This is what 48 charity Special Event Managers told me about their events

Earlier last month I sent out a request for Special Event Managers to fill in a survey. It was in response to several people asking about the latest trends in special events.

These are often the events that don't get quite as much insight as the big mass or challenge events. They can be quite hard to quantify as they tend to vary massively from charity to charity. However, I thought it was worth trying to collate some data to see if any trends could be seen which might help my fellow Special Eventers plan better and be more reassured they're on the right tracks.

I received 48 responses! Woohoo.

And these were the questions I asked and the responses I got:

Q1) Are you delivering less special events in 2023 & 24 compared with the same period last year?

52% said the same number. 31% said more. 15% said less. 2% said other.

Q2) Are there any special events that were planned in for 2023/24 which you have cancelled?

65% said No, we're still planning our special events to run as per last year.

23% said Yes, we have cancelled a special event/s. 13% said something else.

The "something else" responses ranged from:

• We haven't resumed them since Covid
• We are struggling to get a committee together so have cancelled
• We're running smaller more intimate events rather than large scale
• We postponed due to low ticket sales, we're still undecided.

Q3) If you have cancelled a special event/s this year, please tell us why?

• Lack of table sales/ticket sales, or high value support falling through (including sponsorship)
• Issues with venue
• Didn't fit organisational strategy and cost too much to put on
• Not a clear fundraising call to action
• Internal capacity

Q4) What is the biggest challenge you are facing in relation to your special events fundraising programme right now?

(NOTE: I was keen not to lead responders to a particular answer so left this answer a free form box, which allowed people to write what they wanted. This makes analysis a bit more tricky so I've pulled out the main themes. However if you want to read the entire report with specific answers you can find out how at the bottom of this article)

• 43% mentioned timely ticket/table sales. Either people weren't buying at all, or if they were it was much later than usual
• 15% mentioned the challenge of securing corporate sponsorship or support
• 13% mentioned the reliance of venues, artists, catering with soaring costs and limited availability as being their biggest challenge
• 11% said they were struggling with increasing their high level supporter base who would attend these types of events
• 9% mentioned the current financial situation and hesitancy from guests to spend money or be seen spending money
• 7% said that their internal ambitious targets and lack of appetite to try new things was their biggest challenge.

This response highlighted the multi faceted challenges being faced:

"Working really hard to put on great events but not raising the funds. Either because, we can’t sell the tickets out, people aren’t donating enough or we’re having big recruitment problems. I think some of this partly comes down to our brand not being out there enough and needing to do more work with supporters, it all impacts on our events team but sadly this relies on our whole team working towards the same goal. Our director is also very hot on the money, as in, always focusing on our targets and whether we will meet them and forecasting, we recently put together a calendar for 23/24 financial year to meet the target but then got told we need to take some new events out as we don’t have capacity. How will we ever meet out target with the events we have that aren’t making the money! Everything just seems like such hard work at the moment."

Q5) Overall would you say you have had more people attending your special events this year than last?

• 43% say roughly consistent
• 18% more people
• 39% less people

Q6) Have you raised similar income from your special events this year compared to last?

• 43% said our income is on track and consistent with last year
• 40% said our income is down compared to last year
• 17% said our income is up compared to last year

Q7a) If your income is down, please let us know why you think that is?

• 18% said the cost of living increase
• 22% said their sign ups were down
• 7% said their event was postponed or cancelled
• 11% said the increased costs of putting an event on meant their net income was down
• 4% said they were running fewer events

Q7b) If your income is up, please let us know why you think that is?

• 7% said this was their first in person event since Covid so there was a novelty value to attending
• 7% said their event was in a unique location or was a unique event concept
• 4% attributed their increased income to a big Gala event which had been very successful
• 4% said it was a natural growth of an event in its early stages
• 4% mentioned an increased ticket price
• 4% said it was down to a hard working team who were all pulling together

Q8) If you are experiencing lower attendance at your special events this year compared to last, what are the reasons you are being given by guests?

• 45% said they were conscious of cost of living increase/price of ticket
• 9% said they were not interested in the type of event that was being sold to them
• 9% said they'd attended before and didn't want to come again or there was a clash of date
• 7% mentioned concerns about being in a large gathering
• 31% ticked "other reasons" including: not wanting to commit and older demographic audience so events are no longer appealing in the same way.

3 responses said they didn't know as there was no feedback from guests.

Q9) Have you introduced any new special events into your programme this year compared to last?

55% said no, 45% said yes.

Q10) If you said yes to adding new events, what was the catalyst for adding something new?

• 28% - SMT/Trustees/Committee wanted it
• 20% - Audience insight/survey suggested it
• 16% said they were tapping into non charity sector trends
• 4% said they'd seen another charity have success with it
• 32% said something else including: A 25th Anniversary so holding more events to celebrate, Reaching a new audience, a desire to try new things post Covid, Opportunity to host something with a Comedian/Special Guest

"We are looking to increase engagement with our events so we are using 2023 and 24 to trial many different styles and formats of events and monitoring the data to see what works and what has an effect on the income and acquisition of new supporters."

