Canada 
Tim Stansbury
Founder, Fundraising Consultant & Host
“A fundraising host will help you develop and deliver a fundraising strategy to boost giving and maximize engagement at a
live fundraising event.”
FUNDRAISING HOSTS
OVERVIEW
Including a fundraising host into your event can have a dramatic impact on funds raised on the night.
A fundraising host will work with you pre-event to design a statistically driven strategy to achieve your campaign goals. On the night they will drive the donation moment (or pledge appeal) and live auction. With just a few tweaks in strategy, we can have an amazing impact on funds raised.
During an event, your fundraising host will maintain the tempo of the night, clearly communicating your message and explaining exactly how to give.
THE APPEAL MOMENT
A FUNDRAISING HOST HELPS YOU DEVELOP AND DELIVER A FUNDRAISING STRATEGY TO MAXIMIZE ENGAGEMENT AT A LIVE FUNDRAISING EVENT
OUR SOLUTION TO
FUNDRAISING HOSTS
Givergy’s Fundraising Hosts will support you pre-event, including statistically-driven meetings to provide expert advice on how you can potentially raise more at your fundraising event. Everything we do is built around inclusivity, with the objective being 100% audience participation by the end of the night.
Our fundraising hosts have a proven track record in helping nonprofits smash their fundraising targets, and we would be delighted to add your organization to the list.
KEY FEATURES OF OUR
FUNDRAISING HOSTS
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
FOR FUNDRAISING HOSTS
“Having John host the evening was absolutely one of the best decisions we could have made.We have had a lot of guest and staff feedback about how incredible they thought the pledge moment was and this was thanks to John. The delivery on the night was spot on and we will most certainly be booking John again!”
“Deciding to have John as the host for our Annual Ball this year was one of the best decisions we made. We were very keen to improve our fundraising through pledges and John completely grasped our needs and supported our strategy leading up to the event. On the day, he was much appreciated by our guests and we were thrilled to raise more than we ever have, especially through the pledges. We would certainly recommend John as a host”
“John did an amazing job. It’s not easy to get 1,500 guests to ‘co-operate’ by making further financial contributions but he succeeded and did it in a way that was engaging and did not irritate. His highly professional approach helped us hand over the largest sum we have raised in the twelve year history of the Lunch – £250,000. In the run up to the Lunch, his expert advice was invaluable.”
GETTING STARTED WITH
FUNDRAISING HOSTS
Our fundraising hosts are experienced, reliable, and professional with proven track records in helping organizations smash their fundraising goals.
Get ready to surpass your campaign targets and click here or call +1 236 326 6253 to hire a Givergy Fundraising Host today!
FUNDRAISING HOST FAQS
Whilst the two roles can certainly overlap, the function of a fundraising host is typically far more focussed than that of an MC. As the name suggests, a fundraising host’s job is to ensure the event’s fundraising activities are a success, and that targets are met, if not exceeded!
A fundraising host should outline to the audience what the charity’s fundraising objectives are and highlight the different ways in which they can get involved. They’ll also provide fundraising updates and deliver reminders during the event, as well as key fundraising moments such as live auctions and pledge drives. A good fundraising host will also consult with the client in the lead-up to the event, leveraging their experience to help them devise a clear and statistically-driven fundraising strategy.
An MC, on the other hand, is generally responsible for linking your various sections together and keeping the event moving along. Whether or not they focus on fundraising (which is crucial!), really will depend on the MC in question.
A pledge drive (or appeal moment as they are often called in the US) is a moment during a live event where you can inspire the room, challenge your audience and focus on collecting as many donations as possible.
You can use these 10-15 minutes to focus your audience to hit a collective common goal, often using a nice interactive totaliser on the display screens to show progress of funds raised. A professional fundraising host will work down different donation levels that guests can commit to, looking to increase participation of donations in the room and giving everyone a chance to get involved and give back.
Gone are the days of long live auctions with 10 to 15 items and an auctioneer working through each one. History and experience shows that for the majority of events, a long live auction can kill an event and the momentum of what was a fun and enjoyable evening.
Standard practice is to now keep live auctions to five or six (max) quality items, that ideally have an element of exclusivity and can’t be bought or searched for online.
The reality is that live auctions are normally aimed at 5-10% of the ‘big spenders’ in the room, but you have to be aware of the other 90% of guests. A fun and engaging 20-minute live auction absolutely adds to the event, but longer than this and things can begin to drag on and impact other fundraising opportunities from the remainder of the room.
Bringing a fundraising host onboard to events is a brilliant way of enhancing donation potential. With their focus being pinned on guest engagement and aligning with the overarching fundraising objectives, it can be tricky for them to also take on the role of MC. We recommend having someone else fill that role as it means the fundraising host can spend their time raising money, spreading the message about the cause, and ensuring each guest in the room is taking part in one way or another.
Yes! Our fundraising hosts are experts in hosting virtual events, as well as live events. By using a Givergy host for your virtual event, the pressure of having to train your host in virtual fundraising technology disappears! Speak to our team to see how they can help you raise more.
RESOURCES FOR
FUNDRAISING HOSTS
Complete Guide to Fundraising Hosts
The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Live Fundraising Website
Posted on 25th September 2023 by Ella Jacques
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