Dates to Plan your Fundraising Around in 2022

Dates to plan your fundraising around in 2022 banner

Funds are flooding forward. Americans donated more than $427 billion to non-profit organizations in 2018. Yet this money did not come at once. Some days saw higher donations than others. If you are planning on fundraising in 2022, you have to be mindful of when people will donate.

What are occasions that you should never run a fundraising event on? What are local or religious occasions you should avoid? How can you take advantage of certain holidays without running events on the same dates? Answer these questions and you can become a master at  planning your fundraising in 2022!

New Year's Day

January 1st may seem like a good time to run virtual fundraising events. Many organizers like to “ring in the New Year” with galas and fundraisers. This is exactly why you should not hold a fundraising event on New Year’s Day in 2022. It is hard to stand out in the crowd, even if you are fundraising online.

Even if there are only a few fundraising events near you, many people are celebrating the holiday and cannot attend your event. If January 1st falls on a weekend, you should not run an event on the same weekend at all. Consider doing a start-of-the-year drive that covers the entire month of January instead. You can run a few small fundraising events throughout the month instead of one big one on January 1st.

The Grammys

The Grammys will take place on January 31st in 2022. Though it is not as big of an event as New Year’s Day, it still takes up a lot of attention. This makes it hard to run a fundraising event, regardless of the cause you promote.

January 31st also falls on a Monday in 2022. Many people spend their Mondays preparing for the workweek, and they do not want to attend charity fundraising events. Try to avoid scheduling your fundraising in 2022 on Mondays or Tuesdays. Fridays and Saturdays tend to be ideal days, though you can schedule events for weekdays if weekends are packed with events.

The Oscars

The Oscars will take place on March 27th in 2022. Pre-shows for the Oscars run for hours, so viewers may be unavailable for the evening of the 27th.

If you run a nonprofit that helps filmmakers, you may be able to take advantage of the Oscars. Hosting a screening party and inviting an Oscar nominee to speak are two unique fundraising ideas. But you may want to schedule your Oscar-related fundraiser for a different day so your attendees can give your fundraiser their full attention.

Easter Sunday

Easter takes place on April 17th in 2022. Those who celebrate Easter will likely spend the day with their families, in church, or performing religious ceremonies and are unlikely to attend fundraisers. While religious groups may find success fundraising in 2022 before or after Easter—giving food to the hungry and building homes for the homeless are good works that associate with the holiday well—fundraising events should not be held on Easter Sunday itself.

Consider also that Passover week begins at sunset on April 15th and ends at sunset on April 23rd in 2022. If your nonprofit serves a geographic area with a high Jewish population, you should avoid fundraising in 2022 during Passover week.

It is generally a good idea to avoid holding fundraisers on any religious holidays. Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu holidays are also dates you should research when planning your fundraisers.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th falls on May 13 in 2022. Most people regard the date with suspicion, believing actions they take on that day will lead them to bad luck. You should avoid planning any nonprofit fundraising on that Friday.

Independence Day

Independence Day is July 4th. It is a federal holiday, with nearly all businesses closed for the day. Most people like to spend time with their family and friends. You should not plan to run any fundraising events on that day. Veterans organizations could sponsor firework shows and other occasions to build their name recognition, but they should not ask for donations.

Election Day

Election Day in 2022 falls on Tuesday, November 8th. It is a midterm election day, so all seats in the House of Representatives will be contested. One-third of Senate seats will also be contested, along with many gubernatorial and local seats. Your local area may have one or more primary days. Visit the National Conference of State Legislatures website to check when your state primary days are.

Primary days and Election Day eat up a significant amount of attention. A lot of people that may otherwise donate to your cause may be planning to give donations to political candidates and parties. Wait for a different day to fundraise in 2022.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 24th in 2022. It is a federal holiday that nearly everyone in America celebrates. Many families make a four-day weekend out of Thanksgiving, taking the Friday after Thanksgiving off from work to spend with their families. They will not be able to attend events you hold, so plan not to schedule any fundraising events for that weekend.

Around this same time of year, GivingTuesday takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which will be November 29th in 2022. You should prepare your nonprofit for GivingTuesday and then plan to spin your GivingTuesday campaign off into a year-end drive. This is a great way to cap off your fundraising in 2022.

Christmas

Christmas is another extremely popular holiday. December 25th is a federal holiday, and many nonprofits close their doors for the day. December 24th is another day that many Americans take off to be with their families. Some will attend church services or throw parties. Try to avoid running any fundraising events on December 24th and 25th.

Local Events

Be sure to be mindful of popular local events when you plan for fundraising in 2022. Football games and school vacation weeks can take up a lot of attention, especially in suburban areas with a lot of families. Try to research when people may be out of town or busy, then schedule your fundraisers for other dates.