Q11) If you've introduced a new special event/s please tick which category they fit into

• 20% Dinner/Dance/Gala
• 12% Reception
• 10% Sporting themed event
• 39% Other.

The "Other" included....

... An art event, small private dinners, online auction, quiz, afternoon tea, wellness retreat and a Halloween themed laser light show ??

Q12) Are you noticing any trends in the Special Events space that you think could be beneficial to charities? (using direct quotes)

"I still think people are leaving it to the last minute to buy tickets, sometimes you have to stick with it and just believe that you will sell the tickets, it will be a stressful process but we have seen an uptake in the week of the event!"

"Evening events rather than full day events (e.g. conferences) seem to peak more interest"

"It seems others are going down the route of more intimate events"

"I think charities are having to be much more creative. Also we are regional, so although not small, still finding it hard to compete with the large charities"

"Also hosting Pre-Loved clothing sales, good re environment, supporters seem to like this"

"Charities should use emerging tech to gather GDPR permissions where possible, so they can contact guests about future events and other campaigns."

Q13) What do you wish others knew about the value of Special events to charity? (using direct quotes)

"They bring new philanthropists on board if done correctly! It's not just about the money on the night, but about the value of the donations over time."

"That it's not just the income, it's the opportunity to educate and engage new audiences - e.g an existing supporter buys a table at an event and brings people who have never had anything to do with the charity"

"The value beyond the income line. Events cost a lot, and that cost is rising, and events are often judged by their ROI, but that is becoming increasingly difficult to justify if it's the only marker of success. However, events bring so much more than just fundraising to a charity be that engagement with the cause, introductions to new contacts and prospects, collaboration and engagement with other like minded individuals, feeling part of a bigger movement. There is so much more to gain with hosting an event than just income, and this needs to be realised and recognised."

"That income isn't everything. Face to face time with supporters is crucial to developing relationships and ensuring your supporters feel connected. A supporter who feels connected will give more for longer than a supporter who simply attends a gala and buys an auction prize."

"Special events aren’t just about income; they are about relationship building, stewardship and building a narrative around the donors support"

"The awareness it raises alongside vital funds. Also the need to invest money in these events to get the most income and make a stand out event."

"To not be scared to take the plunge. It's worth it if you get the attendees and important to offer to a certain calibre of supporter."

"The amount of time/effort/resource it takes to try and source everything at the best rate and then get people along to attend!"

"You have to invest in order to fundraise and this can be risky."

"That they’re important, and also that it’s a lot of stress and effort for those doing the roles. Some people complain about the smallest of things and at the end of the day, we’re just doing our best to bring an income in for a cause! I also find working with committees interesting, some people bring a lot and others just don’t bring much at all - I hate being dictated to by committees to the extent they’re making decisions on how OUR events should run instead of actually helping with the things we need most, ticket sales!"

"That’s it’s not just the income - it’s the relationships we continue as a result and the new ones that come as a result of the event"

In summary...

Whilst charities are, on the whole, running the same amount or more of special events than last year; almost half of respondents mentioned the challenge of ticket/table sales and the last minuteness of sales. Where in past years you could estimate sales based on where you were a few weeks out from the event, this no longer applies, with sales going on right up to the day before the event. Perhaps a hangover from Covid days when cancellations and postponements were commonplace.

Unsurprisingly, the rising cost of living is playing a part in people's reasons not to come to these events. Although despite this, it doesn't seem to be having a catastrophic effect to income, with 60% of respondents reporting consistent or increased special event income compared to last year, which is fantastic to see.

It appears as though the current economic climate is impacting charities appetite/capacity to trial new things, with more than half saying they are not adding new events to their programme this year. I wonder when this will start to swing the other way? Personally, I believe investment in these activities is critical to their survival.

Slightly worrying, although not surprising was the reason why charities were adding in new event activity, with a whopping 28% saying it was a decision made by SMT/Trustees/Committee. Compared to 20% that said audience insight/surveys suggested them. This seems to me to be the wrong way round.

The responses to the last question: What do you wish others knew about the value of Special Events to charity were so great, I included a lot of them verbatim. And it was heartening to see so many say the same thing. It's not all about the income. These events are crucial to building and engaging new audiences and they open doors to so many other opportunities.

Do they come at a cost? Yes, and especially so at the minute.

But with more charities reporting increased or consistent income and attendance, special events still seem to have a valuable part to play for charities in 2023.

If you want to see a full copy of the results, please let me know and I'll send a link.

Huge thanks to the respondents. I hope this is useful to you. If nothing else to reassure you that you're not alone and that you're doing a fantastic job under tough circumstances.

All the love ?