USA WHO
Founded in 1709, Trinity School provides a world-class education for their students. As a private school, there are fees involved but Trinity offers subsidies on those fees to try and ensure the student body is as talented and diverse as possible.
Each year the school hold an event aimed at connecting parents and the wider community with the school. It is mainly a chance for the school to foster relationships but the annual fundraising dinner, combined with auction, provides Trinity the opportunity to raise funds to help with subsidies and special projects for the students.
The event is seen as a spectacle for both faculty and parents, one that allows them to bond. To encourage this Trinity School host the event like a cocktail party with a DJ and a band, there is no table seating as to not constrain anybody to a certain area with the focus on fluidity.
Fundraising Challenges
Organisers of the event at Trinity had noticed that since the pandemic people have been confirming their plans later and later. The school conducted a survey of parents and potential guests and found that people are less likely to plan far ahead of time now because they are unsure of if plans are going to change. This has made alerting venues tricky because it is difficult to know far in advance exactly how many people will be turning up.
To combat this the Trinity team advise to remain patient and be persistent with your communications. Engage your guests early and offer strong reminders as the night approaches to remain at the forefront of their mind.
With the Givergy platform’s automated messaging system being a handy tool for keeping guests up to date and removes some of the stress of having to follow up on every interaction.
Event Highlights
The team organising the annual fundraiser at Trinity is an office of 1 and this can mean the responsibilities for pulling off the event pile up. Organising the auction was seamless with the technology Givergy has, and for the Trinity School team, seeing the event delivered smoothly for an audience of varying demographics was an absolute highlight. Everyone at the event also bought into the theme of the night, it was just great to see so much of the community out and enjoying themselves.
How Much Was Raised?
Trinity School reached their fundraising target and welcomed a staggering 800 guests to their event.
TOP TIP
“It’s really important for you to know your community and cater for their needs. Demographics change over time and what your community wants also changes. Ensuring you understand those changes is essential to running a successful fundraiser. You need to meet your audience where they are with something they, specifically, will find valuable.”
“We have been using Givergy for several years and have always been happy with the service and support they provide. The platform is very user friendly and intuitive, and we are able to use it with ease internally and externally”
