Event Planning Fundraising Master Checklist
If you’re able to, begin planning your campaign as early as possible. This will give you plenty of time and allow you to take small actions throughout the year to design a truly creative campaign. Even if you can’t plan your event all year, you can still have a very successful campaign.
We put together this comprehensive checklist of easy, high-impact actions that save you time and make event planning less stressful.
1. Start Your Campaign the Smart Way
To begin your next fundraising cycle, focus on follow-through from your previous campaign. Start with an internal meeting to review performance, gather feedback, and align on new goals and creative direction.
2. Secure Sponsorships Early
Strong sponsorships can significantly amplify your fundraising efforts. Build a “menu” of sponsorship levels, benefits, and visibility opportunities.
Build a Sponsorship Pipeline
Cold outreach prospects: local businesses, community leaders, entrepreneurs
Warm leads: staff connections, board referrals, donor networks
Public directory lists:
U.S. Small Business Administration local listings
Provide each sponsor with clarity on return on impact—visibility, branding, community value, and alignment with your cause.
3. Learn From Last Year’s Campaign
Invite team members and stakeholders to a retrospective meeting.
Review:
What worked
What fell short
Donor engagement data
Timeline, messaging, content, and user experience
Sponsor engagement and conversion patterns
Then:
Thank supporters from last year
Share impact stories
Request feedback or testimonials
(Optional) Ask for interviews to gather insights
4. Begin Internal Planning
Now shift your focus to the upcoming fundraising cycle.
Decide on:
New goal (or reconfirm the previous year’s)
Campaign budget
A master planning document
Team-level brainstorming
Guiding questions:
How can we stand out from similar nonprofits?
Does our branding need a refresh?
Is the donation process smooth and user-friendly?
What stories or visuals will motivate giving?
5. Execute Your Fundraising Plan
Now move from strategy to execution.
Define Your Campaign Narrative
Your narrative is the emotional backbone of your entire event. Clarify:
What story you are telling
What problem your organization solves
Who benefits from your campaign
Why this moment matters
Begin gathering campaign assets:
Images (real beneficiaries whenever possible)
Videos
Testimonials
Brand-aligned graphics
Impact statistics
Use resources like:
U.S. Census Bureau (impact statistics) — https://www.census.gov
National Institutes of Health data — https://www.nih.gov
Develop Your Communications Strategy
How will you reach your donors?
Social Media Strategy:
Identify your primary platforms, the tone of communication, posting calendar, and key creative assets.
Email Strategy:
Segment supporters and stakeholders, plan your email schedule, and prepare templates and content.
Push Messaging Strategy:
Consider adding push notifications to send urgent reminders, deadline alerts, and new matching opportunities
Push messages are especially useful during:
Early campaign announcements
Match periods
24–48 hour countdowns
Day-of engagement
Build Your Fundraising Web Page
Create a fresh campaign or duplicate last year’s structure.
Prepare:
Campaign name
Fundraising goal
Featured images/videos
Organization logo
Button copy
“About” section
Impact messaging
Before launch, test:
Links
Forms
Email flows
Social previews
Mobile experience
6. Launch Your Fundraising Plan
You’ll roll out your soft launch and hard launch in this stage.
Soft Launch
Share early access with:
Top donors
Repeat donors
Volunteer champions
Board and staff
Include asks like:
Donate early
Share with close networks
Save the official launch date
Draft Your Social Media Content
Refine your creative assets and schedule platform-specific posts.
Pre-schedule posts like:
Launch announcements
Morning kickoff messages
Impact stories
Supporter highlights
Hard Launch
Now your campaign goes fully public.
Notify your entire community with:
Fundraising goal
Impact story
Match offers
Sponsor recognition
Clear donation instructions
7. After Your Fundraising Campaign Launch
Now the focus is on gratitude and transition into long-term support.
Actions:
Thank donors immediately
Share results once finalized
Celebrate internally
Provide impact stories
Ask supporters to recommit for year-round giving