The Agitator pays little attention to event fundraising.

Probably it’s because Tom and I are a bit past our prime marathon days. Additionally, for the fancier events we long ago exchanged our too-tight tuxedos for ‘relaxed fit’ jeans. Or truth be told, maybe it’s because we have absolutely no expertise in this area. Whatever the reason, we’re guilty of some degree of neglect on this subject.

So, I was fascinated by an Infographic sent along to us by Linda Parker at Maximillion,   the event creator firm in London and Edinburgh. (Although the firm is based in the UK the figures appear to be largely from the US.)

Titled Which Fundraising Event is Right for Your Organization, the Infographic, reproduced below, is jam-packed with fascinating factoids.

For example, according to Maximillion, did you know when it comes to Walk-A-Thons and Bike-A-Thons that:

• 52% of the funds raised from these sorts of events go for organizing expenses.
• The lowest chunk of the expenses is for port-a-potties at 2% and this expense is tied for last place with online fees and commissions also at 2%.
• The highest expense item is for permits and security at 8%, followed by fences and barricades at 7%, with “Event T-shirts” a close third at 6%.
• Walk/run/bike event fundraisers who send more than 15 emails raise 76% more than non-email senders. [No mention is made of the results that come from sending just 5 or 10 emails instead of 15.]

For those Agitator aficionados of runs and ‘thons there are even trends as to the types and themes of runs:

• Adventure runs seem to be on a major uptick. In the past 5 years participation in these type of races is up 211%.
• 27% of the runner participated in “mud runs”, 26% in obstacle races, 21% in paint runs, 10% in night/glow runs and — Tom, you’ll love this — 4% in zombie runs. [Hey, just Google it if you want to know about zombie runs.]
• When it comes to enticing millennials you’re probably better off organizing a walk/run/cycling event, since 64% of this generation prefers those events for fundraising.

The Infographic also has a potpourri of non-event factoids that Tom and I are now considering sticking into the next edition of Agitator Trivial Pursuit:

• 64% of donations to charities are made by women.
• The average American supports 4.45 charities.
• Monthly donors give 42% more in one year, than one-time donors.
• For every 1,000 fundraising emails sent, a nonprofit raises $17.
• 10% of annual giving occurs on the last three days of the year.

Click here to get a full-sized version of the Infographic along with the sources Maximillion used for its resources.

Meanwhile, sleep tight tonight knowing that if your direct response fails, other organizations are making a go of it with sales of chocolate, peanuts, baked goods and gift cards totaling more than $2.2 billion.

What sort of event works for you? What sort of event do you think The Agitator should host?

Roger

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