Join the Race5 Proven Success Strategies of the Top Run Walk Ride Events

Jeff Shuck, President, Event 360 | Vinay Bhagat, Founder & CSO, Convio

Focus on the right metrics

R2 = 0.49 R2 = 0.94

Basic Special Events Math

100 people sign up

Each sends 15 email solicitationsSecure 150 gifts (5 each)

20 Fundraisers Return

10 Non Fundraisers Return

30 Fundraise

40 Just Participate

30 DoNothing

1. Recruit more effectively2. Use registration fees strategically3. Turn participants into fundraisers4. Help fundraisers be successful5. Focus on retention

Lessons from Successful Events

• Value quality first, then quantity• Examine your organizational bias towards attendance• You want participants who will fundraise

• Use what you already know• Target past participants who were fundraisers• Target team captains• Target active supporters on your site, social networks

• Promote family and team registration

1. Recruit More Effectively: People

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60

�1 �2 �3 �4 �5 �6 �7 �8 �9 �10More than 10

Org

aniz

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Event Fundraising Gifts Per Participant

A vast majority of groups yield just 1-2 gifts/participant

1. Recruit More Effectively: People

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

2008 Average Gifts Per Participant

• Maximize traffic to your registration pages• Search engine optimization and marketing• Mix of promotion points e.g. partner sites, viral marketing

• Marketing 101: Segment & Target• Understand the reason why people participate• Target your messages to those reasons

• Promote family and team registration• Inspirational content including video• Set the expectation that fundraising is of value

1. Recruit More Effectively: Content

Registration fees typically help an event prosper

• Cover or help defray the cost of the event

• Set expectation that commitment is required

• Help weed out participants not likely to fundraise

• Ensure higher physical attendance at the event

• Aid in participant to fundraiser conversion

2. Use Registration Fees Strategically

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

2005 2006 2007 2008

Average Amount Raised Online

Events With Registration FeesEvents Without Registration Fees

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

• Can slow participation growth

• NOT guarantee that participants will fundraise• It helps, but it is not a sure thing• Always try to convert participants to fundraisers

• When is it smart to forgo?• Virtual events• When your event is very small and your primary goal is

participation growth

Registration Fees Caveats

• Participation fees &/or fundraising minimums

• Email prompts to begin fundraising

• Make it really easy• Send an email that can be forwarded• Suggested content they can send out• URL shortcuts to their personal page• Integration to social networks• Automated address book uploads

3. Turn Participants Into Fundraisers

• Without a fundraising minimum, organizations see a heavy concentration of zero fundraisers and a very “long tail”

• 5% of participants raise 60% of revenue

Many People, Little Performance

Source: Event360 Analysis of organization raising ~$3m per year through events

• With a fundraising minimum, revenue per participant is much more concentrated

The Power Of A Fundraising Minimum

Source: Event360 Analysis of large national event program with minimum

• Gifts per fundraising participant is key metric

• Gift count correlated to solicitations sent

• Activity can be stimulated/enhanced:• Early registration• Progress bar• Coaching emails and scheduled messages• Competition, stories about other fundraisers• Milestone based incentives• Promote team fundraising

4. Maximize Fundraiser Effectiveness

0%20%40%60%80%

100%120%140%160%

Average Annual Gift Volume Growth

4th Quartile3rd Quartile2nd Quartile1st QuartileTotal Sample

Driving gift value is most critical

More Gifts Means Faster Growth

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

$0$50

$100$150$200$250$300$350$400$450

90 Days 60-90 Days 31-60 Days 0-30 Days

$375$425

$350

$225$185 $175 $185

$140

Average Dollars Raised Leading To 2004 Event

Avg $ Raised Per Fundraising Participant

Avg $ Raised Per Participant

The more time they have, the better they’ll do

Note: Data includes money raised from both donations and registration fees. Source: Participant Performance Report for one client using TeamRaiser TM

Email volume drives gift volume

Ask, And You Should Receive

Days Prior to 2004 Event

0

5000000

10000000

15000000

20000000

25000000

4th Quartile 3rd Quartile 2nd Quartile 1st Quartile Total Sample

Year Over Year Growth in Email Volume

2005200620072008

• Emails sent by participants is growing across groups• Top (4th) quartile growing groups see higher volumes

Participant Email Volume Key

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

4th Quartile 3rd Quartile 2nd Quartile 1st Quartile Total Sample

Percentage of Participant Center Emails Clicked Thru

2006

2007

2008

Quality Matters

Ask Nicely, And You Will Receive

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

• Fastest growing groups (4th quartile) are more common users of team based fundraising

Team Fundraising

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

4th Quartile 3rd Quartile 2nd Quartile 1st Quartile Total Sample

Average Team Gift Percentage Trend

2005200620072008

Source: Convio analysis of 171 clients using TeamRaiserTM

• Most churn 70-80% of participants

• Emphasis should be placed on renewing fundraisers, in particular top fundraisers

• Captains are a recruitment “channel”

• Best practices include:• Strong acknowledgement• Re-recruit early/ immediately• Year round email communications• Make it really easy to join again• Cross-program engagement

5. Focus On Retention

Segment Based Relationship PathwaysPledge, Petition

Cultivation Part 1 Cultivation Part 2,Soft Ask

Event Donors

Thank You Invite tore-participate Stewardship

1st Yr Participants

Thank You Once Again

Invite to Be Team Captain

Special Need Appeal

Repeat Participants

1. Recruit more effectively2. Use registration fees strategically3. Turn participants into fundraisers4. Help fundraisers be successful5. Focus on retention

Recap: Lessons from Successful Events

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