The Event That Ate the Development Office

Ask any development director with more than ten years of experience what’s the one thing about their job they would change if they could, and you’ll likely get a thousand-yard stare coupled with a quiet answer: “The events.”

Part of earning a CFRE should include comparing battle scars from events that went sideways. The small events that couldn’t get traction. The gala that the committee wouldn’t admit had outlived its use. And the scariest one of them all: the event that ate the office.

This is the event that grows so big, and takes up so much time for planning, that soon you and your staff feel like you’re working for the event rather than the other way around. It’s easy to lose sight of the purpose of fundraising events – to showcase your mission, gather supporters, have an enjoyable time, and raise money for your good cause. And events need to grow and change, they can’t remain the same forever. But the event that keeps growing, just for novelty’s sake, or adds more outlandish features each year, soon becomes a monster. Next thing you know the entire development office, your committee, even your board, are putting in tons of hours on this event.

I remember attending a hospital’s holiday fundraising gala one year. It was held in a hundred-year-old converted bank – three stories, marble floors, each room with its own theme. Six bars overall. A huge spread of seafood, champagne towers, carving stations, even a cigar lounge.  At one point, circus stilt-walkers dressed like Vegas showgirls made their way through the crowd, beaming at the guests and taking selfies with them. And that was before the indoor pyrotechnics which accompanied the CEO’s speech. Which was, like most CEO speeches, pretty bland. So I guess the fireworks helped.

All I could think was, how much planning and cost was involved in all of this? Sure, the sponsorships were probably great, but how much was actually about the mission?

Events don’t have to be over-the-top to make a difference. Balancing your staff’s time and priorities with the event’s return is a key factor in having a successful event that doesn’t break the bank – or your sanity. It’s good to allow your committee to dream big, but it’s your job to rein them back in, and keep the changes reasonable. After all, your donors aren’t really interested in the flash and pizazz. They’re giving because of your mission.