitalize on the feelings of renewal and excitement for a new school year into a fundraising extravaganza.?

Think Bigger

If you want to take your fundraiser to the next level, consider thinking bigger than just your theatre. In fact, there are a variety of holidays in the fall and winter months that encourage giving – so why not piggyback on that spirit for your own fundraiser?

Ideas include hosting fundraisers around Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Hanukkah, and the like. Build up anticipation with marketing emails reminding recipients of important giving days. You can also encourage corporate sponsors to match donations, which will incentivize donations even more – encouraging reluctant donors to participate.?

Focus on Community Betterment??

Instead of focusing solely on making your theatre more money, focus instead on a dual goal of contributing to your community. Consider teaming up with local nonprofits for community giving days or spending a fundraising day outdoors beautifying your city with a tree-planting effort, rake-a-thon, or community clean-up initiative.?

You can reach out to nonprofit donors and local homeowners by going door-to-door in your community. You can also establish a donation widget on your website that allows your organization to collect donations ahead of time.?

Go Golfing

Golfing fundraisers have been around for a long time – and for good reason: people love to golf, socialize, and raise funds for a great cause. Plan a golf tournament where supporters donate a pre-et amount to participate on a team, with the winners taking home a big prize.?

Golfing fundraisers present a variety of benefits, including:

• A semi-leisurely pace, which allows for ample time to converse
• An outdoor venue, which is typically cheaper to book
• The ability to connect one-on-one with donors to secure day-of finances?
• The ability to connect with business sponsors who can add more revenue to your day
• A chance to get fresh air and exercise?

Simplify Your Fall Fundraiser with On The Stage

It’s no secret that hosting a fundraiser can be stressful, but it will be a breeze with the right partner. You can take control of your theatre’s financial destiny with On The Stage’s comprehensive fundraising suite, where you can launch campaigns, track one-time and ongoing donations, manage and grow donors, access reports, and more.

On The Stage (OTS) offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help you:?

• Increase funding for your organization through a fundraising site with ready-to-use templates that incorporate best practices or fully customizable campaigns
• Track one-time and recurring donations with donor management, goal tracking, and real-time reporting
• Foster a sense of community and partnership by giving your cast and crew, patrons, and sponsors additional ways to engage with your program
• Set goals and track progress with easily accessible dashboards and reports

With a fundraising suite that does it all, the only limit is your imagination. If you’re ready to take control of your theatre’s finances and fundraising, book a personalized demo today.