8 Essential Members of Your Fundraising Event Team

Fundraising takes many forms nowadays, from soliciting online donations to hosting peer-to-peer campaigns. However, nothing can truly replace the energy and impact of a well-organized event. The groundwork for a successful event is laid well before event day, and it all starts with recruiting the right fundraising team members.

For an impactful, goal-shattering event, you need a stellar, passionate team that works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly. Let’s walk through who you need on your fundraising event team.

1. Event Chair

The event chair is like your team leader. They oversee the entire event and ensure everything runs smoothly and on schedule.

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of an event chair include:

• Setting clear goals and timelines for the event.
• Developing a comprehensive event plan.
• Managing and coordinating with all other team members.
• Serving as the point of contact for other nonprofit executives and essential stakeholders.
• Evaluating the event’s successes and challenges after it has concluded.

Best Fit for Role

The best event chairs have the following traits:

• Strong leadership, organization, and communication skills.
• Prior experience managing a team and delegating tasks.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities.
• Previous experience hosting or staffing fundraising events.
• A passion for your nonprofit’s cause and investment in the event’s success.

2. Finance Manager

Your fundraising event team’s finance manager controls all financial matters, including creating and managing the event budget. For example, they’re who you go to if you want to know if you have the funds to allocate to revenue enhancers or additional fundraising activities.

Responsibilities

Some of the key responsibilities of finance managers include:

• Allocating funds to specific event areas, such as logistics, marketing, and more.
• Identifying opportunities to reduce costs without compromising event quality.
• Approving significant expenses and making key financial decisions related to the event.
• Tracking expenses to ensure the event stays within budget.
• Processing payments to vendors and other service providers.
• Keeping accurate records of all income sources.
• Handling post-event financial reporting.

Best Fit for Role

When looking for a finance manager, consider individuals with the following traits:

• Robust knowledge of budgeting, accounting, and nonprofit finances.
• Strong accounting and analytical skills.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Knowledge to track records for accurate record-keeping.
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills.

3. Fundraising Lead

The fundraising lead is the heart behind any fundraising event. Although the event chair may decide on the event idea, the fundraising lead takes that and makes the event as profitable as possible.

Responsibilities

Fundraising leads usually have the following responsibilities:

• Collaborating with the event chair to design fundraising activities to meet event goals.
• Developing and executing the event’s fundraising strategies.
• Identifying the most effective methods of raising funds for an event.
• Brainstorming additional revenue enhancers or fundraising activities to boost event profitability.
• Overseeing all event day fundraising activities to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Best Fit for Role

Usually, a successful fundraising lead has the following qualities:

• Creativity in designing fundraising activities and strategies.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple activities and timelines.
• Deep understanding of what inspires individuals to give to your nonprofit.
• Knowledge of popular and impactful fundraising strategies.

4. Program Coordinator

Not all parts of your fundraising event are about generating donations, and that’s where your program coordinator plays their part. This fundraising team member handles planning the finer details of the events and is most hands-on during the event itself.

They will also collaborate closely with the fundraising lead to incorporate additional revenue-generating activities. For example, if your nonprofit is hosting a walk-a-thon, these team members may work together and decide to take Funds2Orgs’ advice to boost giving by incorporating a shoe drive fundraiser.

Responsibilities

Here are some of the tasks a program coordinator may handle:

• Planning the event’s schedule and activities and ensuring it aligns with event goals and audience expectations.
• Working with other team members to incorporate key event elements, such as fundraising strategies.
• Identifying and securing vendors, service providers, speakers, performers, and other special guests for the event.
• Managing the logistics of entertainment to ensure an excellent experience for attendees.
• Addressing any issues or complications that arise relating to programming during the event.

Best Fit for Role

Look for these qualities in potential program coordinators:

• Strong communication skills.
• Event planning experience.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities at once on a tight timeline.
• Connections to event entertainment, vendors, speakers, and other potential special guests.