The Worst Days for Fundraising in 2022

To sum up, there are definitely days you must plan around when fundraising in 2022. Don’t plan to hold a fundraising event on major holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Try to avoid religious holidays as well—Easter and Passover are two examples—as they typically take up a lot of people’s time. Be mindful of local and regional events, such as football games and election dates. And, don’t forget, many people may be busy watching award ceremonies on certain nights, like the Oscars and Grammys.

Use Auction Frogs for your next Online Auction

Our platform is feature-rich, simple to use, and yields great results. It allows for an unlimited number of item and image uploads, plus it can be customized to reflect your brand identity. And, with a mobile-friendly user experience, bidders can participate on any smart device.

So, get in touch today to see how we can help make your next virtual fundraiser a successful one!

5 Ideas for Live Auction Items

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What are good live auction items to be considered, and why does a benefit auctioneer work the best at events?

Our clients often ask us, “What items should I have at my live auction?!” With so many options, it can be hard to know where to start, and even more difficult to know what your audience is looking for. To make the planning process a bit easier, we’ve put together five ideas to get you started on the right path. We’ll also discuss the value of having a Benefit Auctioneer at your event, and how these individuals influence the bidding process.

  1. Identify Your Audience – For success at your live auction, you must know your audience. Begin brainstorming items to offer by creating a profile of your average supporter. Consider their lifestyle: Do they have families? What kind of jobs do they hold? Do you have more male or female supporters? What do they do in their downtime? What are their hobbies? A high-end auction will not be as successful if you are giving your guests low-end items. On the other hand, a public school auction may not do well if you are auctioning off trips to the wine country that might be out of your bidders’ budgets. Knowing your audience allows you to plan for success. Figure out what they want and find a way to deliver.
  2. Create Your Item Roadmap – Now that you’ve identified your audience, make a roadmap of items you predict will be most successful at your auction. This is where a wrap-up meeting after your events can come in handy. After every auction you hold, make a summary of the items that went fastest and those that took more “selling.” If there were items that didn’t get any attention, make sure you avoid those and similar items for future events. If this is your first event or your first year acting as an organizer and you are unsure of the outcome of previous auctions, it may be helpful to speak with past committees or a few of your supporters you have good relationships with. They can help point you in the right direction.
  3. Offer Unique and Cause-specific Items – One of the most successful items that we see for smaller auctions, such as schools or small nonprofits, are items specific to the cause. We have often witnessed “Once-in-a-lifetime” experiences going for the most money. For school fundraisers, you may auction passes for “Principal for a Day” or the prime parking spot right in front of the school. These are items that cost you nothing and are ONLY available at your fundraising event.
  4. Leverage Your Locale – The next most successful items are those connected to popular spots in your city. For example, Auction Frogs is based in Boise and many of the events we support are centered here, as well. That means that the guests at our local charity events are very interested in Boise items, such as Boise State University Football packages, staycation/date nights in downtown Boise, or nearby adventures in our beautiful outdoors.
  5. Give Them An Experience – For larger auctions with elite attendees, we often find that trips are hot ticket items. Vacation packages perform amazingly well because the bidder is often getting a great deal on a getaway while supporting their favorite cause. It’s a win-win situation! While trips are hard to solicit, we do have resources to help. (Ask us how you can utilize our consignment partners, Winspire.)

Keep in mind that these items only perform well if they are being auctioned off properly. This is where skilled and experienced Benefit Auctioneers can make all the difference in the success of your auction. These professionals know your crowd and how to work the room to get bids moving out of pure experience and enticement. Benefit Auctioneers are perhaps the single best investment to ensure the success of your fundraising event. Not only do they add an element of fun and entertainment to your live auction, but they are especially talented at reading your audience, encouraging bids, and increasing your revenue.

If you have any questions about items specific to your auction or need a good recommendation for a Benefit Auctioneer, please reach out. Our team is always willing to chat via phone at 208-321-5515 or email to [email protected].

 

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An Effective Fundraising Committee ensures Event Success

When planning and hosting a fundraising event, there are many decisions to be made and tasks to complete. While it is possible to plan an event single-handedly, it certainly is not ideal. Events are most successful when coordinated by a fundraising committee. An effective committee takes the stress off the individual at the helm and provides support for decision-making, organization, and task management.

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3 Ways Nonprofits are Raising more with Mobile Bidding

people at an auction on their phone

Charity events are complex and often exhausting with many moving parts and variables. You may choose an online auction or a live event, or perhaps a combination of the two (which we recommend). But regardless of your approach, it’s vital to have software in hand that can help you maintain and track all the moving pieces leading up to your event and in the days following.

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