Planning a fundraising event is a large undertaking for any nonprofit organization, regardless of size or funding. You’ll need to handle various difficult tasks, including deciding on the type of event, determining an event fundraising strategy, and recruiting volunteers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. These tasks can quickly pile up and become overwhelming.

The best events are planned and run by a team of individuals who each handle different responsibilities but work together to create a successful event. However, if you’re new to hosting fundraising events, you might be a little lost on who to add to your team.

Not to worry—in this guide, we’ll cover five team members who are an integral part of event planning. Let’s dive in!

1. Event Manager

This role is fairly self-explanatory. Your event manager will be in charge of your fundraising event as a whole. They’ll be the most involved with the planning process, and their responsibilities may include:

• Developing a comprehensive event plan. This plan will include setting goals and objectives and determining a fundraising target. It will also address the event’s theme, format, and agenda of activities and programs.
• Selecting a venue. The event manager will also be in charge of selecting and booking an appropriate venue for the event. For instance, if you’re hosting a gala-style party and silent auction, your event manager will probably look for higher-end venues, such as hotel ballrooms. On the other hand, if you’re hosting a golf tournament fundraiser, they will look instead at venues with golfing facilities.
• Managing event budget. Your event manager will ensure that the event stays within budget or will request more funds from leadership should the need arise. They’ll also approve expenses from other members of the team.

On top of all of these responsibilities, the event manager will also handle overseeing the other members of their team, making this an extremely involved and important role. If none of your staff members feel confident stepping up to the plate, you might consider working with an event consultant. These professionals will bring their years of experience and expertise to help your organization plan a successful event.

2. Fundraising Manager

Another crucial team member for any fundraising event is the fundraising manager. This individual is in charge of ensuring that your event garners the funds needed to meet your goals, whether that’s through individual donations, major gifts, or sponsorships. Some of their duties include:

• Establishing a fundraising strategy. The fundraising manager will create a breakdown of the type and number of donor gifts that will help you cross the fundraising finish line. They’ll estimate a rough amount of smaller donations they think your nonprofit will receive during the event and then create a plan for soliciting the major gifts and sponsorships they need to meet the fundraising goal.
• Connecting with major donors. After establishing a fundraising strategy, the fundraising manager will reach out to major donors to ask if they’d like to make a gift in advance of the event. They will usually do this with the help of your nonprofit’s major gift officer.
• Requesting corporate sponsorships. Another way to ensure that your event meets your fundraising goal is by seeking out corporate sponsorships. In exchange for perks like their branding on your event materials, corporations may be willing to sponsor your event financially. Your fundraising manager will reach out to local businesses that may be interested in this opportunity. Plus, these relationships may lead to future partnerships, such as corporate volunteerism.

The best fundraising managers understand that supporters make gifts because of their relationship with your nonprofit. Plus, they should be open-minded and willing to try new strategies to create genuine connections with supporters. In collaboration with your team’s marketing manager, your fundraising manager will also help ensure that your nonprofit presents a unified fundraising message.

3. Marketing Manager

The marketing manager is responsible for promoting the event to your nonprofit’s target audience. They’ll do this through a variety of ways, including sending messages through these channels:

• Email newsletters
• Text messages
• Social media posts

Getting Attention also advises that marketing managers round out their digital promotion strategy by featuring the event on your nonprofit’s website, such as through creating high-quality event landing pages and blog posts that summarize your event’s purpose and perks of attending. Since your website is the primary resource for anyone interested in your cause, it’s a great place to promote your event to potential supporters and steward relationships with them.

4. Tech Manager

Most fundraising events require some form of technology to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This can include ticketing software for attendees to check in quickly, audio music equipment, and visual equipment for any presentations. Your tech manager will handle setting up your event technology and ensuring that everything works as intended on the day of the event.

Additionally, Swaim Strategies explains that hybrid and virtual fundraising events are becoming increasingly popular with nonprofits of all sizes. If you’re considering hosting a hybrid or virtual event, then your tech manager becomes an even more important part of your team. They’ll need to handle live streaminglivestreaming software like Zoom and make sure the virtual component of your events goes off without a hitch.

5. Volunteer Manager

Most nonprofits lack the staff members to handle event responsibilities entirely in-house. That’s why they outsource tasks to loyal volunteers. However, if you have multiple volunteers, you’ll also need someone to manage them.

A volunteer manager will split up tasks among volunteers and ensure that they each have a key task to complete that also aligns with their preferences. Furthermore, they’ll train volunteers for any tasks that require special knowledge and offer necessary support on the day of the event.

Volunteers can handle a variety of tasks, ranging from:

• Event set up and tear down
• Checking in attendees
• Serving food and beverages
• Coordinating entertainment

If you anticipate that you’ll need a large volunteer group for your event, consider investing in volunteer management software. These tools allow you to conveniently track volunteer hours, schedule volunteers when they’re needed, and streamline the volunteer onboarding process. During an event, volunteers can keep in touch with each other and the manager through messaging and location-tracking features.

Before you begin planning your nonprofit’s fundraising event, ensure that you have these five team members on your event team to facilitate a smooth planning process. These individuals don’t have to just come from your existing staff—feel free to ask board members and even previous volunteers to join your team. This is a great way to keep them engaged in your nonprofit’s activities!

Samantha Swaim has more than 20 years of event planning and fundraising expertise. She founded Swaim Strategies, a fundraising event consultancy, in 2004, working internationally with nonprofit organizations to produce impactful events that move missions forward. Samantha is the co-author of “Planning a Successful Major Donor Event” and the founder of the annual Elevate fundraising event conference. She travels internationally to teach nonprofit professionals the tools they need to elevate their impact through events.