5. Sponsorships Manager

Sponsorships are a great way to acquire funding for your event, whether you’re looking for a financial boost to its budget or a large contribution to help you reach your fundraising goals. Your fundraising team’s sponsorship manager will handle all tasks related to sourcing sponsorships and maintaining relationships with sponsors.

Responsibilities

When on your fundraising event team, a sponsorship manager will usually handle these tasks:

• Identifying individuals and organizations who would be interested in sponsoring your event.
• Developing sponsorship packages with perks that will appeal to potential sponsors.
• Creating sponsorship proposals and pitching them to potential sponsors.
• Negotiating details of sponsorship agreements.
• Ensuring that sponsors receive agreed-upon perks.

Best Fit for Role

The best sponsorship managers usually have the following traits:

• Excellent research and organizational abilities
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and negotiation skills
• Highly adaptable and able to solve problems
• Connections to potential sponsors (for example, your nonprofit’s board members may have previous relationships with business owners that will increase your chances of securing sponsorship from them)

6. Volunteer Coordinator

All types of events benefit from volunteers, who can perform critical tasks that the organization’s staff members can’t get to. A volunteer coordinator ensures that all volunteers know what they’re doing and handles all volunteer management tasks, helping the event run smoothly.

Responsibilities

Volunteer coordinators will be responsible to:

• Create volunteer job descriptions for all roles that must be filled for the event.
• Recruit volunteers through various channels.
• Develop volunteer onboarding and training materials.
• Establish a volunteer schedule for the event day so that all tasks are covered at any given time.
• Stay in contact with volunteers on event day to troubleshoot any issues that arise.
• Thank volunteers for their time and effort after the event is over.

Best Fit for Role

A great volunteer coordinator has the following characteristics:

• Excellent management and communication skills.
• Ability to inspire and motivate volunteers to perform to the best of their abilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.

7. Marketing Lead

Your fundraising event team’s marketing lead ensures your audience knows about your event, helping you boost registrations and RSVPs. This team member handles all promotional and communication tasks to increase your event’s turnout and fundraising results.

Responsibilities

A marketing lead’s key responsibilities include:

• Generating target audience personas for more effective marketing messages.
• Developing cohesive branding for the event that matches your nonprofit’s branding.
• Creating marketing materials, such as email newsletters, social media posts, and flyers, to spread awareness of the event.
• Collaborating with media entities to boost event visibility.
• Sending out recognition messages thanking attendees, donors, and sponsors for their contributions.

Best Fit for Role

Look for individuals with these qualities to serve as your fundraising event team’s marketing lead:

• Highly creative and able to design engaging marketing campaigns and materials.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Deep knowledge of different marketing channels and the best content for each.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing tools and strategies.

8. Technology Specialist

Nowadays, many people turn to technology and digital tools to increase engagement during their events. For example, nonprofits hosting auctions may use mobile bidding tools to make the process more convenient for attendees. Some organizations may even invest in comprehensive event management software (such as the ones listed in EventMobi’s guide) to help them streamline event tasks.

Regardless of what tools your organization purchases for your fundraising event, you need a specialist on your team to ensure that any technology is running correctly.

Responsibilities

A technology specialist is responsible for:

• Implementing new technology for your fundraising event.
• Troubleshooting any issues staff members or attendees may have.
• Overseeing any integrations between existing software and new event software.
• Coordinating and setting up audio-visual equipment for event day.
• Setting up any live streaming or virtual elements of your event.

Best Fit for Role

A qualified technology specialist candidate will have:

• Technical expertise in various fundraising and event software solutions.
• Adaptability, especially in learning and working with tools they haven’t used.
• Strong problem-solving skills to address any technical issues.

And there you have it—the eight essential members of your organization’s fundraising event team. You can recruit them from current staff members, board members, and volunteers. As long as they have the required skills and characteristics and a passion for your nonprofit’s cause, they’re sure to help you exceed your fundraising goals!