Raising With Lisa Clark's Podcast

Welcome to Season 3! Episode 54: Is A "Friendraiser" a Waste of Time? Is A Friendraiser a Waste of Time? Are you wasting time and money on “friendraisers” that barely generate any donors or volunteers? In this episode, we are going to chat about the goal and purpose of a friendraiser. What is a Friendraiser Let’s first define what a friendraiser is. It’s a non-ask event. No request for funding. It’s a way to educate guests on the great work your organization is doing but in a friendly way, a casual way. And what I am about to say is really important, there is no cost to attend a friendraiser. It’s free. However, while I’m suggesting to you that the event be casual in nature, they do serve a very important purpose for your organization. And there are specific reasons you want to host this type of event. Do you know what they are? Well, i got good news. I’m going to tell you. There are 6 reasons you need to be hosting several “friendraisers” throughout the year. But first let’s talk about what a “friend

Episode 53: Why Your Fundraising Event ISN’T Generating 6-Figures! Year after year, you recruit volunteers, plan the party, rent the venue, send the invites, but for some reason you only seem to break even or come slightly under that goal of hosting a 6-figure fundraising event. What went wrong? Where did you fall short? Like me, many of you are members of fundraising groups on Facebook. I think I’m a member of 5 or 6 for sure. And, I’ve noticed a theme in the kinds of questions being posted to the groups in regards to fundraising. This prompted me to create this episode to help YOU hear first hand what it takes to host a 6-figure event. PREVIEW If your new to hosting events be sure to check out my FREE mini checklist on how to create a pipeline of new donors for your next big fundraising event. I give you some ideas on where to host mini events. If you haven’t already grabbed it, the link will be provided below. SIMPLE BUT NOT EASY If I know you! I know you did everything I just mentioned and likely yo

The #1 Thing I Did to Reach Our Annual $5.2M Budget! You did ALL THE THINGS that you do annually to reach your revenue goals but somehow fell short of reaching your annual budget. For some reason all those ideas that were buzzing around in your head at the beginning of the fiscal year that you wrote into a high-level strategic fundraising plan didn’t work! Why? Strategic plans are fabulous. They’re a great way to put all those fundraising ideas down on paper. And, let me guess, you likely did more than just write-up a plan. You likely met with your ED to go over ideas and got his/her approval on moving forward with your ideas. And the board likely approved the ideas, too! If you designed this high-level strategic fundraising plan right, it probably included the following: Securing Grants Securing Individual funding such as annual gifts and major gifts Hosting a new fundraising event Participating in the annual online giving campaign of some sort ALL THE THINGS! They were there on paper ready to be…….

Episode #51 The Weirdest but Coolest Fundraising Event I ever planned! What I’m about to share with you on today’s episode is NOT about ANOTHER GALA ( insert eyeroll ) Let’s face it, trying to come up with a cool and unique fundraiser to help your nonprofit raise funds can be challenging. And if you’re like me and you’ve been in this game for a while, you’ve likely hosted or at least attended a big Gala, or a casino night or golf tournament. Am I right! You and I probably agree that there’s nothing wrong with these types of fundraising events. Done well, they can be quite fruitful. But, when I decided to add a second fundraising event to our annual fundraising goals, planning the "go to" gala or casino night didn’t feel quite right. So, what type of event did I come up that was weird and cool and different? Hold UP! I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU Before I dive into the weirdest fundraising event I ever hosted, I have a gift for you. If you’re trying to build up that pipeline for new donors, I have a free guide

Episode 49: Help, My Board Won’t Fundraise for Our Annual Event! Raise your hand if this is a problem in your nonprofit: Your Board doesn’t invite guests to the annual fundraising event, and they don’t fill a table. They don’t contribute to the auction by donating an auction item or purchasing an auction item. Worst yet, you schedule all of these fundraising event planning meetings, and they don’t even come! They simply don’t do their part to help your nonprofit succeed. Does this sound like any of you? Does this resonate with you? If this is you, let’s hear it. Now, I’m going to help you figure out what to do next.

Nobody is buying tickets to your fundraising event! Why?? Tune in to learn why no one is showing up and what you can do to turn that around!

What Comes Before The Ask? Tune in to learn about the 4Rs of the cultivation cycle and how much time you should be spending on each R!

Creating a Story Bank! Ever wondered how to capture stories and images of all the great work your organization is doing? Then check out this episode on how to create a story bank for your organization!

