Tapping into basic human psychology is the key to a successful fundraising gala finale. 🎉
Your typical order of events includes great F&B, engaging entertainment, impactful stories, then a tear-jerker/heart-strings moment, followed by the infamous live auction with a final call for on-the-spot sponsorships and donations. 💲
But despite all of your planning and strategy, an auctioneer who's rambling to a 🦗cricket-filled🦗 banquet hall can make for a truly awkward moment.
To ensure that those generosity juices flow, have leadership personally invite your biggest donors to the event ahead of time, asking them to make their usual annual donation onsite during the event. It's human nature to follow the pack and the frenzy of meaningful charitable gifting will spread through the ballroom like wildfire. You'll have paddles in the air all night long! 🏓
And don't feel guilty about this tactic. Charitable peer pressure is the BEST form of peer pressure. 😉
