Common Mistake: How big is your fundraising cake?

A common mistake most people planning a charity fundraiser make is not understanding the need and definite positive impact a professional fundraiser will have on the amount of money they raise.

In fact, commonly, they will think to themselves or friends/family will say “Why would we pay that?  We don’t want to give them a portion of what we make” as if they are talking about a cake.  They believe that if they plan and host their own fundraiser, it will be the same size and make just as much as if they had professional help.  Think of it as if they are talking about a cake.  They believe that they will be have to give a section of their cake away.

However, what they fail to realize is how big is the cake they are believing they have?  Without the help of a professional fundraiser or auctioneer, their cake is small like a tiny cupcake.  They believe they will have to give a section of that away.  That then will leave less for them.

But in reality, when they hire or have the assistance of a professional fundraiser or auctioneer, the cake grows dramatically.  So much so that the original cake or cupcake is merely a crumb in comparison.  With the growth of the cake or the amount of fundraising dollars, paying the professional fundraiser makes sense because the goal is to raise as much money as possible.

The mistake they commonly forget is that they are living a full-time life, with a full time job, with a full time family and full time commitments – then they are asked to be fundraisers without a clue how to truly fundraise.

The time commitment alone is daunting then getting everything together will exhaust anyone.  Plus locating the correct venue to host it in is vitally important as well.  Are you prepared to work full time in order to be successful?  If not, why are you doing it then? 

Of course, anyone can fundraise just like anyone can dance – but thinking the way that these potential fundraisers do…are they Prima Ballerinas?  No not at all.  They don’t realize successful fundraising is extremely strategic, deals with psychology coupled with event planning.  A professional fundraiser or charity auctioneer must keep track of fundraising trends and techniques which are changing rapidly.  They must understand the flow of the venue they are hosting their event in.  Where and how to set up the event in order to be effective. 

This has happened to us on many occasions – people will attend one of our events while videoing our Live and Silent Auction along with the raffles.  True, anyone can put items out on a table and sell them.  But do they understand why those items are there as opposed to somewhere else?  Why are they set up that way, what is the goal of the fundraising platform they are set up in or at.  There are hundreds of small fundraising cogs moving in perfect harmony to make the final event a success.

So the next time you think “Why would I want to give him or her a piece of our fundraising cake” ask yourself… “How big is your cake” – is it a cupcake or a massive sheet cake?

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a North American charity fundraising leader in a convenient “One Stop Shop” setting.  We specialize in making our clients lives easier by planning it, managing their committees and hosting an event like no one has ever seen before that will raise more money than they could ever expect.  Contact us today at 443.206.6121.