Messaging Your Events
Whenever you host a special event for your organization, you have a captive audience for a few hours during which you can share whatever message you want. Developing that message becomes a critically important step in planning the event, yet one that most organizations seem to overlook or gloss over as they focus more on the food, napkins, and layout of the room. At best, this becomes a missed opportunity; at worst, your risk alienating your audience and current donors.
So how can you best leverage your event to communicate the right messages?
1. Determine the event’s purpose. Your event should have a purpose. Sounds simple, but I have sat in event planning meetings where people get so stoked about the event itself, that they cannot answer the question “why are we doing this event?” Clearly defining that purpose upfront will allow you to develop every other aspect of the event around it. Are you asking for money? Thanking donors? Celebrating an important organizational milestone? As you initially start to think about the event, make sure that a discussion of its purpose leads the agenda, before the date, place, and guest list.
2. Every other detail should emanate from the purpose. Every aspect of the event communicates something, and you want that message to feed back to the event’s stated purpose. An evening, formal event communicates something very different than a Tuesday afternoon with cookies and coffee. Which is better? Depends on your purpose and what you want to communicate to attendees. And a formal dinner should have formal invitations, a more formal layout and set up, and its purpose should require that level of formality. When you look at the event in its totality in this way, attendees will more likely understand its purpose and internalize your message, even subconsciously.
3. Your words should reinforce the purpose. If your event asks for money, focus your message on the program or programs that the event will support – and not every aspect of that program or all the other great programs of your organization. And ask for money! Sounds simple enough, but I have attended fundraising events where they never talk about their need for money! I attended one recently (and I think that was the purpose, I’m not sure) where the speaker very eloquently talked about the great things the organization does, how it changes lives, and how donors make that happen. I kept waiting for the ask. When it never came, I wondered if maybe I’d get a follow up phone call asking me to make a gift and that this event served as the warm up or cultivation for a larger gift – another good purpose for an event. Three months later and I’m still waiting; any passion, interest, or good feelings I had about the organization and the event, long gone.
4. Stay on message. Too often at events I see people want to cram everything possible into their comments. Afterall, you have a captive audience; let’s tell them everything they need to know about our organization. However, when you say too much, people hear nothing. The event I just mentioned tried to do too much so it did nothing. When I left, I didn’t know if I should feel thanked, cultivated for a future ask, or solicited for a gift. (And the invitation offered no clues either … that’s when the messaging should have started.)
5. Reinforce that message with follow up communication. First of all, have follow up communication with your event attendees to thank them for coming or to tell them how much you missed them and what a great time they missed! Second, in that message, reinforce the purpose for the event and the central theme of your comments. People need to hear a message 7 times for it to register so do not assume that just because you said it at the event (while they ate, drank, and socialized with their friends) that they really heard you. What key takeaways do you want them to take from the event? What action do you want them to take? Your follow up communication should clearly and succinctly lay these out. Precious few organizations send follow ups after the event so you will stick out in their mind just with this simple step.
My examples throughout this post have focused on more of a formal, sit-down event, but the same holds true if you have an activity as your event, say a golf outing, trivia night, or race. In fact, it becomes even more important to carefully message these types of activities because people tend to attend more because they like the event rather than wanting to connect with your organization or cause. That means you have to get more creative to message at these events, but you can do it. Do a kickoff or wrap up gathering where your key speakers can briefly talk about your organization and what participants will support. Think about having signs at the tee boxes or along the racecourse with important facts about your organization or what the event will support. Have a category about your organization or mission during a trivia night. Station the beneficiaries of your organization throughout the golf course, along racecourse, or among the trivia tables to talk to participants during the event. The “how” may not come in a formal speech, but you can certainly achieve the same outcomes with a little creativity. And your attendees will remember you for it!
In what ways have you creatively messaged at your events? What have you seen other organizations do that you either liked or did not like?