There is tons of information out there in the vastness of the internet. There is so much free content out there that can really be helpful to get you started. But that’s the thing. It’s there to get you started. If you’re someone that is constantly consuming free content, you might just be addicted to the free swag. The free swag will only get you so far my friends. It’s time to think about if it’s time to invest in yourself and your organization! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 What Is Swag? We’ve all received some sort of swag. From little stress balls, cooling packs, to pens, we’ve all gotten litt

 We started planning this back in September so it’s been a massive undertaking for everyone involved. This particular event went towards remodeling and making homes safe in the San Francisco Bay area. This includes changing out plumbing, re-roofing the home, fixing the electrical or whatever might be necessary. This is an organization that has been around for 30 years, and this particular event has been hosted by the Stanford Shopping Center for 17 years. Needless to say, there are many key takeaways you can incorporate into your events to make them successful like ours was! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672

I’ve worked with a number of nonprofits raise money through fundraising events, but I also coach nonprofits to help them level up their fundraising game. I wanted to sit down with you all and go over why someone would want to give to your organization. There are strategies that you can use to help you connect with your donors in a real way. I’ve got nine things to go over to help you understand the behavior of your donors. But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 Consider your Audience Before I get into the different tactics you can use, I want to remind you to consider who it is that is donating to you. Peop

In my opinion, raffles can be kind of boring. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the raffle items that I’ve seen donated over the years or the funds they helped to bring. I genuinely do. I just know that there are definitely ways to make raffles more fun, more inviting, and more exciting! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 It’s Been The Same Since the 90’s... Back in the day, the organization I worked with hosted a raffle. We sent out letters to every restaurant and merchant in the community. Everyone got a letter! What ended up happening is we got tons of gift certificates to put up for raffle,

There’s a school of thought that says that you can never have enough event production timelines. Each aspect of an event will have its own production timeline in place. In my opinion, it isn’t necessary. In my experience, keeping it simple while having every one informed in the way to go. So let me share my advice to help you create the best possible event production you can for your fundraising events! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 Committee Timelines Each team should have their own event production timeline made in order to map out their responsibilities. Especially if they have tasks that have n

I’ve been running events for years, and like anyone that’s done anything for a long time, I’ve learned a lot of things during this time. These are just some of the things that can be daunting when planning your first event. Trying to determine how much of beverages you need to purchase, thinking of how people are eating at your event, the time weath, etc. It’s a lot to think about and I hope this episode gives you a nice guide to determining these things! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away!   Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 How Much Beer, Wine, and Liquor Do I Need? This is something that boggles the minds of a lot of people, but havin

So, you have the auction all planned. You’ve followed the steps in my last blog post “The Live Auction Blueprint” and now you’re just worried about getting people in the door. Now, this isn’t going to be a quick process. You’re going to want to start marketing you advance around six months in advance, but I promise you’ll see that it’s worth it when you have tons of people attending your fundraising event. But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away!   Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584   Save the Date You want to get it out there on your social media, email, in-person, and any other platform you can think of, the date of your event. Whether it’s

Auctions are an amazing way to get money for your organization! But how do you go about beginning the process of planning it? How do you optimize your auction to meet and exceed your goals for your fundraising event? In this episode, I give you a breakdown on how I’ve prepped and set up auctions to get the best possible bids on auction items! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 Want even more details on how to grow your following? Then sign up for my training! This is a three-part video series that will go over how to help you make your website, optimize your Facebook, and so much more. Let’s walk throug

Through the years I have learned that many organizations don’t have many expectations for fundraisers at an event. But I can't tell you that you’re leaving money on the table by not having a strategy on site at an event. All of you can play a part in the day of your event that allows you to do what I talked back in Episode 36 before the event, during the event, and after the event strategies. However, I want to go more in depth in the different tasks that you can do during an auction to get more money for your nonprofit organization. But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 Want even more details on how to gr

I know many of you in here are founders or director’s of development and have a small staff. This isn’t the stuff you want to be done, but I promise if you start now that you are a young nonprofit you will be so happy! 10 years from now you’ll be thanking yourself! You might be the one to do this marketing stuff now, and I know it’s a lot, but one day you’ll be able to have a social media team or marketing team to do all this stuff. I just want to help you map out a simple marketing plan to help you gain an audience starting now! But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11214... --- Want to learn more? Be sure to check out m

You’ve worked hard on your event and it’s finally come to fruition. The tables are set! The music is going and your guests have had an amazing time! The efforts of your team are appreciated and everyone feels fulfilled knowing the work they did creating a fantastic fundraising event. While I want you to feel proud of your event, the work doesn’t stop there. This week I when over what should be happening after your event to keep your donors attention!   But Who Am I?   Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11214... --- Want to learn more? Be sure to check out my blog! https://www.raisingwithlisaclark.com/... Don't forget to connect with

When you think about the venue, decorations, food, and so many other aspects of an event it can become overwhelming. On top of that, you have to plan everything else. If you’re feeling lost in the shuffle, I hope you sit down and let me, help you focus in on how your dollars should be spent. But Who Am I? Hi! I'm Lisa Clark and I help nonprofits and fundraisers like YOU raise money through events so you can meet your annual revenue goals! I'm also the host of a free Facebook Group, Raising with Lisa Clark, a free group for fundraisers, NPOs, development team members, volunteers, and supporters. I included a link below so you can request to join right away! Link to Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112148672944584 --- Want to learn more? Be sure to check out my blog! https://www.raisingwithlisaclark.com/blog There's also access to the free downloadable there too! Also, here’s my FREE Checklist on How to Create A Pipeline of New Donors for Your Next Big Fundraiser? Click the link to get the i