Susan G. Komen 3-Day® participants reach their fundraising goals in dozens of different ways, but some of the most successful Komen 3-Day fundraisers are those folks who employ several different strategies to raise money. In general, it’s a good idea to mix up your fundraising approaches, and one of the most effective methods you can incorporate is holding a fundraising event.

Event = Just About Anything!
Think of a 3-Day® fundraising event as being any organized effort to get people together and collect donations. These events range from simple (a wine and cheese night in your home or a casual backyard “Boob-B-Q”), to more elaborate (a Bowl-a-thon or live music show), to downright extravagant (a fashion show or benefit play). The more work you put in to organizing a fundraising event, the more money you’re likely to get out of it, but any size event can be tremendously successful if you follow a few basic guidelines.

Philadelphia team Breastasaurus Rex has held an adorable and very successful “Pretty in Pink” beauty pageant fundraiser for several years                     

Don’t Apologize for Fundraising 
When you publicize your event and invite friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors, make it very clear that your intent is to raise money. Don’t hide it and don’t apologize for it. Put the expectation in your guests’ minds that they will be giving to your fundraising efforts, and then…

Make it Worth Their While
As charitable as your friends and family members may be, and as much as they want to support you out of the goodness of their hearts, the truth is, some will probably be more inclined to give (or to give more) if they get a little something back. Holding a fundraising event accomplishes both goals: it gets donations for you and it gives your donors a fun, memorable experience. And it’s okay if you attract folks who are more excited about the party than the cause—whatever gets them in the door! The more elaborate or unusual the event it, the more that “can’t miss” factor increases. Yes, big and bold events will take more work on your part, but we’ve known such events to yield $10,000 to 20,000 in a single night.

Get Stuff, Give Stuff
The less you have to spend out of pocket on venue, food or beverages, the more you’ll be able to return to your fundraising efforts. Go around to local businesses, call in favors and get stuff donated for your fundraiser. Many vendors will offer discounted or free goods and services in exchange for free advertising at your event, so don’t be afraid to ask.You can even sweeten the deal by agreeing to put their name/logo on a shirt you wear on the 3-Day itself. The same goes for small donated items that you can give as party favors or bigger donations that you can raffle or auction off at your event. If your guests have the chance to walk away with some fun swag, they’ll be more likely to open their wallets generously.

Team Up!
If you are part of a 3-Day team, fundraising events are a great way for the whole team to get involved. When you can divide up the to-do’s of organizing and executing a fabulous party, it makes the job easier for everyone (one person secures a venue, another arranges entertainment, a few others are tasked with getting raffle prizes donates…). And think about it: if you have 50 people you would invite to a fundraiser, that’s 50 possible donors. But if you and 4 teammates each invite 50 people, suddenly you have 250 potential donors (and a lot more excitement at your event!).

These are just a few tasty tidbits to get your wheels turning about a fundraising event. You can find out lots more by clicking here, or you can call the coaches at 800-996-3DAY.